The Kill (La Curée) - Emile Zola

The Kill (La Curée) is the second novel in the Les Rougon-Macquart cycle by Émile Zola. The story focuses on Aristide Rougon, who changes his name to Saccard and tries to rise in social status in Paris during the French Second Empire.Aristide Rougon, who moves from Plassans to Paris to become rich. At first, he works as a clerk, but after his wife dies, he becomes more ambitious. With the help of his sister, he marries Renée, a wealthy young woman who is pregnant and needs a husband to protect her reputation. Through this marriage, Saccard gains money and social status.

Aristide is greedy, yet he remains respectable in society, much like the other Rougons, whose reputation is built on wealth and social status. Aristide is cold and distant; he is rarely at home, as he is constantly occupied with business. Even his marriage is treated as a financial arrangement rather than a relationship based on love. The family’s fragile balance begins to shift when Maxime Saccard, Aristide’s son from his first marriage, comes to live with them. His presence introduces a quiet but disturbing change, reflecting the moral emptiness of the household and gradually fallen into primitive desire.

Renée’s identity depends on being seen as rich and elegant; without that image, she loses her place in society. But inside, she feels empty and bored. She once wanted to feel alive, and in the end, she no longer knows what to want at all. Aristide, on the other hand, seems born to make money. He moves on easily after what Renée did, as if nothing happened. It feels harsh, but this is what Émile Zola calls naturalism: different people survive in different ways. Aristide follows one strong goal (a kind of monomania), and that is why he survives and still respectable in society while Renée does not.

The background of this novel is  so much interesting because we also can learn history, Set during the French Second Empire, when Paris was being rebuilt and modernized. Napoleon III instructed Haussmann to bring air and light to the centre of Paris, to unify the different neighbourhoods with boulevards, and to make Paris more beautiful. Haussmann transformed Paris by building wide boulevards, uniform apartment buildings, parks, and modern infrastructure. Before this modernization, Paris was overcrowded, with narrow streets, working-class neighborhoods, and old houses. As a result, entire districts were demolished to make way for the new city. In the novel, Aristide Saccard is essentially a property speculator. He makes money by buying land or houses cheaply before redevelopment, anticipating where changes will occur, and then selling the property later at a much higher price.

Paris after Hausman's development :

You should read The Kill If you want to explore more the world of the Les Rougon-Macquart, which gives an intense look at the Rougon side. Then you can continue with The Money, which follows Aristide Saccard’s life after this story and shows his ambition on a bigger financial scale. Each novel can stand alone, but reading more will help you see how the characters and themes connect across the series.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬ (4/5)
Title : The Kill
Author : Émile Zola
Publisher : Oxford World Classics
Year : July, 2008 (First Published in 1871)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 320 pages
ISBN : 9780199536924

The Conquest of Plassans - Emile Zola

At first, I told myself I’d read just one book a year from Émile Zola, but after finishing The Kill (La Curée) in a week, that plan didn’t stand a chance. I had to keep going. So I picked up The Conquest of Plassans, still within the Rougon family circle. This time, we follow Marthe Rougon, now married to her cousin François Mouret, living a quiet, orderly life with their children, Octave (The Ladies' Paradise), Serge (The Sin of Abbé Mouret), and Désirée. Zola gently introduces their domestic world, calm on the surface, but already hinting at something more fragile underneath.

Then comes the arrival of Abbé Faujas, a priest who rents rooms on the second floor. His presence is quiet, controlled, and strangely heavy, hard to read, yet impossible to ignore. There’s also something unexpectedly amusing in Mouret’s character. At first, he’s quite pleased to take in a lodger for the extra income, but almost immediately, he grows uneasy, suspicious in a way he can’t quite explain. It’s a subtle, almost ironic kind of humor. He wants the money, yet feels he may have invited something unsettling into his own home.

Who exactly is Faujas? What kind of priest is he, and how does he relate to the other abbés in town? Zola doesn’t rush to answer, but you can already feel that his role will be far from ordinary. A slow beginning, touched with irony and tension, I’m curious and a little uneasy to see where this goes.

From the glamorous life in The Kill, moving into The Conquest of Plassans feels like a shift I didn’t expect to enjoy this much. I find myself drawn to this quieter nuance. From watching the cold, ambitious Aristide Rougon, I now see Mouret as a domestic, almost gentle family man. From the vast, lonely mansion in Paris, the story brings me into a small, quiet house in the provinces. The scale becomes smaller, but somehow the tension feels closer, more intimate.

