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3.66k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
3.66k reviews for:
Middlemarch: (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)
George Eliot
4.06 AVERAGE
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Challenging to read because of long winded prose and sentence structure. But worth the effort. The serial format kept me hooked. George Elliott has a way of nailing frailties of human emotions and enabling reader to reflect and think deeper.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
All in for some 19th century feminism. Lost the thread of the story a few times listening to the audiobook, just so many characters and sub-plots... Reading the chapter summaries on LitGuides along the way helped a lot though.
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I avoided spoilers for this book as if it hadn’t been written hundreds of years ago. I was truly on the edge of my seat, by turns exclaiming “Causabon!!” “BULSTRODE!” I joked that this was a book full of hot gossip and petty drama, but it really does live up to its reputation. Glad I finally got around to it!
People should read Middlemarch and then read The Casual Vacancy (or vice versa). There are so many parallels of provincial life between the 19th and 21st centuries, and I SWEAR that Rowling was inspired by Eliot. The books work well in conversation with each other.
I suspect I may have enjoyed this more when I was younger. The writing is excellent, but I found it to be overly long, occasionally bordering on tedious. I find ensemble casts difficult as I often connect more with one or two characters over the rest, which I definitely found to be the case here. Most of the characters annoyed me in some way, and the whole thing felt very... small. Which I think is the point, and I can see how it's a great book and why people enjoy it, but it just didn't resonate. I also found the ending to be a little underwhelming. A perfectly fine read, which I suspect would have worked better for me if it'd been half the length.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this is like an expansion pack for madame bovary
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read Middlemarch this year at roughly publication speed, which is about one book per month. There are 8 books in this tome. I think that was a good way to get through this book.
George Eliot is very good at fleshing out a character in just a couple of lines. I jotted down that 8 pages in, there were already 3 distinct characters. Very nice!
I read that this book was partly about the Reformation Act, but it is only on page a couple of times in the book. It is really about all the characters in Middlemarch and their lives and relationships during a couple of years. In the beginning, there are many characters introduced and it's hard to know which ones will be there throughout the entire book. But you soon settle in with the five or so main relationships that are going on.
George Eliot is very good at fleshing out a character in just a couple of lines. I jotted down that 8 pages in, there were already 3 distinct characters. Very nice!
I read that this book was partly about the Reformation Act, but it is only on page a couple of times in the book. It is really about all the characters in Middlemarch and their lives and relationships during a couple of years. In the beginning, there are many characters introduced and it's hard to know which ones will be there throughout the entire book. But you soon settle in with the five or so main relationships that are going on.