“Villette,” Charlotte Bronte
Without a doubt, everyone has heard of, and most people have read, “Jane Eyre.” But what about “Villette”? Thanks to the small-ish English section of Palencia’s library, I have now read Charlotte Bronte’s second, and arguably better, novel. I don’t know why “Villette” never caught the public’s eye. It is very similar to “Jane Eyre” in that it follows a female narrator trying to make it on her own in Britain/France in the 19th century. Lucy, after leaving her godmother’s house, becomes a teacher in a pensionnat in Villette, France. Somehow, Bronte manages to tie in all of the characters throughout the novel, each one reappearing at some point. We follow Lucy through her trials and tribulations and also through her accomplishments. Though most certainly a more difficult read because of the old British English, “Villette” is worth reading, especially is you enjoyed “Jane Eyre.”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Steig Larsson
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is by far the most sick and disgusting novels I have ever read. That being said, it does deal with some important themes in society today: financial misdeeds by millionaire businessmen and violence and brutality against women. The book is divided into four parts, and with each new part we receive another appalling statistic about sexual violence toward women, such as “13% of the women in Sweden have been subjected to aggravated assault outside of a sexual relationship,” or “46% of the women in Sweden have been subjected to violence by a man.” A journalist who recently served prison time for libel is hired by a former C.E.O. of a large company to solve the case of his missing great-niece. The only kicker is that Harriet disappeared over 40 years ago. With a shocking ending and graphic violence along the way, make sure you have your stomach situated before reading this book.