Synopses & Reviews
Lucy Snowe is a young woman alone in the world after a terrible event of which she never speaks. With no home, no family, and no prospects, she sets out on her own to the small French town of Villette, where she finds work as a governess at a boarding school for girls. When a handsome doctor from her past appears in Villette and an irritable schoolmaster develops feelings for her, Lucy believes she may at last be free from loneliness—if her rigorous self-control doesn't conceal her true passion.
Based on Charlotte Bronte's own experiences at a boarding school in Belgium, Villette is an intense psychological portrait of its heroine, a woman who struggles to find independence and love on her own terms.
About the Author
Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) was an English novelist and poet. She was the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, all of whom were gifted writers. The most prolific of the three sisters, Charlotte authored a number of childrens stories as well as several novels, including Shirley, Villette, and The Professor. She published her first success, Jane Eyre, under the pseudonym Currer Bell in 1847.