Villette

Mandy Weston reads the story of wry, tender little Lucy Snow with great heart and subtle understanding. I enjoyed every minute.

I love Charlotte Bronte, her sisters and everything about this particular book. First of all, the narration is sublime. I can't wait to have Mandy Weston hired over and over again, to read book after book, especially of this time period. She is up there with Josephine Bailey who is one of my very favorite narrators. Villette is a masterpiece. It is too bad that Jane Eyre so overshadowed Charlottes other books. I loved Villette. I love the protaganist of Lucy Snowe. I lived in this book, I could barely function in this century while I was engrossed in this audio!!! More people, who love this genre need to hear this book, its just wonderful.

The narrator is OK, but the story is really uneventful and bland with too many references to the "reader" and too much french. It's difficult to stay with what story there is.

There is a lot of French in this book, if you don't understand it you will miss things, not hard to guess but still its annoying.
The reading is good, easy to listen to but the story is very long and there isn't that much that happens and its a totally rubbish ending.

Every time the narrator said Pau.ly.na instead of Paulina, it was like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard.
It's such a simple name that it's hard to believe anyone would mispronounce it.

I think Kate Reading who has recorded Pride and Prejudice is outstanding.
I wish she would record Villette by Charlotte Bronte and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

The story is beautiful and one of my favorites so it's a "must hear" by another reader.

I liked this book, but I don't think I would have gotten it if offered again.

The book itself was great, but the ending left me wanting more resolution.

Lucy was the best.

Yes, maybe a movie would give me a more definate ending.

I dearly loved this novel by Charlotte Bronte. I have a great love for British Classic Novels and Mandy Weston so beautifully brought this story to life with her narrative. I was disheartened to read the prior review and thought to bring to light an alternate perspective of this novel. I believe Bronte created in Miss Lucy Snowe and M. Paul Emanuel the very contrasts in religion of the period. While Lucy voiced her opinion (albeit objections) of the Catholic faith during her forced education, and yes it was truly forced as is clearly advised to the reader, Paul offered the opposing view as a devout Catholic. Lucy complements the essence of the Catholic faith (the attributes of the faith in which are demonstrated by Paul) and renounces what she feels is a materialistic invasions on the purity of the faith. During this time period the ambition of the Roman Catholic Church across Europe can be argued as having been to assume the role of the dominating faith, repressing Protestantism as well as other emerging faiths. The story is less about religion itself and more about how the differing religious views play a vital role in the separation of Lucy and Paul. It is a beautifully written novel with descriptive elements that allow the listener to envision Lucy's world. Her solace outward countenance rivaled by her internal struggles, turmoils, and discoveries of her own self rarely displayed to her colleagues within the novel but rather to the listeners ear, engage the listener and create sympathy, empathy and a reverence for the character. Many times throughout the novel my chest ached at the suppression of Lucy's feeling and her determination to "put aside such things".

To the young and old readers alike, this novel is a gem, a treasure. I look forward to listening to it over and over again as I do not yet believe I have been enlightened to all this novel has to offer, nor may I ever. The lessons, or revelations, are so numerous from psychological, theological and cultural views, I believe Bronte's masterpiece could be studied for generations.

the heroine of this book has a station in life that is below all the other people that she interacts with but amazingly is their superior in all respects. her private thoughts tell the reader of her superiority which may be a silent bolster to the character but comes across as sheer condescension. trapped in circumstances she takes the blows issued by the smarmy characters surrounding her who control her life while she makes her private judgments of them. that seems to be the entire purpose of our dear perfect Lucy Snowe in Villette. a structurally fully developed novel that disappoints in action and in verisimilitude.

alas. a young reader can learn how to be condescending and superior to others by reading villette.

HOWEVER, Mandy Weston, the reader, is EXCELLENT! one of the finest i've heard.

I never knew that Charlotte Bronte had any other novels than Jane Eyre. They are similar in that the main characters have to go through a lot of self-discovery and finding their independence in order to find love. They are different in that Villette tells more of the story of the supporting characters around Lucy Snow. Be prepared of the sections in French, which there are many.

Though nothing can compare with Jane Eyre, this was a great story, well told and well narrated. I had never read this before hearing it performed, and I followed without difficulty.