While reading this, I noticed that each main character is driven by a different kind of fear. Marthe fears spiritual failure, and Félicité fears losing status and control. But Mouret, most of all, fears being betrayed and surrounded. He loves his family and wants everything to remain orderly, just as it has always been. For him, the house with its beautiful and peaceful garden, also becomes a symbol of the stillness and stability he tries to protect. In contrast, Faujas and the Trouches seem almost fearless, which makes them even more dangerous in how they take control.

Zola shows that fear can grow into paranoia and eventually turn into aggression or violence. He also suggests that inherited tendencies can shape a person’s behavior. However, this raises a question: if someone lives a normal and peaceful life, might those impulses stay hidden instead of turning into madness?

Extras:

The fictional town of Plassans is generally considered to be based on Aix-en-Provence, where Émile Zola spent his childhood until about the age of ten. In 1858, the Zola family then moved to Paris.

Aix-en-Provence now

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬✬ (5/5)
Title : The Conquest of Plassans
Author : Émile Zola
Publisher : Oxford World Classics
Year : September, 2014 (First Published in 1874)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 307 pages
ISBN : 9780199664788

Middlemarch - George Eliot

Middlemarch is an important landmark in nineteenth-century English literature. It shows the everyday life of people living in a provincial town in England and highlights their struggles and hopes. Through different characters from various social classes, George Eliot presents multiple points of view, helping readers understand how complex society and human relationships can be.

"Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress. Her hand and wrist were so finely formed that she could wear sleeves not less bare of style than those in which the Blessed Virgin appeared to Italian painters; and her profile as well as her stature and bearing seemed to gain the more dignity from her plain garments,...."

Nineteen-year-old Dorothea Brooke, a woman steadfast in her principles, astonishes all of Middlemarch by accepting the proposal of a forty-five-year-old man, the somewhat ill-bred scholar Rev. Edward Casaubon. This choice suggests that Dorothea’s feelings are not based on physical or romantic attraction. Instead, she idealizes the intellectual and religious qualities of the historian, seeing him as a kind of role model and believing that supporting his work will give greater purpose to her life. But, when Dorothea saw Will Ladislaw (the cousin of Casaubon), she felt the feeling like she never felt before.

Alongside this, another set of relationships develops around the Vincy family, whose members share a desire to improve their social position. Rosamond Vincy, who never imagined marrying a man from Middlemarch, becomes interested in a visiting doctor, Tertius Lydgate. Meanwhile, her brother Fred Vincy is lazy, fond of gambling, and deeply in debt, though he hopes to inherit his uncle’s estate. Fred wishes to marry Mary Garth, but he is still uncertain about how to deal with the responsibilities and difficulties of life. At first, the stories of the three main characters remain separate, each following its own path. However, the author gradually intertwines them, since they are all residents of the small town of Middlemarch and encounter one another on various occasions.

“If youth is the season of hope, it is often so only in the sense that our elders are hopeful about us; for no age is so apt as youth to think its emotions, partings, and resolves are the last of their kind. Each crisis seems final, simply because it is new. We are told that the oldest inhabitants in Peru do not cease to be agitated by the earthquakes, but they probably see beyond each shock, and reflect that there are plenty more to come.”

George Eliot hints at the unhappy marriages of both Casaubon and Lydgate. It seems that Dorothea and Rosamond both find married life different from what they expected. Dorothea is treated coldly by Casaubon; although she is eager to help him with his book, The Key to All Mythologies, he believes she is incapable of assisting him. Holding a religious position does not automatically make someone humble and empathetic, this the author hints Edward Casaubon seems very cruel to her cousin and Dorothea, because of his jelousy, he makes a will that Dorothea will not inherit Lowick Manor if she marries Ladislaw. 

On the other hand, Rosamond appears to be a cheerful wife, but she has been raised to think that a wife’s role is mainly to please and entertain her husband. She does not fully understand that medical work requires long-term effort and dedication. When Lydgate is absent, she seeks attention and distraction elsewhere. Because of this, many readers tend to dislike Rosamond, as her actions create further problems in their marriage. 

I really like the quote from The Maid's Tragedy by Beaumont and Fletcher that Eliot spills on the first chapter:

‘Since I can do no good because a woman, Reach constantly at something that is near it,’

because it strongly resonates with George Eliot as a woman, and with Dorothea Brooke herself. It reflects the limitations placed on women, but also their desire to still do something meaningful. After becoming a widow, Dorothea wants to turn her ideals into real social improvement, such as her donation for the hospital and  especially through estate management, which was unusual for a woman. With the help of Caleb Garth, she plans to build better cottages for the tenants. This also connects back to the first chapter, when she designs model cottages. In the end, she finally achieves what she wanted, as marriage is no longer a limitation.

