Reviews

Adam Bede by George Eliot

tomleetang's review against another edition

4.0

A very simple tale, expansively told. From a small handful of fairly orthodox (bordering on the dull) characters, George Eliot carefully, tenderly maps the workings of the human mind and its impulses. Adam Bede is probably the least bold of the George Eliot works I've read, but it is still filled with the introspection, thoughtfulness and moral questing that are such quintessential attributes of the author.

rjeilani's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

5.0

hhhfrost's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

cattytrona's review against another edition

4.0

Extremely charmed and impressed by Eliot out of this. Am looking forward to reading more of her.

Took some notes duing the first half:

• gorgeous country summer
• eliot is a funny, interesting narrator, i love the little interjections, and the shock reveal of her (assumed him?) knowing adam tickled me
• i like how this lets people be a little stupid, and i find their stupidities and vanities very endearing, convincing, transcendent of time, and ultimately, funny

I specify the first half because 3/4 of the way in, everything changes and suddenly, what could have been a whole book in itself emerges as its key incident.
So, some of the comments become significantly less relevant, and the tone gets darker.
Some reflections on that, then, under spoilers:

• There’s a world where this book’s called Hetty Sorrel, and it’s not that far away. Hetty’s sort of an astounding little piece of empathy, or at least that’s how she reads to me. Her vanities are given time and focus and therefore rise to validity. She makes, and is made by, mistakes entirely down to her youth and naivety, which she should be left alone to make in peace, instead of on this stage (?) of male interest. She is the most important character of Adam Bede, for me. 
• The pacing of the chapter lengths is so good, something which really comes to the fore during the arrest/trial scene. Shed a tear or two when Hetty and Dinah come out for the execution.
• I think the last section is hasty and doesn’t work as well as everything else. Maybe because I was so bought into Hetty, maybe because of the languid pace of earlier parts, but I don’t think Adam and Dinah get enough time to matter.

noir_novels's review against another edition

3.0

3/5
I had to audiobook this one so I could get through the last 300 pages of this book for my class, but I thought the story was interesting (the fifth book especially) and I really liked the ensemble of characters and how they interacted. Eliot really captured the realism and atmosphere of a small town community, and moments in her prose were beautifully descriptive. My only issue with the novel was that some parts dragged, or did not need to be there at all as it seemed disconnected to the main plot. Overall, an interesting read :)

thecatladybooknook_penny's review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I finished before my group because I would get too far behind next week due to life. I need to think about my feelings to give a better review but being Eliot's first novel, I thought she did well. I'm not sure I "buy" how some things play out though. As usual, having read 3 other novels and 2 novellas by her this year, it takes me until about half of the book to get invested. And honestly I didn't feel invested in this book but here and there and I'm not sure I would have stayed with it if it were not for my group and using this for Summer Book Bingo.

That being said, I did REALLY like several of the main characters in the story; but I'm not sure plot-wise I liked how it all plays out. Dinah and her compassion for telling others about Jesus and His forgiveness of sin was definitely the highlight of this book for me.

This still falls as the lowest of the 4 Eliot novels I've read this year.   But something has to be last.  💁‍♀️

jseele's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

taygus's review against another edition

3.0

CW:

Spoiler

infanticide

These types of books are not my thing but there was no other available bbc dramatisation on borrow box. The only reason I liked this, is BBC dramatisations are superbly done.

I can't stand the 'One look fell in love trope' and the common unrequited love in books of this time.

spoiler:Adam Bede knew nothing of Hettys personality...just instantly in love...never tells her and beats up another man for getting romantically involved with her.
This book was more revolved around Hettys plot...Adam had none, except falling for another woman in a single look...ah how romantic...blegh.

sylvieleggatt's review against another edition

Didn't have enough time to read the whole thing before I had university seminar about it

dngoldman's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

George Elliot's Adam Bede was a novel that I read in the 90s. It stayed with me for a long time, as I admired the simple, honest moral courage of its main characters, Diana and Adam Bede. They were simple, but not simplistic. Elliot depicted them with complexity, showing their inner struggles. I felt a deep sense of seriousness that lingered with me for more than two decades. I often thought of the novel, but I did not recall the details of the plot. 

 

When I read the novel again in 2024, I felt the same emotions that I had experienced years before. But the novel also impressed me with new intensity, with its deep exploration of how we misunderstand others and ourselves, the nature of sorrow, forgiveness, and redemption. These themes emerge through Elliot's skillful prose, her amazing psychological understanding of her characters, and her religious awareness (even though Elliot did not believe in God).  

 

Elliot does this in a much gentler and forgiving way than the next great Victorian novelist, Thomas Hardy. So blind to themselves and constantly misjudging others leads the characters to make mistakes of judgement that brings incredible sorrow in their lives. The gap between the readers knowledge (through Elliot’s omnipresent narrator) creates dramatic irony that recalls Thomas Hardy. In fact, Adam Bede has several plot similarities with Hardy’s first success – Far From the Madding Crowd. Both have strong practical men – who may be too virtuous for their own good – equally strong women as love interests that develop gradually, and the fallen women trope of young girl becoming pregnant by a charming rogue. However, Elliot is more compassionate with her characters than Hardy, focusing on personal choice rather than a world that throws characters around. If the inability to know causes mistakes of judgement, often tragic ones, it also leaves room for forgiveness, as Adam does, in part, with Arthur. 

