Why read Villette by Charlotte Bronte

I grew up in a school that had one of the best libraries. It was brand new because the school was brand new. The library had this amazing collection of penguin classics, especially the ones with the black spine. There were two entire rows of shelves filled with black penguin classics. At that time, I wasn't much of a reader. Though I appreciated books and especially loved being in the library surrounded by those classic books and going through the amazing covers lost in daydreaming, reading didn't come that easy to me. 

I came across Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte only a few years back and that changed everything for me. Jane Eyre pulled me into the world of other Victorian literature and kindled a love for reading. After Jane Eyre, I immediately jumped onto all the other Bronte books, all of them, and then got on to discovering Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and so many other Victorian-era authors. Villette by Charlotte Bronte is one book that haunts me. And if I had to choose one book to take with me on a deserted island, I think it would be Villette. 

Villette tells the story of Lucy Snowe. When the story starts, she is a teenager staying at her godmother's house. Through her, we meet and get to know young Polly and John, but we get to know so little of Lucy's own situation. Once she goes back home, circumstances change, both for her godmother and for herself, and for the worst turn of events. Lucy ends up taking a job as a caretaker to an invalid lady. She works there for some years.  But then again, circumstances change, and it forces her to take a drastic measure. With very little money and no relation, she makes the bold decision to go to London. From there, she decides to journey to Villette.

All this happen in first few pages into the book. At this point, one can't help but be amazed by Lucy and her decision to jump and grow wings on the way. Often in life, we are faced with similar circumstances that push us to carry forward and carry on with life instead of giving up or giving in, but how many of us have that courage? From this point of story, I found myself rooting for Lucy and the brand-new adventure that awaits her. 

People often say once you decide on something and work towards it, the universe conspires to make your dreams come true. Well, that is exactly what happens with Lucy. She reaches Villette but ends up losing her luggage and then her way, but she ends up at the doorstep of Madame Beck's boarding school for young ladies. She takes a job in the boarding school and a new chapter in her life unfolds.

Lucy is one solitary character. Reading this book makes me comprehend loneliness in a whole new way. The way she values relationships that comes her way is heart-wrenching at times. This book also does justice to unrequited love. In this book, there is a scene where Lucy loses her letter from John in the midst of a commotion happening in the school. Though I think the other party was pretty thick-headed not to comprehend her feeling, seeing her reaction at the loss of the letter, for the first time we see her emotion that is kept well checked 

This books also tackle depression due to loneliness in a way no other books did before or around its time. While reading this may be a sad and sombre experience, it is also intense in terms of emotions trapped inside Lucy, which often burst into flames in small moments, here and there.

Villette is also a little autobiographical in a sense that it weaves in Charlotte's own experience in Brussels when she was studying there. She famously had a one-sided fling with her french professor, which was kind of scandalous considering the fact that he was married. The letters that Charlotte wrote to the professor are preserved and their content just shows how amazing she was. 

Writing this strangely makes me what to reread Villette again, in this dreary cold winter. 

Five books: recommendation for rainy days

Rainy days come in many shapes and forms. Life can be tough and things happening around you may bring you down to drown but books can be a source of solace and light. It can lift your spirit high. Here are five books for those kinds of rainy days. 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2021 and rightly so. This book tells the story of Piranesi in a world that is strange with many big halls. The world has a sea that runs beneath the halls which comes high during the tides. The misty world above is a blur and uncharted territory. Piranesi spends most of his time in the halls with the statues. There are rooms that he is yet to explore and discover in this world. 

The story starts with such intrigue and the world is totally strange. We wonder how Piranesi got there and why is he alone? As the story moves on, we see 'the other' come into the picture. 

What I love about the book is our hero Piranesi. He is one of my favourite characters in a book. I've never come across a person who is so endearing and lovely. The way he appreciates and adapts to the situation or places he is in is something we need in our own life. Indeed like Piranesi says time and again, 'the beauty of the house is immeasurable, its kindness infinite'.  Read this and you will comprehend its meaning. 

 

A fantasy book can be an amazing escapism. The world it takes you to and the journey of our heroes, one can never get tired of it. The Mistborn series consists of three books: The Final Empire; The Well of Ascension; and The Hero of Ages. This series is well-loved by many fantasy nerds on YouTube and rightly so. This book is simply amazing. 

We are introduced to a world that is dark, sombre and almost medieval. Ashes fall from the sky, plants are brown, the sun cannot be seen, and the evil Lord Ruler rules the world with an iron fist. Among the Skaa, enslaved for thousand years, rebellion ensues and hope for a new world is at the heart of our heroes. 

Once you start on this epic journey, it is very difficult to put a break. This book has a huge cast of characters, all important. At the heart of it is Vin, a Mistborn, who ties all of them together. 

