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kyrajmak's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
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.
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.
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
idesofmarch's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
jazrphillips's review against another edition
challenging
informative
lighthearted
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
3.25
willjacks's review against another edition
5.0
I read a chapter a day for 74 days, before succumbing to finishing the novel in the final 2 days. It became a staple of my daily routine. I would plan when or how I would read today’s allotted chapter. I read 14 other full-length novels whilst reading this one, and the amount of little connections between those novels and Middlemarch was quite eerie…
These characters now live in my brain. I think that’s the most succinct description of how I feel about this book. I have so much to say about the story, the prose, the layering of narratives and the switching of perspectives between characters. But in the end, the novel speaks for itself. I would recommend Middlemarch to anyone who has ever said anything positive about novels/poetry written before 1900.
Is it weird that I read this before reading anything by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Mary Shelley or any of the Brontës?
These characters now live in my brain. I think that’s the most succinct description of how I feel about this book. I have so much to say about the story, the prose, the layering of narratives and the switching of perspectives between characters. But in the end, the novel speaks for itself. I would recommend Middlemarch to anyone who has ever said anything positive about novels/poetry written before 1900.
Is it weird that I read this before reading anything by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Mary Shelley or any of the Brontës?
marcelodsilva's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
couuboy's review against another edition
5.0
"Trouble is so hard to bear, is it not? - How can we live and think that any one has trouble - piercing trouble - and we could help them, and never try?"
possumghost's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
norakeathley's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75