How much can one intelligent, idealistic individual actually change a whole community? The way George Eliot describes the town is interesting because Middlemarch almost feels like a character in the story. It is a traditional provincial town where people strongly follow old customs and are suspicious of new ideas. People still gossiping and prejudice, they are not ready for the changes medicine that Lydgate brings from London. Many villagers still think doctors are similar to quacks. Lydgate, however, represents a more modern doctor who studies the human body to improve medical knowledge. In one part, he examines a dead body for research, but the people of the town think this is disrespectful. This shows how the townspeople do not understand new scientific methods and prefer to hold on to their traditional beliefs.

This book is nearly one thousand pages long, and at times it can feel quite verbose. However, Eliot’s ‘verbosity’ often works as a kind of intellectual commentary on human life. Eliot’s narrator often feels thoughtful and philosophical. It's different from what I read before,  The Mill on The Floss, in Middlemarch, Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) really wanted to show off her high education and her interested in mythology, classical philosophy and earlier literature which appear in both the narration and the characters’ conversations.

In the end, reading Middlemarch feels like taking a long train journey: the destination is far, but the changing views along the way keep it engaging, and by the time you arrive, you see things from a new perspective. I like the way this book ending with justice for Ladislaw and the happines for Fred and Mary. Five Star for Middlemarch !

“If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.”

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✭✭✭✭✭ (5/5)
Title : Middlemarch
Author : George Eliot
Publisher : Penguin English Library
Year : 2012 (First Published in 1872)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 923 pages
ISBN : 9780141199795

Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin

Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin, portraying the everyday life of the Russian nobility as it gradually turns into tragedy and quiet desperation. Set in early nineteenth-century Russia, Pushkin presents the main character, Eugene Onegin, as a wealthy and idle nobleman who inherits a fortune from his uncle. Yet despite his privilege and comfort, life appears dull and meaningless to him.

Eugene moves to the country estate left to him by his uncle. The property includes a large farm, but Eugene is too idle to manage it himself, so he chooses to rent it out instead. There, he meets his neighbor Vladimir Lensky, who introduces him to the Larin family. Lensky is engaged to Olga Larina, and through this connection Eugene first meets Tatyana Larina. 

Tatyana Larina is quiet, thoughtful, and deeply emotional. Unlike her sister Olga Larina, who is lively and sociable, Tatyana is more reserved and prefers reading and dreaming. She loves romantic novels, which shape her imagination and her idea of love. She is very bold from other girl at that time, she confessed that she love Eugene through out her letter, but Eugene reject her, and tell that he can't be a better husband of father, it's break Tatyana's heart. 

And so then she was called Tatiana.
Lacking her sister’s beauty, poise,
Her rosy freshness, in no manner
Would she attract a person’s gaze.
A wayward, silent, sad young maiden,
Shy as a doe, in forest hidden,

Although Eugene has everything : money, freedom, and education, but he doesn’t even know what he truly wants. He likes traveling and living freely, yet he denies his feelings and acts emotionally immature. His pride controls him; he could have stopped the duel and saved his friendship with Vladimir Lensky, but his ego is too strong. Honestly, he feels like a red flag character. In contrast, Lensky is more sincere and emotional, which makes a strong contrast between them.

After the duel, this moment becomes a turning point for Eugene. The narrator does not clearly tell us where he goes after leaving his country estate. Instead, the story shifts to the Larin family and their winter in Moscow. There, we see the growth and transformation of Tatyana Larina—a blooming into maturity and elegance that Eugene has already missed. This became Eugene's irony, that he rejects sincere love when it is freely given, but later desperately longs for it when it is forever out of reach. Can feel like karma, but it’s more subtle than simple punishment for him, he failed to recognize real love when it was in front of him.

Reading Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, especially in the translation by Stanley Mitchell, feels like listening to a smart and slightly ironic friend telling you a story in a very poetic way. The poem is beautiful, and sometimes the narrator talks directly to you, like you are sitting beside him and he is sharing his thoughts honestly. The narrator feels like Pushkin himself, reflective, and emotional, but at the same time he feels like a character, not exactly the real Pushkin himself. The vocabulary can be quite difficult because sometimes it uses old-fashioned English, and I often have to stop and think about what a verse really means or who “he” is referring to. In the beginning, it was confusing, especially when the conversation shifts between characters, but finally I feel more feels softer, clearer, and very beautiful once you get into it. I love the beautiful description about Russian's peasant and city light as the identity.

A chill, dark dawn presages winter;
No labour’s heard upon the fields;
A wolf and hungry she-wolf enter
The road to find out what it yields;
Sensing the pair, a road horse, nearing,
Snorts – and the traveller goes tearing
Uphill, relieved to be alive;
No longer does the herdsman drive
His cows abroad while night is clinging,
No more at noontime does he sound
His horn to gather them around;
A maiden in her small hut, singing,
Spins by the crackling splintwood light,
A friend to every winter’s night.

