Public Domain (P)2006 Recorded Books, LLC
"A MOST ENCHANTING LISTEN"
Miss Davina Porter is indeed "Lucy Snowe." Miss Porter's performance captures the naturally critical nature of the mature character she plays. Porter captures, too, the innate intelligence and strong will of Miss Snowe.
It is difficult not to make the comparison to "Jane Eyre" because the heroine of Villette, Lucy Snowe, is a woman forced to make her own way in the world as a result of the less-than-favorable circumstances she has been dealt. Lucy possesses the same kind of independence and self-respect that readers admire in "Jane Eyre." She is her own person and able to hold her head high despite her "low" station in life.
Miss Porter speaks in the kind of voice that I imagine Lucy to have: a voice thar reflects both her intelligence and the "considered-ness" of Lucy's thoughts.