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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this reading and listening to this book. It's kind of sad that it's come to an end. I've watched the BBC movie several times and I really think the book is better. There is so much that is explained in more detail in the book than you get in the movie. I recommend reading this book - it's worth the time!
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely loved the first 200-300 pages and most of the themes present throughout the novel. But past that, it felt too prolonged to fully enjoy it. If this were around 400-500 pages, I would have loved this a lot more.
"Daniel Deronda" was the last novel George Eliot wrote, and it's an appropriate finale to her career -- a lushly-written, heartfelt story about a young man searching for his past (and clues to his future), as well as a vibrant strong-willed young lady who discovers that life doesn't always go your way. Even better, Eliot deftly avoided the cliches and caricatures of the Jewish people, portraying them with love and respect.
Daniel Deronda is the ward (and rumored illegitimate son) of a nobleman, who is unsure of his past (particularly of his mother) catching a glimpse of pretty, reckless, arrogant Gwendolyn Harleth at a casino. Gwendolyn (who boasts that she gets everything she wants) is interested in Daniel, but when her family loses all their money, she marries a rich suitor, a relative of Daniel's -- knowing that his mistress and illegitimate children will be disinherited. But she soon finds that her new husband is a sadistic brute, and sees Daniel as her only help.
Meanwhile, Daniel rescues the despairing Mirah Lapidoth from a suicide attempt in the river, and he helps the young Jewish singer find a home and friends to care for her. As he helps her find her family, he becomes passionately attached to the Jewish population and their plight, embodied by a dying young visionary and a kindly shopkeeping family. Then he receives an important message -- one that will illuminate his roots, and give him a course for the future.
When Eliot published her final novel, it caused a massive stir -- not many novelists tackled the plight of the Jewish population, or how it compared to the gilded upper classes. In a way, "Daniel Deronda" is both a love triangle and an allegory -- Daniel must choose between the pretty, shallow English life (Gwendolyn) or a rich Jewish heritage (Mirah) with a background of tragedy.
The biggest problem with Eliot's writing is that it becomes a little too lush and dense at times, and the narrative moves a bit slowly (in the Victorian manner). But that flaw doesn't rob her writing of its power or beauty -- she describes every feeling, gesture and emotion in detail, as well as the sumptuous balls, exquisitely gilded mansions, and every shadowy tree or rich expanse of land ("a grassy court enclosed on three sides by a gothic cloister").
Yet the greatest power is in the stories that twine like ivy over the main plot -- a young Jewish girl's search for her family, a sadistic man's search for a wild lovely girl he can break, and especially of the composer Herr Klesmer and his sweet, atypical love story with Miss Arrowpoint. And the last quarter of the book is wrapped in Daniel's search for his own family, culminating in a quietly tense encounter with someone from his long-ago past.
Daniel almost seems like a character too good to be true -- unselfish, kind, universally kindly and very intelligent, though possessed of a vaguely searching quality. Gwendolyn is his complete opposite: she has been raised to be selfish, disdainful and immature, but as the book goes on she learns that selfishness doesn't pay -- marriage to the despicable Grandcourt changes her from a selfish little girl into a scarred but stronger woman.
The third leg of the triangle is Mirah, who is not given the loving attention that Gwendolyn is, but who is still a compelling figure -- her father tried to sell her, and now she wanders through England searching for her family. And the book is littered with many other striking characters: the sadistic Grandcourt and his creepy servant Lush, the crotchety but kindly Klesmer, the spirited artist Hans, the kindly Sir Hugo and the doomed, strong-willed Mordecai.
"Daniel Deronda" is a beautiful portrait of a young man's search for his past, and a young woman's struggle with the fruits of her own selfishness. What's more, George Eliot's last novel is a loving, powerful portrait of the Jewish people, in a time when they were caricatured at best.
Daniel Deronda is the ward (and rumored illegitimate son) of a nobleman, who is unsure of his past (particularly of his mother) catching a glimpse of pretty, reckless, arrogant Gwendolyn Harleth at a casino. Gwendolyn (who boasts that she gets everything she wants) is interested in Daniel, but when her family loses all their money, she marries a rich suitor, a relative of Daniel's -- knowing that his mistress and illegitimate children will be disinherited. But she soon finds that her new husband is a sadistic brute, and sees Daniel as her only help.
Meanwhile, Daniel rescues the despairing Mirah Lapidoth from a suicide attempt in the river, and he helps the young Jewish singer find a home and friends to care for her. As he helps her find her family, he becomes passionately attached to the Jewish population and their plight, embodied by a dying young visionary and a kindly shopkeeping family. Then he receives an important message -- one that will illuminate his roots, and give him a course for the future.
When Eliot published her final novel, it caused a massive stir -- not many novelists tackled the plight of the Jewish population, or how it compared to the gilded upper classes. In a way, "Daniel Deronda" is both a love triangle and an allegory -- Daniel must choose between the pretty, shallow English life (Gwendolyn) or a rich Jewish heritage (Mirah) with a background of tragedy.
