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3.7k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
3.7k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
To be entirely honest, I have switched this to my "read" shelf because I am done reading it. But I didn't finish it. At this point in my life, I just found myself too impatient to read all 900 pages. I read the first half, which I enjoyed, but was not enthralled by, and then consulted Wikipedia to fill me in on the second half. I feel a little guilty about it. And I didn't quite know how to rate it. I think, had I read this earlier in my life, I would have really loved it. And I did enjoy it even now. But I did not enjoy it 900 pages worth. Three or four stars? I don't know.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best novels ever written
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Simply put, just a great book. You can enjoy it on the simple plot level of the lives of Middlemarchers, or savor the little references, historical and literary that pepper the narrative. It's a long book, but it never feels tedious. You're just happy to get to spend all this time with the characters, fumbling with their foibles and hopefully not coming out the other end too bruised. Loved it.
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
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Whew. This book was an ordeal. I picked it up (or, more accurately, downloaded it) because my favourite patron at the library where I work is currently obsessed with George Eliot and his obsession is completely charming. This book, however, was a slog.
I have a very high tolerance for long, boring, 19th-century novels. I've read War and Peace. I devoured The Brothers Karamazov and thought Crime and Punishment was exciting. But this book nearly did me in. Almost nothing happens and it's torturous. I'm giving it two stars because I think George Eliot was a cool lady with some progressive ideas, but this was just not the book for me at all.
I have a very high tolerance for long, boring, 19th-century novels. I've read War and Peace. I devoured The Brothers Karamazov and thought Crime and Punishment was exciting. But this book nearly did me in. Almost nothing happens and it's torturous. I'm giving it two stars because I think George Eliot was a cool lady with some progressive ideas, but this was just not the book for me at all.
I read a lot of classics, but somehow I hadn't gotten to this one until a few years ago. For my second time through, I listened to the audiobook read by Juliet Stevenson, one of my favorite narrators. I started it a while back, then got stuck and abandoned it for a long time, then listened to 24 hours in the past week. I really have been living in Middlemarch, and will feel sort of lost without all those characters.
This book is just so human. It's crazy long and I somehow still didn't want it to end. George Eliot has an insanely keen understanding of people--our strengths and our flaws and our motivations. Love
one of the most wonderful reading experience in my life