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3.65k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
3.65k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
Hands down one of the best books I’ve ever been forced to read. The ending was perfect, life is great. And now i can watch the show and give my presentation, spoiler free
This was difficult to rate; the first time I read it, I was totally immersed in the characters’ lives and fell in love with this interesting community. I didn’t quite feel the same affection this time but was instead amazed by the deep psychological insight of the author. The language she uses to explain the inner workings of the characters feels so modern and relevant, as do the plights of each person’s mind and soul. When I finished, I felt I wanted to reread it again immediately to examine it more thoroughly. I do appreciate how everything was nicely wrapped up in the end, even though we took a long time getting there. The brilliance of the writing alone merits 4 stars, and my fond memories of loving it the first time carries over for the 5th star. A masterpiece in storytelling and expressing the human condition.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-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
D R A M A !!!
Novels like Middlemarch walked so soap operas could run. I could absolutely imagine just how reading this as it was released in serials must have went down so well, readers anticipating the next release after the last twist & turns!
Slow to start. I was listening to the audiobook, and it took me a good 7hrs to really get into it (which for a lot novels is nearly the length of the whole damn book). Not helped by the introduction of a whole new family every couple of chapters - in those early books I was constantly repeating: who the hell is this? (While later cheering or condemning those same names once I was familiar with them).
I cannot reinvent the wheel here. Middlemarch has been reviewed, critiqued, analysed by hundreds of people over the years, better than me among them (shout out Virgina Woolf). This was a pick for my book group, but I was looking forward to the push to read it - I am always saying I must read more classics and seldom get to them - and I very much enjoyed it.
At over 316k words, what an absolute beast of a book. A real triumph of craft. A balance of heart and humour, underlaid with a fair dose of social criticism. A vibrant cast of distinct characters in a lively little town that has more and more life breathed into it as the novel expands. Scandal! Romance! Betrayal! And a fair few laughs along the way.
Perhaps intimidating in stature, but well worth powering through.
I'm giving this five stars because obviously it's a masterpiece but I just did. Not. Like. It. So sue me. I also had this response to "Mill on the Floss" so maybe I'm just an Eliot hater.
so far because I have it in pdf format in case I get bored and have a computer handy
32.5 hours later and I am done. It was stunning. It is exceptional how Eliot crafts empathy for every character even when they're making Bad Decisions
Probably one of my top 10 books that I went into not wanting to like and then found myself loving. All of a sudden it was like - oh god, I care for these characters, I’m deeply invested in their troubles and would read another 800 page novel about them…Eliot fucking got me.
This is in the running for one of my favorite novels. It's a sweeping narrative of an entire town, with a memorable cast of characters that feel well-developed and recognizable. I think we all know an arrogant person who thinks they much to contribute to the world, and therefore can't rightly be bothered with those around them. I think we all know a self-sacrificing woman who has to learn when and how to deploy that selflessness so as not to be destructive to herself. At least, in my experience these traits are remarkably human. The plot is also surprisingly quick for a 19th century book. While it's long, it's worth the read and it might surprise you with how quickly it goes. There's a lot here on a literary level, but equally as much on an entertaining one.
Too hefty to read on a Kindle. Will retry at some point with a physical book..