This is the first time I read novel in verse and I like it. the verse of Eugene Onegin is trully artistic, and become my great start. I want to read another Puskin's works and interested in Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barret Browning, also a novel written in verse.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬ (4/5)

Title :  Eugene Onegin

Author : Alexander Pushkin

Publisher : Penguin Classics (Black Spine)
Year : November, 2008 (First Published in 1831)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 304 pages
ISBN : 9780140448108

The Fortune of Rougons - Émile Zola

The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola is the first novel in his monumental Les Rougon-Macquart cycle. Set during the rise of the French Second Empire, the story unfolds around the 1851 coup d’état by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte. At that time, France was deeply divided politically: the aristocracy tended to support the monarchy, much of the bourgeoisie aligned with the new Empire (Bonapartist), and many workers and republicans fought for democratic ideals. Through this conflict, Zola reveals how politics, class ambition, and moral compromise profoundly shaped both public events and everyday life. As the foundational novel of the cycle, it marks the point of origin from which everything unfolds—the beginning of the hereditary forces that will determine the fate of the Rougon-Macquart family across generations.

Set in the provincial town of Plassans, The Fortune of the Rougons centers on Pierre Rougon, an ambitious man determined to climb the social ladder. Pierre is the son of Adélaïde Fouque—known as Tante Dide—the matriarch at the origin of the Rougon-Macquart family line. Married to Félicité, he fathers several children who will later play important roles in the series. Pierre’s half-brother, Antoine Macquart, and his half-sister, Ursule Mouret (née Macquart), represent the other branch of the family. But contrast with Pierre, Antoine drinks a lot and lives carelessly. His drinking shows his bitterness, laziness, and lack of discipline. Zola portrays Macquart side are jealousy, bitterness, and long-standing resentment, highlighting the deep internal divisions that run through the same bloodline. 

The conflict between Pierre and his half-brother Antoine Macquart is not only about family inheritance, but also about politics. At first, Pierre seems to support the monarchy largely because of his wife and her relatives, who influence his ambitions and social position. Antoine, who identifies as a republican, uses these political differences as a weapon to take revenge on Pierre. This deepens their personal hatred and shows how national political conflict can divide even members of the same family.

In this novel, Zola also offers subtle hints and brief introductions to the Rougon and Macquart children, suggesting their distinct personalities and ambitions. Many of these children later become central figures in other novels in the Les Rougon-Macquart series, making The Fortune of the Rougons not only a family drama but also the foundation of a much larger literary saga.

But, Zola represented Silvère Mouret true political belief that comes from the heart. He likes reading republican and democratic pamphlets at Tante Dide’s house, especially ideas about equality and people’s rights that were popular around the 1848 Revolution. Unlike Pierre, who uses politics for personal gain, Silvère believes politics should improve society. His pursuit is not mainly for his own success, but for justice and a better future for the people. 

In conclusion, The Fortune of the Rougons shows that politics and family cannot be separated. Through Pierre and Antoine, we see how political beliefs can be used not only for ideals but also for ambition and revenge. The novel makes me question whether success comes from morality or from manipulation, especially through Pierre and Félicité’s desire for wealth and status. Overall, this book feels like a strong beginning to a larger story about family, power, and the consequences of ambition. Through Silvère Zola shows what idealistic and sincere political belief looks like, even when it faces a harsh reality, making the story feel emotional and symbolic.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬✬ (5/5)

Title :  The Fortune of Rougons 
Author : Émile Zola
Publisher : Oxford World Classics
Year : September, 2012 (First Published in 1871)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 301 pages
ISBN : 9780199560998

Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens

I have always been interested in stories that involve legal issues, so it felt natural for me to choose Little Dorrit. I was also curious because I learned that the novel exposes the inefficiency of the Marshalsea Prison as a debtors’ prison and criticizes the corruption of the Circumlocution Office as British system of patronage, how powerful government posts were controlled by elite families instead of earned by merit. Being aware of the powerful satire of Charles Dickens, I became even more eager to read it and understand what made the story so influential.

An important part of the story takes place in the Marshalsea Prison, where twenty-two-year-old Amy Dorrit, known as “Little Dorrit,” was born and raised. Her father, William Dorrit, was imprisoned there because he was unable to pay his debts. Amy lives in the prison with her father and her brother, Edward “Tip” Dorrit, while her sister Fanny lives outside with their uncle, Frederick, and works as a dancer. Together, they struggle to earn a living in order to support themselves and help repay their father’s debts.