 

That perhaps can never be known with certainty, Adam,” Mr. Irwine answered gently. “In these cases we sometimes form our judgment on what seems to us strong evidence, and yet, for want of knowing some small fact, our judgment is wrong. We find it impossible to avoid mistakes even in determining who has committed a single criminal act, and the problem how far a man is to be held responsible for the unforeseen consequences of his own deed is one that might well make us tremble to look into it. The evil consequences that may lie folded in a single act of selfish indulgence is a thought so awful that it ought surely to awaken some feeling less presumptuous than a rash desire to punish. You have a mind that can understand this fully, Adam, when you are calm. Don’t suppose I can’t enter into the anguish that drives you into this state of revengeful hatred. 

Adam Bede shows that characters can choose between three paths: revenge, denial or reconciliation/forgiveness. Diana and Adam are different from others, not because they don't make mistakes, but because they can acknowledge their own limitations and self awareness. Elliot's gentle treatment of her characters and the way they have to deal with their own trauma, creates a strong sense of empathy. The story avoids being artificial or sentimental, because the reactions are based on nuanced psychological understanding. The events seem to follow directly and logically from the characters themselves. 

 

The novel, the first one by Elliot, is not perfect. It suffers from some problems with the speed of the story at the start, where there is too much dialogue among the residents and details of the scenery that do not match the subtlety of Elliot's psychological observations. And even though Elliot promises not to let the characters behave in predictable ways, some of them, like Hetty, seem to act in ways that invite disaster while the plot is the basic Victorian romance 

 

The novel was so enlightening for me that I frequently sobbed aloud in the final section of the book. Not only at the tragic parts, but also at the parts where forgiveness and acceptance were shown. Elliot, the master psychologist, shows how fragile each of is against our own weakness. The parallel between Hetty’s confession and Adam’s forgives of Arthur. 

Hetty was silent, but she shuddered again, as if there was still something behind; and Dinah waited, for her heart was so full that tears must come before words. At last Hetty burst out, with a sob, “Dinah, do you think God will take away that crying and the place in the wood, now I’ve told everything?” “Let us pray, poor sinner. Let us fall on our knees again, and pray to the God of all mercy.” 

 And I have kept this an other insights with me after completing the book. It is a profound reading experience.  

 

The story revolves around four main characters: Adam Bede, a respected carpenter who own’s moral steadiness can make him intolerant of others; Hetty Sorrel, a beautiful but shallow dairy maid; Captain Arthur Donnithorne, the squire's grandson dandy wants to do the right thig but wants to be liked even more so; and Dinah Morris, a devout Methodist preacher and Hetty's cousin who’s ability present fundamentalism as humanism and draw out other characters. 

 

Adam is in love with Hetty, who is infatuated with the charming Captain Donnithorne. An affair between Hetty and Adam leads to Hetty's pregnancy. After Adam leaves the village, Hetty agrees to marry Adam but then discovers she is pregnant. In desperation, she abandons her newborn baby, which leads to the child's death and Hetty being sentenced to death for child murder. Dinah's compassion and presence bring about Hetty's confession and repentance. Ultimately, Adam intervention commutes Hetty's sentence to transportation. 

 

The novel concludes with Adam and Dinah, who have grown to love each other, marrying and finding peace and happiness together. The story’s happy ending is well earned but also bittersweat. The methodists have since banned female preachers, and Dinah’s voice is silenced 

 

As the novel progresses, Elliot shows she is the master psychologist novelistic psychologist, the characters miss judge each other and themselves, Elliot does this in a much more gentle and forgiving way than the next great Victorian novelist, Thomas Hardy. In Elliot hands this uncertainty leads to, a series of mistakes by the characters leading to incredible sorrow in their lives. The characters have two choices in dealing with the sorrow, the path of vengeance, denial or reconciliation and forgiveness. What sense the two lead characters, Diana and the titular Adam beat apart, is not so much their lack of mistakes, but their ability to recognise the limitations and own self deception tenderness of how Elliot treats her characters and the way they must face their own trauma, leads to an incredible sense of pathos. because these reactions come from such a strong psychological insights, the story never feels contrived or modern. Instead, events seem to come directly in logically naturally from the characters themselves. The novel is not perfect. It has significant pacing issues at the beginning with a few too many scenes of local. And despite Elliot vow not to make the characters react the way that she or the audience expects them to, Some characters, like Hetty, do scene set up for tragedy. 

 

Yet. I found myself weeping out loud often toward the last quarter of the novel.  And I have carried the insights with me after finishing the book. It is a profound reading experience.  

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