My classic novel read for 2017 is . . .

I finished Villette, and it was a worthwhile read. A bit slow, but it was my evening reading in bed, and that's actually how I like to read stuff at night. And as I mentioned earlier, it also helps if you know some French. The story is of a young English woman who falls into a teaching position in a French town, and the various social relationships she has in the course of her young career. Charlotte Bronte herself had done something similar in Brussels, and was clearly fluent in French, and made much use of it in this novel. But the characters throughout are complex, vivid, and very well portrayed, without cliché or stereotype, and the narrative style solid and readable throughout. Happy I read it.

caw

CBJason said:

Congrats on finishing - just finished a bit of a slower read for myself tonight as well. What's next on your list?

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I don't really keep a "list", but I'm considering a shorter novel by the less well-known sister, Anne Bronte, who produced two before her early death. And I guess I am currently reading a kind of "classic", a mystery thriller by early 20th century novelist Edgar Wallace: The Four Just Men. He's a very strong narrative writer, and I'm enjoying it a lot.

caw