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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.
nighm's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent George Eliot novel! I think it is more difficult than the others on account of the political and legal details, but certainly worth the effort. I wrote more about it here:
https://vogliodio.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/felix-holt-and-the-force-of-beauty/
https://vogliodio.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/felix-holt-and-the-force-of-beauty/
grauspitz's review against another edition
DNF @ 60% of the way through.
Just not interested enough in the characters or themes explored to continue on. I might consider coming back to this book in a few years though, and see if my feelings have changed towards it.
Just not interested enough in the characters or themes explored to continue on. I might consider coming back to this book in a few years though, and see if my feelings have changed towards it.
sietz's review against another edition
3.0
Of course, anything by George Eliot is a gift.
But this novel is for hardcore fans only. It’s really quite dull as it goes into the deep depths of 1800s English law reform and the main character of Felix Holt is actually quite unlikeable.
Beautifully written of course - but there’s a reason this is probably her least read book.
But this novel is for hardcore fans only. It’s really quite dull as it goes into the deep depths of 1800s English law reform and the main character of Felix Holt is actually quite unlikeable.
Beautifully written of course - but there’s a reason this is probably her least read book.
june_englit_phd's review against another edition
3.0
I normally soak up 19th century classic novels, as they are my favourite genre. However, I have to confess to struggling with this novel. I have got to page 298 (chapter 31) and am finding it extremely "heavy weather" and am finding the plot hard to follow. "Middlemarch", to my mind, was much more readable. I am hoping that the final half of "Felix Holt" improves, as I am determined to stick this story out.
I have read other political novels, most recently the Palliser series by Anthony Trollope, which were extremely readable and enjoyable. I honestly can't say the same for this novel so far.
I have read other political novels, most recently the Palliser series by Anthony Trollope, which were extremely readable and enjoyable. I honestly can't say the same for this novel so far.
rubybooks's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Another read for my English class! Out of all I read so far, unfortunately this was not one of my favourites. This was my first Eliot, and I was a bit disappointed. However, I don't think it was a bad book and I'd still be interested in reading more by Eliot in the future.
Felix Holt revolves a lot around small-town politics and the implications of the Reform Act, which extended the right to vote to more land-owners. The eponymous character, Felix Holt, is passionate about the rights of the working class. Meanwhile, the novel also focuses on Harold Transome, a man from a Tory family who returns home and, to the surprise of others, decides to run as a Radical in the election. There is also a woman involved and a mystery that surfaces.
While reading this book for class, I was pretty bored during the lengthy political discussions. This was the main issue I had, because after the first few times I just wasn't interested in reading about it. However, I did like reading about the characters and seeing how they turned out in the end - I especially found the female characters interesting and compelling to read about. I loved seeing the development in Esther and Mrs Transome, and I did like seeing how the story wrapped up. Overall, I just found the middle of the story quite slow to get through so that hindered my enjoyment.
Felix Holt revolves a lot around small-town politics and the implications of the Reform Act, which extended the right to vote to more land-owners. The eponymous character, Felix Holt, is passionate about the rights of the working class. Meanwhile, the novel also focuses on Harold Transome, a man from a Tory family who returns home and, to the surprise of others, decides to run as a Radical in the election. There is also a woman involved and a mystery that surfaces.
While reading this book for class, I was pretty bored during the lengthy political discussions. This was the main issue I had, because after the first few times I just wasn't interested in reading about it. However, I did like reading about the characters and seeing how they turned out in the end - I especially found the female characters interesting and compelling to read about. I loved seeing the development in Esther and Mrs Transome, and I did like seeing how the story wrapped up. Overall, I just found the middle of the story quite slow to get through so that hindered my enjoyment.
kateofmind's review against another edition
5.0
More people should be reading this in this ridiculous year. Full spoileriffic review at Kate of Mind.
e_flah's review against another edition
4.0
Felix Holt: The Radical was assigned reading for my British History course and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. My only other experience with Victorian novels prior to Eliot's came from select Jane Austen novels. Needless to say, Eliot has a very different writing style than Austen.
I loved how sympathetic Eliot's characters were. I felt for all of them -- even those like Harold that I loved to hate -- and in a book with as many minor characters as Felix Holt , that feels like quite the accomplishment.
This book does a wonderful job capturing what life was like in England during the 1830s. It was one thing to learn about the sequence of events surrounding the First Reform Act in class, but reading Eliot (who wrote Felix Holt in the time leading up to the Second Reform Act) makes history feel more poignant than I would've thought possible. While a book about politics, Felix Holt manages to meaningfully touch upon many other topics as well. I'm glad I gave Eliot a chance.
I loved how sympathetic Eliot's characters were. I felt for all of them -- even those like Harold that I loved to hate -- and in a book with as many minor characters as Felix Holt , that feels like quite the accomplishment.
This book does a wonderful job capturing what life was like in England during the 1830s. It was one thing to learn about the sequence of events surrounding the First Reform Act in class, but reading Eliot (who wrote Felix Holt in the time leading up to the Second Reform Act) makes history feel more poignant than I would've thought possible. While a book about politics, Felix Holt manages to meaningfully touch upon many other topics as well. I'm glad I gave Eliot a chance.
kateww's review against another edition
4.0
Felix Holt is a surprising triumph for Eliot. For the first time, she engages fully with some of the deeper socio-political issues of her day and age. The plot is almost Dickensian in the amount of intrigue, scandal, and romance, which is a good thing for the sometimes achingly slow Eliot. Despite the (comparatively) racing plot, it is the emotional and psychological moments of the novel that are the strongest. Lady Transome is the best character I've read from Eliot yet. Felix Holt gets passed over due to its political and legal nuances that don't translate well to today's audience, but it also matters more in a social sense than many of her other works do.