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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
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
Starts off good gets bad then saves itself by getting good again. The whole thing seems to run on negative space with the lush presentness of so much (like the countryside) making absences and silences stand out. That it all started with the confession is extremely interesting in this regard. Arthur and Gawain and the ancientness and recent historical nature all point towards: why does this still happen? Will it ever stop? What will change it? Will it all be better in a different country? What does this mean for Eliot’s victorian or more radical sensibilities and frameworks?
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I did enjoy this novel, however it was not Middlemarch. It wasn't close. It felt like an early Thomas Hardy novel. The rural setting, unrequited love, odd/far-fetched situations, and may an attempt to make commentary on social mores and hypocrisy left me feeling like I really did just read something along the lines of The Mayor of Casterbridge (minus the the whole wife selling thing...).
I definitely enjoyed it, but I guess I was looking for something either along the lines of Middlemarch or something more original than an early Hardy novel with a slightly happier (only slightly) ending. So, if you DO want more Hardy novels, read this.
I definitely enjoyed it, but I guess I was looking for something either along the lines of Middlemarch or something more original than an early Hardy novel with a slightly happier (only slightly) ending. So, if you DO want more Hardy novels, read this.
Although the use of phonetic dialogue and the 'dear Reader' technique employed by Eliot may sound odd to modern readers, I hope one isn't put off by that. This is, at the surface, the story of a love triangle, however that's misleading, since Eliot is exploring questions of personal responsibility, the consequences of one's action, the high nature of us poor humans, and the mystery of divine love. Eliot herself was a great believer in practical religion -- in other words, loving the dear neighbor. This is not always as easy as loving the neighbor in abstract. This wonderful novel takes us into a lost world, but one where the moral challenges are as relevant as ever. Highly readable, and highly recommended.
I loved a few characters (Bartle Massey!) but it veered toward the melodramatic and preachy. Gave me flashbacks of Jane Eyre (HATE). Loved loved loved Middlemarch (which is NOT preachy) but doubt I'll read this one again.
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
This was pretty good! My first Eliot novel, I think. Lots going on here, with a very Austen-esque ending that just wraps stuff up super quickly. Though that's perhaps a feature of 19th-Century fiction more generally too.
I just couldn't get into it; I felt like nothing happened in the entire first book, and that the whole novel could have been condensed. The best part was George Eliot's prose--I found myself more excited to hear from the narrator from any of the characters. I would maybe try it again if I had more time, but this was an assignment for class, and it simply was just not happening.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy