Villette

Old romantic era novels are my guilty pleasure. Wuthering Heights is up there on my all time favorite book list since I read it in HS. But, to get new ideas of books to read, I subscribe to Good Reads. The site allows you to leave your 2 cents regarding books you've read and then suggests books you might like - kinda like Netflix.

Picking up on my secret romantic side,  Good Reads suggested Villette by Charlotte Bronte. A story about a young girl who has moved away from family and friends to live in a country where she doesn't speak the language - sounds like it was written for me!

Although slow at times, the book was everything I expected: Flamboyant, emotional, elegant and in the end heartbreakingly tragic. I love the strong female characters, the small machinations of society and all the unspoken formal rules... it must have been exhausting living in that time, but so fun to imagine.

Photo from flickr.