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jcope90's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very dense book for me, and especially at first I could not get into it. But after the first 20 pages I was hooked! I could relate it to my own life oddly enough! a great read once you get into it!
jenniferdeguzman's review against another edition
3.0
Not Eliot’s best work by any means. The political climate of the book is interesting, but Felix Holt himself is exasperating. His treatment of Esther is what we’d call “negging” here in the 21st century. So what if she likes to read Byron, Felix?
Be on the lookout for a scene that precisely mirrors the “I am your father” scene in The Empire Strikes Back.
Be on the lookout for a scene that precisely mirrors the “I am your father” scene in The Empire Strikes Back.
aliteraryprincess's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aethelgifu's review against another edition
George Eliot is wonderful and I stand in awe of her intellect. I was glued to this book: a moral, social and legal thriller. Many of Eliot's themes are echoed in Hardy eg 'Adam Bede' and 'Tess'. Hers is a portrayal of the working class which is real and honest and loving, not always romanticised. Dec 1998.
needmorelight's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
George Elliot, Mary Ann Evans, knows how to build characters, like watching a movie!
rebeccaasavage's review against another edition
3.0
As expected, much less complex character wise than her later worn, with the social ideas less at play. But still shares the larger themes of her work, and I’m fond of much that’s in here. Not the relationship between Esther and Felix though, and not what it says about marriage.
booksbythewindow's review
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2023/03/01/felix-holt-the-radical/
Summary: Felix Holt: The Radical is set in the rural village of Little Treby, just after the passing of the 1832 Reform Act and detailing the first local election to take place in the village after the act. Like Middlemarch, Felix Holt follows multiple characters through this time but the focus is on the eponymous Felix Holt, independent minister Rufus Lyon, his daughter Esther, and the wealthy Harold Transome, who is to stand for election as a radical candidate. With political tensions being stoked, the village begins to move towards inevitable tragedy, one which will impact every character.
Overall Thoughts: Felix Holt was a great surprise for me as I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, despite my love for both Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss. As is often the case with George Eliot’s works, it is the character work which really stands out throughout Felix Holt and I was fully invested in the lives of the protagonists, despite their flaws. The slow pacing allows the reader to invest in the characters, building tension for the climax of the narrative. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Middlemarch, as there are enough similarities between the two that it is likely to also be an enjoyable read. I do think that some familiarity with George Eliot’s writing style and pacing would probably be helpful in terms of fully enjoying Felix Holt, particularly in the pacing of the first half of the narrative, but overall this is a great example of what makes Eliot such a strong and memorable writer.
Summary: Felix Holt: The Radical is set in the rural village of Little Treby, just after the passing of the 1832 Reform Act and detailing the first local election to take place in the village after the act. Like Middlemarch, Felix Holt follows multiple characters through this time but the focus is on the eponymous Felix Holt, independent minister Rufus Lyon, his daughter Esther, and the wealthy Harold Transome, who is to stand for election as a radical candidate. With political tensions being stoked, the village begins to move towards inevitable tragedy, one which will impact every character.
Overall Thoughts: Felix Holt was a great surprise for me as I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, despite my love for both Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss. As is often the case with George Eliot’s works, it is the character work which really stands out throughout Felix Holt and I was fully invested in the lives of the protagonists, despite their flaws. The slow pacing allows the reader to invest in the characters, building tension for the climax of the narrative. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Middlemarch, as there are enough similarities between the two that it is likely to also be an enjoyable read. I do think that some familiarity with George Eliot’s writing style and pacing would probably be helpful in terms of fully enjoying Felix Holt, particularly in the pacing of the first half of the narrative, but overall this is a great example of what makes Eliot such a strong and memorable writer.
carmelitasita's review against another edition
3.0
The first book I have finished in 2011 is a classic written by the estimable George Eliot, whose novel Middlemarch I fell completely in love with. I found Felix Holt to be an inferior work, but still entertaining and quite gripping toward the end of the book. The Transome estate is in neglect when we first enter the scene, and the stately lady of the house is eagerly awaiting the arrival of her second-born son who has recently become the inheritor of everything. Lady Transome has many high hopes for this, her favourite child, and is in a state of eager anticipation when he arrives. Thus the story starts briefly with hope, but delves quickly into a twisted labyrinth of secrets and politics, immorality and goodness, love and hatred. We meet Esther and her father Mr. Lyon, a Radical minister, Mr. Jermyn who is a lawyer and has managed Transome in lieu of a mentally incapacitated Lord and his gambling eldest son, and the man the book is named after, Felix Holt who is of high moral character and, even more impressive, practices what he preaches.
Felix Holt was slow to get into and slow to introduce characters, but once all that was out of the way it developed into a lovely little morality tale complete with romance and politics. I give it seven bookmarks out of ten.
http://toomanybooknotenoughtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/felix-holt-radical.html
Felix Holt was slow to get into and slow to introduce characters, but once all that was out of the way it developed into a lovely little morality tale complete with romance and politics. I give it seven bookmarks out of ten.
http://toomanybooknotenoughtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/felix-holt-radical.html
jgwc54e5's review against another edition
5.0
Well that was unexpected… I loved this book!
I found this novel when looking for books from 1866 for one of the classics buffet challenges. I’m pretty sure I was unaware of it before.
Felix Holt arrives in the village of Little Treby to return to his mother’s home after giving up his study of medicine. He’s a radical and has many strong beliefs, he certainly doesn’t think much of the rich. Harold Transome also returns to his family home, and is also a radical but he is rich and stuns many of the other upper class families when he doesn’t stand as a Tory in the upcoming election. The year is 1832 and the reform act has opened up voting to more men (men with property of course!). Much of the early parts of the novel concern the election but the main character is Esther Lyon, daughter of a dissenting minister and I thought she was a wonderful character, an interesting young woman and her relationship with both Felix and Harold, simply put, is what the novel is about. But there’s much more, a bit of politics, some lawyer shenanigans, inheritances, affairs, and it’s written so well! Brilliantly constructed, I couldn’t put the novel down for the last quarter or so.
I found this novel when looking for books from 1866 for one of the classics buffet challenges. I’m pretty sure I was unaware of it before.
Felix Holt arrives in the village of Little Treby to return to his mother’s home after giving up his study of medicine. He’s a radical and has many strong beliefs, he certainly doesn’t think much of the rich. Harold Transome also returns to his family home, and is also a radical but he is rich and stuns many of the other upper class families when he doesn’t stand as a Tory in the upcoming election. The year is 1832 and the reform act has opened up voting to more men (men with property of course!). Much of the early parts of the novel concern the election but the main character is Esther Lyon, daughter of a dissenting minister and I thought she was a wonderful character, an interesting young woman and her relationship with both Felix and Harold, simply put, is what the novel is about. But there’s much more, a bit of politics, some lawyer shenanigans, inheritances, affairs, and it’s written so well! Brilliantly constructed, I couldn’t put the novel down for the last quarter or so.