But, the novel opens with the story of two French prisoners in Marseilles, Cavalletto and Rigaud. Later, we discover that Rigaud has several connections to the main characters. At first, I felt slightly confused, especially because the names Marshalsea and Marseilles sound so similar. The narrative then shifts to introduce Arthur Clennam, who is returning to England after completing his business in China. On board the ship, he travels with the Meagles family and Miss Wade, both of whom will later play important roles in the development of the story.

This book is 800 pages long, that we will wait to meet Amy Dorrit in. Amy's fate first crosses with Arthur Clennam when she goes to work at Mrs. Clennam’s house as a seamstress, using her needle to mend and sew. It is there that Arthur notices her quiet patience and gentle character. Gradually, he begins to suspect that Little Dorrit is not just an ordinary seamstress, is someone who is somehow connected to his own family’s past. 

The Dorrit family turns out to be victims of the delay and inefficiency of the Circumlocution Office, whose complicated and negligent administration caused the rightful legacy to remain buried for years. Instead Arthur Clennam search for his family past, he discovers a dramatic change to the Dorrit family’s life, transforming them from poverty to sudden wealth. This major shift is reflected in the structure of the novel itself, which is divided into two parts to show the contrast between their life in hardship and their life in riches. However, Arthur keep searching his own family past, make this novel turn into mystery.

In Little Dorrit, Dickens constructs a complex and interconnected story by combining several different plotlines involving the Dorrits, the Clennams, the Merdles, the Meagles family, the Casby and others. Each storyline has a different tone: some parts are full of emotional suffering, others contain comedy, and many sections strongly express social satire. 

One of the most memorable parts for me is when Amy travels to Europe. The tone of the novel suddenly changes from the bleak, gloomy, and hazy atmosphere of London to the bright, pleasant, and colorful setting of Italy. This contrast makes the story feel lighter and more hopeful. I especially like the moment when Amy meets Minnie “Pet” Meagles and becomes her friend, as it shows Amy’s gentle and sincere character in a new environment. The comic interactions between Fanny Dorrit and Mrs. Merdle also add humor to the story. Their conversations and social pretensions provide comic relief and give a lighter touch to the narrative, balancing the more serious and emotional parts of the novel. But what I really waiting for is the triangle love story between John - Amy - Arthur.

The phrase “Do Not Forget” is closely related to the psychological struggles of the characters. Mr. Dorrit strongly wants to forget his painful past in the Marshalsea Prison because he feels ashamed of it and wants to protect his new social status. On the other hand, Mrs. Clennam refuses to forget the past and holds on to guilt and old grievances, similar to Miss Havisham in Great Expectations.

Marshalsea Prison

Dickens also criticizes the financial elite through the character of Mr. Merdle, whose reputation as a successful and brilliant businessman is built more on public illusion than on real honesty. Many people trust and admire him simply because he appears wealthy and powerful. Another example is the figure of the “Patriarch,” Mr. Casby. In front of his tenants, he presents himself as kind and generous, almost like a Santa Claus figure. However, in reality, he is selfish and manipulative. He forces his agent, Mr. Pancks, to collect high rents and pressure the tenants, while he keeps his own reputation clean. Through these characters, Dickens shows how appearances can be deceiving and how those in power often hide their exploitation behind a respectable image.

Speak about The Marshalsea institution was established as part of the legal system at the time, based on the belief that imprisoning debtors would pressure them or their families to settle their debts. However, as Dickens shows in the novel, the system was often cruel and ineffective, trapping families in long-term poverty rather than solving their financial problems. 

In the end, the moral message of the story seems to question what “home” truly means. Is home a place of wealth and social status, or is it where love, loyalty, and sincerity exist?

Amy Dorrit, as the emotional heart of the novel, shows a beautiful and sincere ability to forgive and to reconcile with the past. She does not care about status, money, or social ambition. Even after experiencing wealth and traveling abroad, she still feels deeply connected to the Marshalsea Prison, because it is the place where her love and sacrifices were rooted. Through Amy, Dickens suggests that a true home is not defined by riches or reputation, but by compassion, memory, and genuine human connection. 

"None of us clearly know to whom or to what we are indebted in this wise, until some marked stop in the whirling wheel of life brings the right perception with it. It comes with sickness, it comes with sorrow, it comes with the loss of the dearly loved, it is one of the most frequent uses of adversity. "

Finally, I give Little Dorrit four stars. Although the novel is rich and meaningful, I often found the conversations overly long and repetitive—especially Flora’s rambling speeches and Mr. Meagles’ lengthy remarks. The extended satire of the Circumlocution Office and the detailed descriptions of the Barnacle elite sometimes felt excessive and made parts of the book is bored.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬(4/5)
Title : Little Dorrit
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher : Wordsworth Classics
Year : 2013 (First Published in 1857)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 848 pages
ISBN :  9781853261824

Review Villette - Charlotte Brontë

Villette is one of Charlotte Brontë’s lesser-known works compared with Jane Eyre, and it became the last novel she published. The story is often understood as drawing on her own experiences teaching English at a continental pensionnat, alongside her sister Emily, who worked as a music teacher. Published in 1853, Villette stood apart from many Victorian novels of its time: It's obvious that we as reader expecting the romance, but what we found: the tone is quiet and often gloomy, and it is especially notable for its deep psychological insight and introspective narration.

