Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Middlemarch by George Eliot

13 reviews

shieldbearer's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is precisely the type of novel I usually cannot bring myself to care for, but I will admit that the characters are drawn with such nuanced skill here that I cannot help but be invested even though the plot is so terribly uninteresting to me, personally. These sorts of "oh WHO shall Saunterblugget Hampterfuppinshire marry???" plots just don't do it for me in general, especially since the focus is exclusively on the upper class. Having read "Blood in the Machine" by Brian Merchant, the Luddites are far more on my radar than they were, and seeing machine breaking get mentioned off handedly, and yet no actual engagement with it, made me feel like it were truly a missed opportunity, though I know this is partly modern sensibility at play. 

All that said, the misogyny, antisemitism, racism and antiromanyism really hampered my enjoyment. To a large extent, some of this is a product of its time, I'm aware, and it's what one often signs up for when reading these old novels, but still... I think the main things that I am enthralled by when it comes to this novel is Eliot's skill in bringing out nuanced, realistic characters (in the sense that they have very human, very flawed thoughts and impulses, in ways I truly wish more authors would write) and by the missed opportunities. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Classism, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Racism, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Medical content, Death, and Cursing

Minor: Child death, Cancer, and Death of parent

hein's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Five stars for old Timothy Cooper, Chapter 56.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Antisemitism

tenar's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Antisemitism

Moderate: Misogyny, Ableism, Grief, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Medical content, and Miscarriage

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Drug use, Cancer, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Murder

buildingtaste's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

FWHOAUR. Shockingly one of the novels on lists of great novels is a great novel! Sprawling through the psychological landscape of a provincial town made me feel like I had an incredibly active social life. Some chapters could be dull (sorry Lydgate I do mean yours) but others were extremely funny and wry. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny and Antisemitism

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Middlemarch by George Eliot is the best book I’ve ever read. I could spend paragraphs upon paragraphs expounding on how spectacular, transcendent, and astonishingly perfect this book is. Or, I can accept that I don’t have the words to do it justice, and remain quietly thankful that this book exists and that I’m alive to read (and re-read) it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Medical content, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Grief, Death, Classism, and Alcohol

Minor: Antisemitism

Gambling

qqjj's review against another edition

challenging hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Racial slurs, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Death, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Miscarriage

norah_'s review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful reflective medium-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

5.0

talented brilliant incredible

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Antisemitism

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

emotional relaxing 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? No

4.0

“Explain my preference! I never had a ‘preference’ for her, any more than I have a preference for breathing. No other woman exists by the side of her. I would rather touch her hand if it were dead, than I would touch any other woman’s living.”

A lot of characters to keep track of that it can be confusing sometimes

Fantastic book, it could be hard to focus on at times but some chapters and characters have my heart! I loved Dorothea, Celia, Will, and Mary the most. 

I didn’t like the chapters on the politics of Middlemarch as they tend to be confusing and long winded.

I feel really proud of myself to have read this beast of a novel and get back into reading classics.Lovely ending where the author tells us the future of each main character!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Grief

Moderate: Antisemitism, Medical content, and Miscarriage

Minor: Addiction

afion's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, Death, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Miscarriage, Drug use, Classism, and Antisemitism

Minor: Suicide and Body shaming

midnightcomets's review against another edition

emotional informative relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a very interesting novel, but I think I would rather watch it as a period drama, cause realism in books usually tires me. It still was fun to read though (despite its huge size), and the characters grew on me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Antisemitism, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Medical content