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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Middlemarch is clever and scathing. Each significant character is displayed with flaws and weaknesses highlighted against aspirations or showcased as their only points of interest. Virtues are asserted, and even demonstrated, but without vigorous interest.
Any reader who does not identify within herself at least 3 of the failings spread throughout the inhabitants and visitors of Middlemarch is not given to critical self-examination. It is the stark rendering of a subset of human flaws and the judgment that insists on the impacts resulting from them that contributes to the durability of this book. The language and context are deeply embedded in the mid-19th century English countryside, which diminishes the universality of the novel and renders it rough going. And the length at which the author chose to extend the oft-repeated descriptions is no asset.
When I say I want to read, this is what I mean. Could’ve gone on for another 400 pages, and I would have no complaints. This book made me a better reader, and that is the greatest compliment I could give.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did enjoy this book but there was a LOT of waffley bits that didn't need to be there, and that stopped me enjoying it more. I wish it focused more on Dorothea, Celia and Mary and less on the politics between the men which I found a bit more dull. I'm a sucker for romance so I wish that was more prominent but that's more of a personal thing. Overall I did like it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
As you can read in any review, Middlemarch is a small, English, country village and the novel revolves around the nineteenth century lives and/or relationships of several people in the village - if not the whole village at times. The main characters include Dorothea Brooke, Edward Causabon, Will Ladislaw, brother and sister - Rosamond and Fred Vincy, Mary Garth, Tertius Lydgate, and Nicholas Bulstrode. Some of these individuals become couples after long and tortuous events; some have long and tortuous events after becoming a couple.
However, my favorite characters weren't central to the stories. I strongly preferred, Elinor Cadwallader, the rector's wife who has a quick wit and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I also developed a fondness for Caleb Garth and Camden Farebrother who are two good, decent men. None of these three individuals were in the story enough, but Caleb and Camden got a good deal more time than Elinor.
As to my personal response to Middlemarch and I know I am about to step on all kinds of 'this-is-the-best-book-ever' toes, but I don't get it. Yes, George Eliot made some great moral points, yes there were some word construction that was lovely and brilliant, and yes the relationships were interesting - when you actually got to read about the relationships - but this book is too wordy. If I can put a book down and not think about it or miss reading it for a couple of days at a time, then the book has not grabbed me.
It was like I was reading, blah, blah, blah - a good point - blah, blah, blah - some interesting interactions or information - blah, blah, blah. There was too much that didn't provide information central to story development and there were too many references to events of the time that you just won't get without ALOT of footnotes.
I didn't HATE it (Moby Dick is still in my number one spot there!), but I didn't LOVE it (Pride and Prejudice anyone?). I am glad I read it, but I don't plan to again. And that is just my opinion for what it is worth.
However, my favorite characters weren't central to the stories. I strongly preferred, Elinor Cadwallader, the rector's wife who has a quick wit and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I also developed a fondness for Caleb Garth and Camden Farebrother who are two good, decent men. None of these three individuals were in the story enough, but Caleb and Camden got a good deal more time than Elinor.
As to my personal response to Middlemarch and I know I am about to step on all kinds of 'this-is-the-best-book-ever' toes, but I don't get it. Yes, George Eliot made some great moral points, yes there were some word construction that was lovely and brilliant, and yes the relationships were interesting - when you actually got to read about the relationships - but this book is too wordy. If I can put a book down and not think about it or miss reading it for a couple of days at a time, then the book has not grabbed me.
It was like I was reading, blah, blah, blah - a good point - blah, blah, blah - some interesting interactions or information - blah, blah, blah. There was too much that didn't provide information central to story development and there were too many references to events of the time that you just won't get without ALOT of footnotes.
I didn't HATE it (Moby Dick is still in my number one spot there!), but I didn't LOVE it (Pride and Prejudice anyone?). I am glad I read it, but I don't plan to again. And that is just my opinion for what it is worth.
I used to teach Silas Marner to eight graders. I loved it. They did not. Eighth grade might be a little too young to appreciate Eliot's language, her dry and candid observations on human nature, and her extremely delayed sense of justice. Even though I'd loved it, I had not read Middlemarch until it showed up on my Audible Escape catalogue. I can't agree with Audible's categorizing Eliot's novel as romance. Yes, there are three very compelling love stories enclosed in its pages, but those are often eclipsed by the other characters and events in the environs around Middlemarch. The full title of the book is Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life, which is a much more accurate description than "romance."
I wrote in my newsletter that when I started reading the book, I couldn't identify even one sympathetic character, but by the end of the novel, I found them all to be sympathetic, even the ones who are deeply flawed and never reform. Eliot's unflinching study of human ego, weakness, integrity, forgiveness, and love delivers truth after truth about who we are, and her conclusions are no less astute for the book having been published nearly 150 years ago. When the book first opened, I wondered how I would make it through the 35 hours of audio, but as the interwoven stories unfolded, I found myself not wanting the book to end.
I wrote in my newsletter that when I started reading the book, I couldn't identify even one sympathetic character, but by the end of the novel, I found them all to be sympathetic, even the ones who are deeply flawed and never reform. Eliot's unflinching study of human ego, weakness, integrity, forgiveness, and love delivers truth after truth about who we are, and her conclusions are no less astute for the book having been published nearly 150 years ago. When the book first opened, I wondered how I would make it through the 35 hours of audio, but as the interwoven stories unfolded, I found myself not wanting the book to end.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated