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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
slow-paced
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eliot was clearly a talented writer and built really unique, dynamic characters. Discussions at book club were helpful in understanding the themes at play and possible purposes behind Eliot writing this novel; however, the payoff was not worth 800 pages nor would I recommend this to anyone as a must-read classic.
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Funniest classic I've read yet! Although it has it's many qualities, the humour is what impressed me the most. Mary Ann Evans was an incredibly intelligent writer and it reflected throughout the entire book.
Here are some excerpts:
1. "she says he's a great soul- a great bladder for dried peas to rattle in!"
-He has 1 foot in the grave!
-He means to draw it out again I suppose
2. "confound you handsome young fellows! You think of having it all your own way in the world. You don't understand women they don't admire you so much as you admire yourself."
3. "I wish you would marry miss garth, brother" said Miss Winifred.
-very fine! you talk as if young women were tied up to be chosen like poultry at market as if I had only to ask and everybody would have me(!!)
4. (Caleb's reaction at Fred's handwriting) "The deuce!" he exclaimed, snarlingly. "to think that this is a country where a man's education may cost hundreds and hundreds, and it turns you out like this!"
Here are some excerpts:
1. "she says he's a great soul- a great bladder for dried peas to rattle in!"
-He has 1 foot in the grave!
-He means to draw it out again I suppose
2. "confound you handsome young fellows! You think of having it all your own way in the world. You don't understand women they don't admire you so much as you admire yourself."
3. "I wish you would marry miss garth, brother" said Miss Winifred.
-very fine! you talk as if young women were tied up to be chosen like poultry at market as if I had only to ask and everybody would have me(!!)
4. (Caleb's reaction at Fred's handwriting) "The deuce!" he exclaimed, snarlingly. "to think that this is a country where a man's education may cost hundreds and hundreds, and it turns you out like this!"
Truly one of the greatest books I have ever read. I know I keep saying that about the classics I’ve been reading (I fear they are classics for a reason) but I am legit serious this time. Every single character here feels genuine in ways I have rarely seen authors able to capture. Anyone who has spoken to me in the past two-ish months has probably heard me rant and rave about how good this book is, and I’m thankful it ended in such a way that I can stand by every compliment I bestowed upon it. Long books have a tendency to be full of filler and unnecessary, but every single page of this book was unequivocally worth the time it took to read. The saga Eliot takes you on with the characters is incredible and I found myself genuinely invested in every single character whose perspectives we followed. The book was dramatic but never sensationalized. I also really appreciated how the intro and finale tied back to each other in such a satisfying way. Every story tied back to Dorothea in a way that was genuinely lovely to read. Like I genuinely cannot stress enough how much I wanted only good things to ever go her way because despite her being imperfect, she was just always desperately trying to help those around her to the best of her ability. I can't do her character justice here, but the transformation she went on while staying true to her core beliefs was masterful. The story here has lots of drama and intrigue but is also just a simple story of a provincial town in the 1800s. It read like a thriller at times, a romance at others, and even sometimes a modern day historical fiction book—since, technically, being written 40 years after the events take place, it could be considered as such! My ramblings are not doing this justice, but I legit smiled and cried a little to myself on the CTA if that tells you anything about how much I loved this book. Go read Middlemarch!!
I have put off this book for so long because Victorian classics are hit or miss for me. I quite enjoyed the writing and narration. Recommend the audiobook. Popsugar reading challenge: a book set in Victorian times.
My mind travels back to this discerning work of Mary Ann Cross (Eliot) a lot. It's a solid medium between Austen's optimism and Dicken's pessimism. The setting is comfortable and familiar, but the author does not pander to our expectations. The insights into the interior lives of the namesake townsfolk are astonishing. Middlemarch predates the humble beginnings of psychology by almost a decade. With that in mind, Eliot's perception of how human hearts and psyches interact is groundbreaking. Middlemarch establishes the mechanics of its individuals, at play in the larger community. It is a testament to how our interior ones, impact our relationships. It is also easier to follow than I expected, and this is not a pastoral fairy tale. I state both of these things in compliment.
There's a reason this book is a classic: Eliot's handling of language is simply beautiful, and her view into the human psyche is both sophisticated and compelling. It's been decades since I read this book, and I think I appreciated it even more this time around because I myself have greater experience with people and can appreciate Eliot's insights more. (Note: this is, of course, a very long book, but it took me much longer to read than it might have because I went on vacation in the middle and put it down for two weeks.)
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes