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stefania18's review against another edition
5.0
It is absolutely remarkable how Eliot built this intricate maze of social relations around the tenacious figure of Dorothea, her narrative skill enabling us to plunge into the fictional world of Middlemarch, where not even a Saint Theresa can escape the entanglements of the provincial lifestyle and to whose rules every member must faithfully adhere. The heroine stands out in this world through her ardor and zeal which brighten the lives of those around her even though she never fulfils her unknown grand goal.
sailor_marmar's review
emotional
funny
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
5.0
jennyluwho's review against another edition
3.0
‘Character is not cut in marble; it is not something solid and unalterable. It is something living and changing, and may become diseased as our bodies do.’
seaswift14's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.25
threegoodrats's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 My thoughts are here.
p. 194 "If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity."
p. 299 "Solomon's Proverbs, I think, have omitted to say, that as the sore palate findeth grit, so an uneasy conscience heareth innuendos."
p. 498 "But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope."
p. 838 "For there is no creature whose inward being is so strong that it is not greatly determined by what lies outside it."
p. 194 "If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity."
p. 299 "Solomon's Proverbs, I think, have omitted to say, that as the sore palate findeth grit, so an uneasy conscience heareth innuendos."
p. 498 "But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope."
p. 838 "For there is no creature whose inward being is so strong that it is not greatly determined by what lies outside it."
thenovelbook's review against another edition
3.0
Whew! This book is long! I liked many of the main characters and was interested in their stories, but the novel did feel wordy to me and too bogged down in small town politics.
I'm sure that many well-read people recognize some sort of genius in all that, but it didn't suit me to have so many asides. I didn't want to know so much about the internal craftiness of the pious hypocrite Bulstrode, or the gossip of the local doctors and politicians. In general, I don't believe in abridgement, but I would be a huge fan of a Middlemarch abridgement!!
However, that aside, I liked Dorothea, the earnest and passionate young woman who believes that marriage to a serious older man will give her a sense of purpose... she's wrong, but even though the reader deplores her choice, one never exults in her suffering. She may be misguided, but she's got potential. I also liked Ladislaw, her husband's cousin who comes into her life like a breath of fresh air. I didn't think he was terribly well defined as a character, but I liked him.
I also had a tolerable interest in Lydgate, the young doctor who gets entangled with Rosamond, and the maze of trouble they get into by marrying without a strong foundation. It's sad, but cautionary.
Anyway, I wouldn't read this a second time, but I'm ready for the movie! Time to hunt down the miniseries from the 90s!
I'm sure that many well-read people recognize some sort of genius in all that, but it didn't suit me to have so many asides. I didn't want to know so much about the internal craftiness of the pious hypocrite Bulstrode, or the gossip of the local doctors and politicians. In general, I don't believe in abridgement, but I would be a huge fan of a Middlemarch abridgement!!
However, that aside, I liked Dorothea, the earnest and passionate young woman who believes that marriage to a serious older man will give her a sense of purpose... she's wrong, but even though the reader deplores her choice, one never exults in her suffering. She may be misguided, but she's got potential. I also liked Ladislaw, her husband's cousin who comes into her life like a breath of fresh air. I didn't think he was terribly well defined as a character, but I liked him.
I also had a tolerable interest in Lydgate, the young doctor who gets entangled with Rosamond, and the maze of trouble they get into by marrying without a strong foundation. It's sad, but cautionary.
Anyway, I wouldn't read this a second time, but I'm ready for the movie! Time to hunt down the miniseries from the 90s!
oldcrow1111's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t believe how quickly I consumed this beast of a book! What a novel, and what characters. Quiet acts change the world, indeed.
I understand why Dorothea ultimately made the decisions she did, but I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. This might be the type of book I will reread in several years and receive a totally different message. The audiobook was well done, as well.
I understand why Dorothea ultimately made the decisions she did, but I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. This might be the type of book I will reread in several years and receive a totally different message. The audiobook was well done, as well.