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022. Her books have a unique blend of fiction and non-fictional world coming together. The Tale of Time Being does that excellently. 

This book is about a young boy Benny and his mother, overcoming loss and grief in their own ways. It's also a story about Benny and his book. The book, who is strangely the narrator of the story we read. 

While Benny’s mother resorts to hoarding, Benny starts hearing voices from things. The fact that there are so many things in their home does not make it easy for Benny. 

Ruth being a Zen Buddhist, we see elements of Zen teachings woven into the story. 

While the story of grief and loss is most of the time melodramatic and never an easy read, this book is very uplifting, playfully narrated and almost fantastical. 

Going into this book, I had no idea what it was all about. ‘Why Fish don’t exist', a very strange and enticing title. 

In this book, Lulu Miller explore the story of David Starr Jordan, a taxonomist. He is an important figure who is credited for discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. The story explores the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, when I came out of this book, I felt a fresh new perspective and a sense of burden removed from me. I  had a similar feeling when I read ‘Tracks’ by Robyn Davidson. I don't know if it was the intention of the book, but I started feeling hope and connection with the world and everything and every being in it. 

This may not be a book for everyone. It is very graphic and extreme. It takes what we do in depression to an extreme point, therefore I recommend this with much caution. 

The story starts with Lucy hitting rock bottom with her relationship and her career coming to an end. A series of mishaps follow. She moves in with her sister who charge her with the task of caring for their sick dog. She also meets with Dominic, an eerie and mysterious swimmer. 

As we watch her go from one extreme to another, the question remains, will she find peace? Will she come to the other side? I couldn’t help rooting for her despite one very despicable thing she does (not spoiling anything here). 

This book is written so amazingly that all pages jump into life leaving a lasting image in your head, be them good, be them bad. 

 

The frog who saw the ocean

The story of the 'Two Frogs' or 'The Frog who saw the Ocean' is a tale quite well known, especially where I live. So the story goes something like this...

Long time ago, there was a frog who lived in a small pond. This particular frog had never seen the world beyond his pond. The world was the pond he lived in and he had lived in that pond for so many long years. He was born and raised in the pond. He loved living in the pond and he thought the world of the pond. 

One day, it so happened that a frog from the ocean was travelling by. He passed by the pond and started a friendly conversation with the frog from the pond.

Hello there, the frog from the ocean said.

Hello to you too stranger, where do you come from? he asked

I come from the ocean far away, he said

I see, said the frog from the pond. He then continued, I suppose this ocean of yours is smaller than my pond.

The frog from the ocean replied, the ocean is much bigger my friend.

At this, the frog from the pond thought that the stranger was lying to him. Obviously, there couldn’t be a pond bigger than his. It was not possible, he thought.

At some point in time, the frog from the ocean offers to take him on a journey to see the ocean. The frog from the pond decides to take up the offer knowing that he had been lied to. He had to see this ocean that the frog from the ocean was talking about. There was no way it could be bigger or better than his pond. The lovely pond he lived in his whole life. 

The two set out on a journey to see the ocean. It takes them many days and many nights but they finally reach the ocean.  

When they reach the ocean, the frog from the pond cannot comprehend the sheer size and depth of the ocean before him. His heart cannot take the magnitude and extent of the ocean. He sadly perishes from the shock at the sight of the ocean for he always thought that there was no pond bigger than his.  

....

Well, that is how the story ends, unfortunately, with the frog from the pond having the shock of his life and dying a sudden death at the sight of the ocean. The story has a dry humour to it despite the tragedy that befalls our poor frog. 

There are times when I feel like the frog from the pond. I live a small life. I have very limited experience. I have seen so less of the world. I live a routine mundane life. And I love the pond I live in. But... I do know about the vastness of life. We are but a speck in this expanding universe. I do know that the world has so much to offer every day. And, if we are all moving towards the ocean of life before us, I think I'm ready for a new revelation to be revealed in the view. 

To the mountain I go

...

Thimphu is a beautiful city. It truly is. It is surrounded by high lush mountains and the sky is always this deep shade of healthy blue, the kind of blue you see when the air is crisp and clean. 

I've lived in this city my whole life and i have made so many memories in it. Now, I am not someone with hyperthymesia, but I do have some unique memories which I fondly associate with the city. But that is a topic for another day. 

Today, I'll talk about the day I decided to go to the mountain. 

I live in x. The apartment I live in is located next to X high school. My bedroom window has a panoramic view of the high mountains in the west. The sun sets over those horizons. Sometimes, it is a light shade of pink across the sky and sometimes it is a somber grey of fall. The mountains from afar draw a strange feeling of calling. The mountain is alive and always inviting. Every time I look at those mountains, the desire to just let it all go and face the mountain comes to me. I need courage to be that bold and take the first step, instead of procrastinating. 

