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maninee's review against another edition
4.0
I had a hard time loving it but in the end I couldn't help myself.
taylormorgantm's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
audsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Eliot leaves England and goes back some 350 years for 'Romola', to 15th century Florence, and tells a story about love and betrayal, revenge and forgiveness. It will never be as popular as her other novels, but it deserves attention as it was a novel that Eliot believed in and spent a great deal of time and effort in crafting it.
Romola de'Bardi has lived a quiet, studious life with her father, a classics scholar whose gone blind. Her brother deserted her atheist father to become a monk and she must provide the support he needs to complete his work and help ensure that her father's collection is donated, intact, for the public good of the city. Their life is shaken when the young and handsome Tito Melema shows up at their door and agrees to help. In fact, Tito is agreeable to everyone, and quickly becomes an indispensable part of the political and academic communities. Of course, he has a terrible secret that could destroy his reputation.
The Florence of the renaissance is brought to vivid life in these pages, the death of Lorenzo de Medici "the Magnificent", the reign of Savonrola, conversations with Machiavelli and other scholars abound. That is only the setting, however instructive it is, the meat of the story is the conflict of the upright Romola with Tito Melema, whose original deceit is compounded by guilt and fear until he becomes entirely selfish and heartless. Romola, educated by her father, is a rarity in her world, and has to struggle alone to do what she believes to be right. Her beliefs are challenged and she is full of doubts for much of the novel. This was a long, thickly detailed novel, less passionate than her earlier novels, but makes up for it with clean prose and commitment to the period.
This novel would have ranked with 'The Mill on the Floss', but the ending was a trifle underwhelming, I wasn't sure what I would have preferred instead though. I suppose the ending was fine. My sole problem then isthat we had taken this long journey through Renaissance Florence and Romola had gone through so much suffering, had even chosen to suffer. Then she finally does escape her marriage and Florence without getting guilt-tripped into turning around, and she ends up becoming a vision of the Madonna to a plague-stricken village.
That aside, the novel is worthwhile, with little that detracts from the experience. A great experiment and important, too, because without the struggle of this novel she likely would not have written 'Middlemarch'.
Romola de'Bardi has lived a quiet, studious life with her father, a classics scholar whose gone blind. Her brother deserted her atheist father to become a monk and she must provide the support he needs to complete his work and help ensure that her father's collection is donated, intact, for the public good of the city. Their life is shaken when the young and handsome Tito Melema shows up at their door and agrees to help. In fact, Tito is agreeable to everyone, and quickly becomes an indispensable part of the political and academic communities. Of course, he has a terrible secret that could destroy his reputation.
The Florence of the renaissance is brought to vivid life in these pages, the death of Lorenzo de Medici "the Magnificent", the reign of Savonrola, conversations with Machiavelli and other scholars abound. That is only the setting, however instructive it is, the meat of the story is the conflict of the upright Romola with Tito Melema, whose original deceit is compounded by guilt and fear until he becomes entirely selfish and heartless. Romola, educated by her father, is a rarity in her world, and has to struggle alone to do what she believes to be right. Her beliefs are challenged and she is full of doubts for much of the novel. This was a long, thickly detailed novel, less passionate than her earlier novels, but makes up for it with clean prose and commitment to the period.
This novel would have ranked with 'The Mill on the Floss', but the ending was a trifle underwhelming, I wasn't sure what I would have preferred instead though. I suppose the ending was fine. My sole problem then is
That aside, the novel is worthwhile, with little that detracts from the experience. A great experiment and important, too, because without the struggle of this novel she likely would not have written 'Middlemarch'.
booksbythewindow's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
For Full Review: Romola – Books by the Window (wordpress.com)
Summary: Romola is a historical novel, set in fifteenth century Florence. It follows several protagonists: Tito Melema is the initial point of view character, a Greek scholar who is stranded in Florence after a shipwreck but has dark secrets that he will go to any lengths to protect. In Florence, Tito quickly meets and falls in love with the eponymous character of Romola, from whose perspective the reader sees most of the narrative, and who starts to realise Tito’s true character after their marriage when he breaks a promise to her late father. Tito’s behaviour affects more than just Romola as his relationship with the naïve Tessa becomes clearer throughout the novel.
Overall Thoughts: I always feel that the strength of Eliot’s writing lies in her characters, both good characters and bad characters. The edition of Romola that I was reading was divided into two volumes and by the end of Volume I, I already hated Tito and was longing for Romola and Tessa to discover the truth about him. The historical aspects of the novel also broke up the pacing somewhat, with Eliot's extensive research often leading to an awful lot of exposition that I was just not all that interested in. I would always recommend The Mill on the Floss or Middlemarch over Romola, but for those with an interest or prior knowledge of Florentine history, I imagine this would be an easier read and an interesting take on that particular period and political manoeuvring.
Summary: Romola is a historical novel, set in fifteenth century Florence. It follows several protagonists: Tito Melema is the initial point of view character, a Greek scholar who is stranded in Florence after a shipwreck but has dark secrets that he will go to any lengths to protect. In Florence, Tito quickly meets and falls in love with the eponymous character of Romola, from whose perspective the reader sees most of the narrative, and who starts to realise Tito’s true character after their marriage when he breaks a promise to her late father. Tito’s behaviour affects more than just Romola as his relationship with the naïve Tessa becomes clearer throughout the novel.
Overall Thoughts: I always feel that the strength of Eliot’s writing lies in her characters, both good characters and bad characters. The edition of Romola that I was reading was divided into two volumes and by the end of Volume I, I already hated Tito and was longing for Romola and Tessa to discover the truth about him. The historical aspects of the novel also broke up the pacing somewhat, with Eliot's extensive research often leading to an awful lot of exposition that I was just not all that interested in. I would always recommend The Mill on the Floss or Middlemarch over Romola, but for those with an interest or prior knowledge of Florentine history, I imagine this would be an easier read and an interesting take on that particular period and political manoeuvring.
evetoi's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
aliteraryprincess's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
catebutler's review against another edition
2.0
Most Victorian Readalong hosted by Kate Howe - January 2020