Plugging Along

I am actually still reading this book. Seriously, no kidding, I'm reading Villette. In fact, I rechecked (is that a word?) this book out from the library so I could finish it. My reading has slowed considerably, what with life getting its hands all over my day, but I do still try to find an hour to stick my nose in the story when I can. My fingers are crossed that I'll have this done by this weekend.

Right now what I'm enjoying about the book is how it feels like a sort of strange ride. Some of it you can guess before it happens, and yet it reads as if it were totally organic. Of course this would happen; of course that would happen. It makes sense, and isn't at all a boring or shocking occurrence when things fall into certain places. It feels very much like a life journey, where the heroine (Lucy, which is an excellent name in my very humble opinion) slowly evolves, and finds herself becoming different, while at the same time still holding onto the core of herself.

It's a very interesting book, and with about 1/4 of it left to go, I'm very excited to see where this long, curving road of Lucy's goes. Bronte definitely did a great things with this story.

Villette is a Place

Yes, I'll admit it. The book I'm reading, which is actually pretty good so far, is titled after a place and not a person. I didn't know this. I assumed it was about a woman named Villette, whom we'd meet in the process of the story. Nope. Not at all. It's a French town.

I know, I know, I should have realized this. But the fact is, I try to keep myself a little insulated when it comes to the books on my list. I want to be excited, to be surprised, to be completely unaware of twists and turns. I suppose in a way that will make me look a little, well, foolish sometimes. But that's okay. I don't mind admitting to these things. After all, it was a surprising and wonderful revelation to know Villette was a town and not a human being. It made me smile at myself and laugh a little at my assumption.

So, the book reading is going well. I'm balancing it with homeschooling the kids, and writing, and in general getting through the glorious chaos of life. The language in the book gives me a bit of a problem every now and again, as some reactions are spoken in French. It's not so numerous, or so distracting, that it puts me off the story. Plus, I've found that my one year of high school French, as well as the text around the language, helps me to understand what's happening.

Right now, I'd say Villette is a very good book. Not mind blowingly awesome (though I'm not quite halfway through, so it has time to surprise me yet). But a good, solid read about the evolution of the main character, and the crises that cause her to become something more than she ever imagined herself to be. All in all, not a bad premise, and a very enjoyable book.