The story begins with Lucy’s retrospective memories of childhood at her godmother’s home in Bretton. Very little is revealed about Lucy’s own background, and she is presented largely as an orphaned, rootless figure. At Bretton she lives with her godmother, Mrs. Bretton, and her lively son, Graham. Their quiet domestic life changes when Paulina (Polly) Home arrives, a young child whose mother has just died. While her grieving father travels, Polly is entrusted to Mrs. Bretton’s care, and the three children share the household for a time. Lucy, however, often places herself on the margins, observing their interactions more than actively participating in them. 

Lucy embark her journey abroad

After leaving Bretton, Lucy begins an independent and uncertain life. She finds work as a companion to Miss Marchmont, an elderly and lonely woman. When Miss Marchmont dies, Lucy is once again left alone, without employment or support. This personal crisis ultimately pushes her to travel abroad, leading to her arrival in the foreign city of Villette, where the main events of the novel unfold.

Brontë’s portrayal feels realistic and deeply informative, shaped by her firsthand experience of the time and place that inspired the fictional city of Villette, often understood as a version of Brussels. I especially appreciate how she creates a genuine sense of foreignness: the frequent French dialogue, the cultural distance, and Lucy’s isolation all make the reader feel as though we are truly sharing her position as an outsider in an unfamiliar world.

Lucy’s childhood memories serve as a form of foreshadowing for her present experiences; Brontë introduces Graham and Polly not simply as past companions, but as figures whose roles become deeply intertwined with Lucy’s later emotional journey. In fact, the early chapters show Lucy’s role as a marginal one, but in the second part, I think it becomes more interesting: Lucy shifts from being merely an observer to taking on a more emotional role. This change takes us deeper into the story because we finally begin to understand how she truly feels. We come to understand that Lucy is deeply skeptical. I think she is a very complex character: she is pessimistic, stoical, and always feels isolated in Villette. We also see that she struggles with her mental health; her hallucination-like visions reflect how profoundly lonely she feels. This is unique—Lucy’s attitude is “expect nothing, and you won’t be hurt,” a kind of defense mechanism to protect herself.  Indeed, Lucy is gave up, hopeless with her unrequieted love.

Despite finding a sense of freedom, she becomes trapped once again in isolation at the boarding school, under the watchful authority of a strict headmistress who always wants to know everything. Can't say that the headmistress—Madame Beck as the villain; rather, she functions as a quiet antagonist who prefers to maintain control over everyone in the pensionnat. Monsieur Paul (Mme. Beck's cousin) is a complex and passionate man whose relationship with Lucy is marked by both intellectual connection and emotional tension, once again, Lucy struglle with her feeling and her faith as a protestant. 

So many questions come to mind that I wish I could ask Charlotte Brontë—why, in the end, does she never describe Lucy’s early life with her family? How did her parents die, or did they simply pass away without leaving any inheritance? It can be assumed that Lucy did not come from deep poverty, given her connection to her godmother, Mrs. Bretton. Once again, this shows how uncommon the novel was for its time: it is not just another Victorian romance. Brontë’s narrative feels advanced, almost modern. She seems to suggest that Lucy’s past and family background do not truly matter; there are parts of her history that Lucy chooses not to reveal, perhaps connected to trauma or grief. What ultimately matters is Lucy’s present experience and the story she is living now.

Speaking about the nun ghost, I assume that Lucy’s struggles with her mental health make her experience hallucination-like visions, especially when she is grieving. The nun appears mainly within the pensionnat, and, much like in Jane Eyre, Brontë presents the mystery in a way that seems supernatural at first but is ultimately given a logical explanation.

I’m not going to say that this book is an easy read—you can’t just breeze through it. I had to concentrate more deeply to absorb it, especially at the beginning when Brontë presents Lucy mainly as an observer and a somewhat unreliable narrator. There is also a great deal of French dialogue, so readers who don’t understand French may need to rely on footnotes. However, with a little patience, you begin to uncover the subtle depth of Lucy’s emotions and enjoy the rich, fascinating descriptions of place—even without any visual references from film adaptations, azzz they should make this into film.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬(4/5)
Title : Villette
Author : Charlotte Brontë
Publisher : Penguin English Library
Year : 2012 (First Published in 1853)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 616 pages
ISBN :  9780141199887

2026 Classics Reading Haul

20 Classics Books I want to read in 2026 :

British Classics :

1. 1984 - George Orwell
2. Ivanhoe - Sir Walter Scott
3. Last Man, The - Mary Shelley
4. Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens
5. Middlemarch - George Elliot
6. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
7. Monk, The - Matthew Lewis
8. Villette - Charlotte Bronte
9. Wives and Daughter - Elizabeth Gaskell
10. Woodlanders, The  - Thomas Hardy
11. Women In Love - D.H Lawrence

French Classics :

1. The Kill - Emile Zola
2. The Conquest of Plassans - Emile Zola
3. The Man in The Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas

Russian Classics :

1. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
2. Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin
3. Doctor Zhivago - Boris Pasternak
4. The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky

American Classics:

1. The Last of The Mohicans -
2. The Song of The Larks - Willa Cather
3. Tarzan The Apes & Return of Tarzan - Edgar Rice Burogh
4. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemmingway

Recap

January :

1. Villette - Charlotte Bronte

February :

2. Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens

3. Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin

March :

4. Middlemarch - George Elliot

April :

5. The Kill - Emile Zola

6. The Conquest of Plassans - Emile Zola

7. The Song of The Larks - Willa Cather

May :

8. Women In Love - D.H Lawrence

9. Doctor Zhivago - Boris Pasternak

10. Ivanhoe

June :

11. Woodlanders, The  - Thomas Hardy

12. The Last of The Mohicans  - James Fenimore Copper

13. 1984 - George Orwell

July :

14. The Moonstone / Tarzan

15.  A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemmingway

August :

16. Moby Dick - Herman Melville

17. Alias Grace 

September :

18.  Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

October :

19. Last Man, The - Mary Shelley

20. Monk, The - Matthew Lewis

November :

21. The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky

December :

22. Wives and Daughter - Elizabeth Gaskel

23. The Man in The Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas

Review The Black Tulip - Alexandre Dumas

Here we are in the Netherlands in the mid-seventeenth century, when the country was a young republic emerging from its long struggle for independence from Spain and was marked by political tension between the ruling House of Orange and the republican leaders, the brothers De Witt. This was a time of great prosperity, but also of deep conflict and instability. This novel is one of heroism, tinged with tragedy, history, and political intrigue. Our author is the beloved Alexandre Dumas of France, so be prepared for a tale full of action and adventure.

The Black Tulip flower lies at the heart of the novel, a symbol of the nation and of material pursuit, embodying the ambition to cultivate a flower that had never before been discovered. The city of Haarlem offers a prize of 100,000 francs to whoever can succeed in growing a black tulip. At stake are not only the reward itself, but also fame and honour: the victor’s name will be forever linked to the tulip that bears it.

Cornelius van Baerle is a devoted lover of tulips, a wealthy, generous, and gentle man who lives only for his flowers. He dreams of discovering the black tulip so that it may bear his name. He begin experiment to discover a black tulip. But he has an evil neighbour who shares the same passion for tulip-growing, yet is corrupted by envy and greed: Isaac Boxtel. A manipulative man, Boxtel schemes to steal Cornelius’s black tulip and ultimately has him thrown into prison, falsely accusing him because of his connection to the brothers De Witt, who are now branded as traitors.

The plot of betrayal is reminiscent of another Dumas novel, The Count of Monte Cristo. Though this story is nearly three hundred pages long, it is still a fascinating book. Rosa, our unexpected heroine, is a beautiful and kind-hearted Frisian girl. She soon falls in love with Van Baerle—and perhaps, too, is tempted a little by the prize money. Timid and obedient, yet practical and clever, she lives in her father’s house; her father is the jailer. It is here that the action begins.

So this is not just a story about the pursuit of material things which is the black tulip itself or the prize money, but a story about love, honesty, and staying strong in difficult times. At first, the historical background of seventeenth-century Holland may feel a bit confusing, especially with the political conflict around the De Witt brothers. However, once you understand it, the setting helps make the story more meaningful and realistic.