This one afternoon, I did feel low. I suppose my problem cannot equate to someone who has to live with hunger and cold but nevertheless they are problems that were making me low. With no place to vent it out, those emotions were eating my insides. You can tell yourself, let it go and move on, but mind always latches on to things that are ugly and unpleasant. Strange mind but these are experiences not unique to me.

From my window, the horizon over the mountain is a flat line. I've always wondered what it would be like to run along the edge of those mountains. It feels so inviting. The mountains calls out to me constantly.

And this one day I decided to heed to that calling. I told myself, I have courage, I have confidence. 

I wear a comfortable legging. I wear a warm sweater. I put some fresh water in the bottle. I pack some food to eat in case I get hungry on the way. The decision is sudden, and it took only few minutes for me to get ready. My 11-year-old daughter is eyeing me. Mom, where are you going, she asks. I say, I'm heading to the mountain. She thinks it is a joke. I have never done that. My husband is next door with his laptop. He's far away despite our close proximity. Things are not so good with us these days. These are one of those days when we are cold and numb. Days like these do come and go but when it comes, it's hard and it's not nice. Today I need some perspective. Today I need to climb a mountain.  

Ok, I'm going, I tell my daughter. She hugs me tight, one of those bone-crunching hugs she gives. Always packed with magic and fairy dust. She always hugs me, and I always hug her. Everyday. 

I'm out of the door. I reach the bottom of the stairs. I've completed my climb down from the apartment, three floors down. Suddenly, I'm starting to feel stupid, and I question my sanity. What the heck am I doing, I tell myself. I'm out of character. Courage and confidence, I make a new mantra in my head. And I start to walk. I start to sprint.

It takes half an hour to walk to the base of the mountain. I look up and the scene is different. The giant I see before me looks nothing like the scene I see from the window. My head is tilted back and I look up. I can do this, I say, and I start climbing up.

Few steps up into the woods and tears start pouring down my face. I start crying and it is strange and unexpected. Have I been bottling them in for some time? I stop for a while, letting all those tears come out. Sadness comes out with those downpours. 

I then walk up. I can't wait to reach up to the summit, I can't wait to reach the marker I've marked from my window.

...

My heart thumps in my chest. Sweat rains down like water over me. Every once in a while, I make a stop from the uphill climb, and I look down at the city. The houses and everything that makes up the city are scattered in a random fashion from high up here. I fix my gaze to a point to make sense of the puzzle I see before me. From this vintage point, I can see the tenement I live in, but everything looks small, even my qualm and worry. If I am the eye in the giant mountain, the city looked like an anthill and its people a speck. Do we comprehend the day of an ant? Does the mountain think about the strange lives of the people living downhill? 

As my heart slows down its beat, I once again take on the climb. I stop a while and climb again. This is an untraveled route, at this hour of the day. There is no one ahead of me and there is no one behind. I'm strangely all alone and free, on the edge of this mountain that I climb. I don't feel any sense of worry. The view of the city is always there. Every once in a while, i turn my back and look down. I'm glad to be getting further and further away from the city. 

At some point of time, I do reach where I want to be, but I want to push further. I see a group of people going beyond the point of my destination. I intuitively know they are heading to x. I've never been there, and I want to keep going. So, I follow the route they are taking. This is taking me further than the point I decided to go. I say, courage and confidence to myself. 

I walk. I stop. My head is blank. The tiredness does take all thinking and thoughts away. I'm breathing heavy but a calmness has overtaken me. I feel safe and I don't feel any sense of worry. So, I continue to walk up and up, I am getting further and further from the city. I'm going further away from the tenement I live in. I am going further and further away from my family. 

When I reach the summit of x, it is beautiful. I think I need to come back again, not alone. 

Prayers flags flutter in the winds. The temples are quite and out worldly. Time does run a slow pace in this place I feel. I take a seat and focus my gaze up on the blue sky and on the clouds drifting by. They are moving. They seem to be grooving. What strange beauty. What strange sight. As I walk deeper, the forest starts to get denser. If bears are not hibernating, it may not be a safe path ahead. So, I decide, this is the point of return. I tell myself, I need to be safe for people I love and those who love me. 

I turn back. I've completed the climb. I should now go back home. As I think this, a sudden gush of eagerness swipes over me. My heart is in a hurry and my feet is eager to take flight. I climb down. I sprint and take long strides. I start to think of my daughter. Has she taken her lunch? I start to think that she needs a bath. My heart travels many miles ahead. I can't wait to get home.