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3.64k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
3.64k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
While reading Middlemarch I couldn't help but continuously meditate on the pleasures of reading and it's impact. Although the book was stilted in some places and over-indulgent in centering the author's voice (I assume, but the research on the meta storyteller in Middlemarch seems mixed) in others, I had a fantastic time with these characters and getting sucked into this provincial town. Eliot's work is surprisingly big in heart and takes a careful, detailed investigation into human nature and close relationships in small towns. I really did enjoy it and I'm very glad to have read this.
Slow clap for being the first book to make me cry in I can't remember how many years.
I first read this book, I think, thirty or so years ago, and at the time I loved it. And like many books I have loved, I never wanted to read it again, thinking that when I finally did I would be disappointed.
However! I finally decided to pick it up again, and I have to say that it was even better than I remembered. The thing is, George Eliot is funny, and she is incredibly observant about people, their behaviors, and their motivations. All the characters she describes in the early 1800s could just as easily be around today, and would still be vulnerable to the way she sneaks up and hits them with their own foibles.
That’s even more accentuated by the beauty of the prose. You find yourself in the middle of a sentence, delightfully following her langorous, piercing parsing of someone’s actions, and then realize, like a German verb looming at the end of a sentence, that she’s winding up to smack someone good.
Finally, all the characters and the setting are extremely well-rounded. Yes, it’s a long book, but it pays off because she's building something... she’s building individual people with individual expectations, and a town full of definition of idiosyncrasy. What a great book.
Five stars.
However! I finally decided to pick it up again, and I have to say that it was even better than I remembered. The thing is, George Eliot is funny, and she is incredibly observant about people, their behaviors, and their motivations. All the characters she describes in the early 1800s could just as easily be around today, and would still be vulnerable to the way she sneaks up and hits them with their own foibles.
That’s even more accentuated by the beauty of the prose. You find yourself in the middle of a sentence, delightfully following her langorous, piercing parsing of someone’s actions, and then realize, like a German verb looming at the end of a sentence, that she’s winding up to smack someone good.
Finally, all the characters and the setting are extremely well-rounded. Yes, it’s a long book, but it pays off because she's building something... she’s building individual people with individual expectations, and a town full of definition of idiosyncrasy. What a great book.
Five stars.
V apríli som každý deň vstávala a zaspávala s Middlemarchom. Pohltil mi celú energiu na čítanie, ale konečne mám tento osemstostranový kolos za sebou. Ak by kniha nebola výberom knižného klubu, asi by som ju po prvej časti odložila. Nebola totiž jednoduchá na čítanie a spočiatku som sa do nej musela nútiť. Vďaka audioknihe som sa však pri čítaní naučila lepšie sústrediť a dej ma začal oveľa viac zaujímať. Bola to pre mňa stále taká domáca úloha, ale konečne som si ju začala aspoň trochu užívať.
Musím povedať, že nikdy som nečítala tak veľmi inteligentne napísanú a prepracovanú knihu. Je plná postáv a zvratov tak šikovne vytvorených, až som občas neverila vlastným očiam. Úplne chápem, prečo ju mnohí spisovatelia a literárni kritici považujú za najlepší/najdôležitejší román v anglickom jazyku a som rada, že som si ho zaradila do čitateľského repertoára.
Musím povedať, že nikdy som nečítala tak veľmi inteligentne napísanú a prepracovanú knihu. Je plná postáv a zvratov tak šikovne vytvorených, až som občas neverila vlastným očiam. Úplne chápem, prečo ju mnohí spisovatelia a literárni kritici považujú za najlepší/najdôležitejší román v anglickom jazyku a som rada, že som si ho zaradila do čitateľského repertoára.
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Long book. I've been dipping into it for months, but I've put it down for a while to actually finish other books. I will get back to it one day.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Three months and nearly 800 pages later, I'm sad to say goodbye to the constituents of Middlemarch who have been such dear companions. This book is a masterpiece. I am always in awe of authors who tease out the nuances of human nature and our propensity for good and harm, and a million shades of grey between. Eliot captures these layers with mastery and wit, and I loved it all.
I very much enjoyed this book and grew fond of the characters, but the story was a bit sluggish at some points. In some ways, this almost felt like I were living alongside the events in real time, as Eliot invites you to deep dive into their lives.