Compared to Dumas’s other works like The Count of Monte Cristo, this novel is shorter and lighter, but still touching. It is a good choice for beginer because it is not too long, the language is clear, and the message is positive. In the end, the story shows that true success is not only about winning money or fame, but about keeping your integrity and finding happiness with the people you love.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬(4/5)
Title : The Black Tulip
Author : Alexandre Dumas
Publisher : Penguin English Classics (Black Spine)
Year :  2003 (First Published in 1850)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 258 pages
ISBN : 9780140448924

Howards End - E.M Forster

Although A Room with a View didn’t make a lasting impression on me, I found Howards End to be much deeper and more philosophically engaging. Howards End looks at social problems and how people behave between classes, but it also goes deeper into the characters’ thoughts and feelings. The themes feel different too. The story talks about class and social differences , but it also deals with harder issues like responsibility and understanding between people during Edwardian era or early twentieth century

Howards End begins with a letter from Helen Schlegel to her sister Margaret, telling her about an impulsive romance with Paul Wilcox during Helen's visit at Howards End. However, Mr. Wilcox dismisses the relationship as unserious because Paul “hasn’t a penny” to marry. In the Wilcox family, a man must be financially independent before taking a wife, even though the family itself is wealthy.

The Schlegels live at Wickham Place in London—Margaret being the eldest, followed by Helen and their brother Tibby. The Wilcoxes live across the street for a time, and during this period Margaret becomes close to Mrs. Ruth Wilcox. Ruth sees something genuine and trustworthy in Margaret, something that reminds her of the spirit of Howards End-the property of Ruth Wilcox, and the house where she was born. This connection leads Ruth to leave Howards End to Margaret in her will—on a piece of paper written by her hand. This becomes the source of the conflict between the Wilcoxes and the Schlegels. The Wilcoxes assume that the house belongs to them and treat Ruth’s deathbed wish as sentimental nonsense rather than a real inheritance. 

Leonard Bast first meets the Schlegels when he comes to Wickham Place to retrieve his umbrella after Helen mistakenly takes it at a concert. The sisters become interested in him because he seems thoughtful and eager to improve himself. They invite him into conversations about books and life, which makes Leonard feel respected. 

The three families in Howards End, each from a different social class, really interest me because they show how people live and think in completely different ways. The Wilcox, the upper-class represent as practical, materialist, and power. Their bussines somehow is building the empire. The Schlegels,  upper-class but not as royal as Wilcoxes, they are more like bohemian, they value arts, books and philoshopy. The Bast or Leonard Bast is the lower-class, he is poor but sometimes loses himself while reading, he believe with reading he want to become "something". 

The heroine of this novel is Margaret, at the begining in the novel she 28 years old but her personality is mature, she is able to connect the people from different classes, and brave enough to confront about idealism with her husband who is very phatriach. She is contrast with Wilcoxes who think success and wealth are proof of superiority, Margaret thinks every person has value, whether rich or poor. Mr. Henry Wilcox remarks that "there are always the rich and the poor", and this reflects his worldview, believe that class divisions are natural. I think he benefits from this system, because his companies rely on lower-class workers.

This outer life, though obviously horrid, often seems the real one —there’s grit in it.

Helen Schlegel is too romanticize her life, and fancying the idealistic life where everyone is equal. Offcourse by reading books too much, we can't solve every problem in this life, but with reading we gain an educated mind, emphaty for our hearts, and appreciate the artistic in life, those are what Forster said about "the inner life" that holds our feelings. Helen insist to help Mr. Bast whatever its cost. Different from her sister, Margaret brings something new to the Wilcox family—she feeds their minds, comforts their hearts, and reminds them that life is more than just work and keep getting whealty, these are also what Forster said to us, that The Wilcoxes just have "the outer life" shaped by work, duty, and society’s expectations. Because the true harmony comes when we learn to connect the two, the inner and the outer life.

"Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die."

The Schlegels’ idea of “Only Connect” suggests that people from the lower class, like Leonard Bast, can be helped through meaningful connection with those from the upper class. The rich may offer advice or guidance, but misunderstandings still happen because a real gap exists between the classes, such as different experience and practical knowledge. Leonard is intelligent, but his idealism and ambition clash with the Wilcoxes’ practicality and the realities of his own situation. The novel asks whether someone from the lower class in that era could truly “rise,” or whether the rigid social structure makes such upward movement extremely difficult. 

The novel ends at Howards End, returning to where it began. Forster wants readers to understand the philosophy of a house—not merely as a building, but as a place filled with history and meaning. Ruth and Margaret value the house because they believe it represents continuity, harmony, and connection. This contrasts with the Wilcoxes, who see the house only as a piece of property.

In the end, I find Forster’s writing  is easy to read, well structured though heavy issues and sharp social commentary. He often describes London in 1910 as cloudy and polluted because of motor-car smoke, which makes the city feel busy and heavy. In contrast, he shows the English countryside as calm, relaxing, and peaceful. This difference highlights how Forster sees the countryside as a place where people can find clarity and connection.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬(4/5)
Title : Howards End
Author : E. M Forster
Publisher : Penguin English Library
Year : 2012 (First Published in 1910)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 382 pages
ISBN : 978-0141199405