The biggest problem with Eliot's writing is that it becomes a little too lush and dense at times, and the narrative moves a bit slowly (in the Victorian manner). But that flaw doesn't rob her writing of its power or beauty -- she describes every feeling, gesture and emotion in detail, as well as the sumptuous balls, exquisitely gilded mansions, and every shadowy tree or rich expanse of land ("a grassy court enclosed on three sides by a gothic cloister").
Yet the greatest power is in the stories that twine like ivy over the main plot -- a young Jewish girl's search for her family, a sadistic man's search for a wild lovely girl he can break, and especially of the composer Herr Klesmer and his sweet, atypical love story with Miss Arrowpoint. And the last quarter of the book is wrapped in Daniel's search for his own family, culminating in a quietly tense encounter with someone from his long-ago past.
Daniel almost seems like a character too good to be true -- unselfish, kind, universally kindly and very intelligent, though possessed of a vaguely searching quality. Gwendolyn is his complete opposite: she has been raised to be selfish, disdainful and immature, but as the book goes on she learns that selfishness doesn't pay -- marriage to the despicable Grandcourt changes her from a selfish little girl into a scarred but stronger woman.
The third leg of the triangle is Mirah, who is not given the loving attention that Gwendolyn is, but who is still a compelling figure -- her father tried to sell her, and now she wanders through England searching for her family. And the book is littered with many other striking characters: the sadistic Grandcourt and his creepy servant Lush, the crotchety but kindly Klesmer, the spirited artist Hans, the kindly Sir Hugo and the doomed, strong-willed Mordecai.
"Daniel Deronda" is a beautiful portrait of a young man's search for his past, and a young woman's struggle with the fruits of her own selfishness. What's more, George Eliot's last novel is a loving, powerful portrait of the Jewish people, in a time when they were caricatured at best.
5 stars for the book itself. But 4 for my personal enjoyment.
George Eliot tackles quite a few themes in this book: women's role in society, marriage, work, social identity, illegitimacy, the role of Jews in society, Zionism, etc. etc. It is ambitious, bold, and beautifully done.
But I didn't love it as much as [b:Middlemarch|19089|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568307771l/19089._SY75_.jpg|1461747]. The characters are too close to caricatures. While there are some really lovely comparisons and themes, there was almost too much going on. And when she really wants to make a point (particularly about Jews), she hits you over the head with it a few times just to make sure you get it.
Less snarkiness, more idealism.
I did love the contrast between the three women who all try and make a career on the stage, particularly with Daniel Deronda's Mom flat-out asking why she should accept the traditional role of wife and mother when she was designed with looks and voice to do so much more?
It was a powerful but not fun read.
George Eliot tackles quite a few themes in this book: women's role in society, marriage, work, social identity, illegitimacy, the role of Jews in society, Zionism, etc. etc. It is ambitious, bold, and beautifully done.
But I didn't love it as much as [b:Middlemarch|19089|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568307771l/19089._SY75_.jpg|1461747]. The characters are too close to caricatures. While there are some really lovely comparisons and themes, there was almost too much going on. And when she really wants to make a point (particularly about Jews), she hits you over the head with it a few times just to make sure you get it.
Less snarkiness, more idealism.
I did love the contrast between the three women who all try and make a career on the stage, particularly with Daniel Deronda's Mom flat-out asking why she should accept the traditional role of wife and mother when she was designed with looks and voice to do so much more?
It was a powerful but not fun read.
This is definitely Eliot's masterpiece. It was hard for me to read b/c of similarities to my own life now, and I got stuck when Gwendolyn was married, but I muscled through and was happy to find such a good ending. There is, of course, too much analysis of every thought and action of the characters, and too much philosophy and moralizing, like in all Eliot's writing, but towards the end I didn't mind that so much.
My favorite bit is when Daniel tells Gwendolyn, 'Think of it as a preparation for your real life, as if some severe angel had seen you on the path of error, and grabbed you by the wrist to show you the horrible end of that path, in order to save you from it.' I'm paraphrasing there. Can't remember the exact quote at the moment.
I did not like Gwendolyn. She is a complex and interesting character, but she's so terribly selfish and bad. I liked Anna Gascoigne and Miss Arrowpoint better. Contrariwise, I didn't like Mirah either really. She's too bland, and too perfect to be real. I loved the Meyrick sisters and Hans! They are fun!
My favorite bit is when Daniel tells Gwendolyn, 'Think of it as a preparation for your real life, as if some severe angel had seen you on the path of error, and grabbed you by the wrist to show you the horrible end of that path, in order to save you from it.' I'm paraphrasing there. Can't remember the exact quote at the moment.
I did not like Gwendolyn. She is a complex and interesting character, but she's so terribly selfish and bad. I liked Anna Gascoigne and Miss Arrowpoint better. Contrariwise, I didn't like Mirah either really. She's too bland, and too perfect to be real. I loved the Meyrick sisters and Hans! They are fun!
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can’t believe it’s over.
29/01/17 George Eliot's books are a journey; not one I want to repeat any time in the near future but a journey nonetheless.
29/01/17 George Eliot's books are a journey; not one I want to repeat any time in the near future but a journey nonetheless.
previously i had started reading middlemarch and had not particularly been interested in eliot's writing. reading this novel made me change my mind about that, i would even argue this is a superior novel as a whole. it was often tedious to read at times (george eliot's meticulous and particular writing style after all isn't the easiest to read, though it is arguably also an advantage as she connects superbly with her characters, allowing a fascinating insight into their emotional state), however, it is overall a beautifully crafted novel. there is much to be undug in this novel. george eliot's intelligence and awareness of her times shines through marvellously here. i really loved reading about gwendolen in particular, who she managed to absolutely bring to life, and often went back and forth in my liking of her.
Wavered between 3 and 4 stars because there WERE things I loved about this book. But in the end, I think it was too long given that there are only two intersecting plotlines (unlike, say, Middlemarch, which is one of my favorite books, period), and I found the Deronda half weaker. Gwendolyn is a compelling character, so much so that by the end I find myself resentful at how much the novel beats up on her (though I expect her to go forwards to have a happy, fulfilling life). I did find Daniel compelling too as a character, but his story is too contrived-- the almost-mystical coincidences would not bother me in a Dickens novel but seem out of place with Eliot's realism elsewhere (in this case, the other half of the novel). I think it would have been more interesting if he had found out his Jewish birth first and been conflicted about it, but then gradually got drawn into discovering more about Judaism. I found the book fascinating for the perspectives on 19th-century Judaism and proto-Zionism, but it did feel as though Eliot could not quite imagine Jews as fully real people.
I'm not at all sorry to have read, but would not recommend unless you are very patient and very interested in the general historical/social background.
I'm not at all sorry to have read, but would not recommend unless you are very patient and very interested in the general historical/social background.
Eliot, George. Daniel Deronda. 1876. Introduction by Earl L. Dachslager. Barnes and Noble Classics, 2005.
There are novelists who, whatever their status as artists, write with their market and their audience always looking over their shoulders. This is true of Dickens, Thackeray, and Trollope, who were all involved in marketing. By the time Eliot wrote Daniel Deronda, her last novel, she must have felt marketing constraints as an easy rein on her work. In Deronda, she concentrates idea and motivation, to the cost of most of the elements of fiction that usually made a Victorian novel sell. Consider action. Most of it is kept discretely offstage. When a major character dies, we are told about it only in second- or third-hand accounts. Her publisher convinced her to rewrite one horse-riding accident, the kind of scene that Trollope would have made a chapter of, to make it a bit more realistic. There is a marriage plot or two, but the treatment is perfunctory. There are two major characters, Daniel and Gwendolyn, who, despite every expectation, are seldom in the same room together. Will their romance blossom or go bust? Their relatives may care, but Eliot does not seem to care. There is some satire aimed at English snobbery, racism, and boorishness, but compared to the satire in Dickens, Thackeray, and Trollope, it is mild indeed. What does interest Eliot, then, is the struggle of her main characters to discover and who they are and what should matter to them. Daniel needs to reconcile his Jewish cultural heritage with his national upbringing. Gwendolyn, who is one of the shallowest, most immature, and self-absorbed heroines ever, must learn what it takes to be an adult with a moral compass. Eliot’s master skill as a novelist is in building scenes that bring these themes together. In short, her characters must make an identity for themselves and find meaning in a world that no longer provides pat answers. That quest is what makes the novel seem almost modern.
There are novelists who, whatever their status as artists, write with their market and their audience always looking over their shoulders. This is true of Dickens, Thackeray, and Trollope, who were all involved in marketing. By the time Eliot wrote Daniel Deronda, her last novel, she must have felt marketing constraints as an easy rein on her work. In Deronda, she concentrates idea and motivation, to the cost of most of the elements of fiction that usually made a Victorian novel sell. Consider action. Most of it is kept discretely offstage. When a major character dies, we are told about it only in second- or third-hand accounts. Her publisher convinced her to rewrite one horse-riding accident, the kind of scene that Trollope would have made a chapter of, to make it a bit more realistic. There is a marriage plot or two, but the treatment is perfunctory. There are two major characters, Daniel and Gwendolyn, who, despite every expectation, are seldom in the same room together. Will their romance blossom or go bust? Their relatives may care, but Eliot does not seem to care. There is some satire aimed at English snobbery, racism, and boorishness, but compared to the satire in Dickens, Thackeray, and Trollope, it is mild indeed. What does interest Eliot, then, is the struggle of her main characters to discover and who they are and what should matter to them. Daniel needs to reconcile his Jewish cultural heritage with his national upbringing. Gwendolyn, who is one of the shallowest, most immature, and self-absorbed heroines ever, must learn what it takes to be an adult with a moral compass. Eliot’s master skill as a novelist is in building scenes that bring these themes together. In short, her characters must make an identity for themselves and find meaning in a world that no longer provides pat answers. That quest is what makes the novel seem almost modern.