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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
George Eliot, I am sorry I ever doubted you. Silas Marner is a short, affecting story of a weaver finding meaning in life in the face of unexpected tragedy. A delightful read I must say. Eliot knows her prose, metaphor and simile. There are also hints of what I assume are Eliot staples such as ruminating on egoism and theology.
Great storyline and plot! Comparing it with Wordsworth's "Michael" makes the reading even more fruitful!
I immensely enjoyed this short novel with it's intriguing tale and magical, fairytale like quality. I will look to read more of Eliot in the future!
Liked this book much better than I expected. Deeply felt and sympathetic, Eliot's narration sets the stage for a story that is at once wry and sincere.
Sweeny Todd reminded me a lot of this book...without the murders by shaving.
Published in 1861, set in the early 1800's, this is a small look at life for a poor craftsman and a big look at the darker side of humanity. Be it religion, money, or physical appearances, there are enough "us vs. them" motifs in this book to flesh out several other plots. But Eliot manages to package it all so neatly in beautiful, concise language that you don't realize how deep the story goes until long after you finish it.
As to this audio version, Sachs' voice might be better suited for a lighter story. There is a bed time story quality to his narration, and he'd probably be perfect for Peter Pan or Alice In Wonderland. He's still very listen-able, but this version of Silas Marner isn't as dark in the dark places as it should be.
As to this audio version, Sachs' voice might be better suited for a lighter story. There is a bed time story quality to his narration, and he'd probably be perfect for Peter Pan or Alice In Wonderland. He's still very listen-able, but this version of Silas Marner isn't as dark in the dark places as it should be.
I don't know [a:George Eliot|173|George Eliot|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1576393431p2/173.jpg] very well. In fact, I've only ever read [b:Middlemarch|19089|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568307771l/19089._SY75_.jpg|1461747] which GR kindly informs me was 8 years ago and... I cannot remember what it was about (yes, that memorable!). My review notes though that I didn't care for most characters & I struggled in the reading so I guess that's one reason why I haven't been reading any more of her books.
I do care for Silas Marner though. He appears to be a typically good young man though maybe a tad on the boring side but he was hard done by. As he slowly hardens to society, a tragedy and a miracle happened in short order. This could prove to be his saving grace yet there is still one more threat to face before the happy ending.
The book is of average size and I listened on audio so to me, it appears as if only half the book is told from Silas' pov while the rest is from Godfrey Cass'. He seems to be a typically bad boy turned good of the landlord class even as he continues to bury his secrets until when at the end, he realised that secrets tend to un-bury itself.
Again, I have to confess that this does not appear to be a memorable read to me. Not plot. Not character. Not setting. Can't say if I'd recommend it to anyone; meh.
I do care for Silas Marner though. He appears to be a typically good young man though maybe a tad on the boring side but he was hard done by. As he slowly hardens to society, a tragedy and a miracle happened in short order. This could prove to be his saving grace yet there is still one more threat to face before the happy ending.
The book is of average size and I listened on audio so to me, it appears as if only half the book is told from Silas' pov while the rest is from Godfrey Cass'. He seems to be a typically bad boy turned good of the landlord class even as he continues to bury his secrets until when at the end, he realised that secrets tend to un-bury itself.
Again, I have to confess that this does not appear to be a memorable read to me. Not plot. Not character. Not setting. Can't say if I'd recommend it to anyone; meh.
The mood of this book is so dark and depressing, that it is hard to get through it. Eliot comes through with her usual type of moral message, This time it is that personal relationships are more valuable than gold. Even though many of the fine aspects of Eliot's writing are enough to give it three stars, especially her depictions of rustic life in 19th Century England, I am not fond enough of the story to give it a higher rating.
Silas Marner has lived in Raveloe for fifteen years, his only comfort the hoard of money he has slowly accumulated. Eaten up inside from a wrong done to him in his youth, and now eaten up with greed for gold, Silas doesn't take much joy out of life. But then his precious gold is stolen, and a small child, like magic, appears in his home, and Silas' whole world turns upside down.
This book was surprisingly good. You have to get used to the dense and rambling language, but as for the story itself, I quite liked it. It's sort of a combination between A Christmas Carole and Heidi, and it works really well. It's a nice heartwarming story and I just liked it.
Things to be Aware of:
- Upsetting Circumstances (Silas is robbed and was framed for another crime, plunging him into a deep depression, but it's mild. There are moments of extortion and pain, but it's not heavily discussed)
- Death (There are a few deaths, but only mentioned in passing and none are gruesome)
- Sexual Content (None)
This book was surprisingly good. You have to get used to the dense and rambling language, but as for the story itself, I quite liked it. It's sort of a combination between A Christmas Carole and Heidi, and it works really well. It's a nice heartwarming story and I just liked it.
Things to be Aware of:
- Upsetting Circumstances (Silas is robbed and was framed for another crime, plunging him into a deep depression, but it's mild. There are moments of extortion and pain, but it's not heavily discussed)
- Death (There are a few deaths, but only mentioned in passing and none are gruesome)
- Sexual Content (None)
3.5
Listening to this on the heels of my Middlemarch journey, it’s hard not to compare the two. Middlemarch is so much better that this is quite unfair of me.
Silas Marner is a good read for fans of Eliot, and is a sweet story reminiscent of Middlemarch: a handful of chAracters in a small town whose stories converge nicely in the end. Middlemarch takes this premise to a different level and draws much more rich characters (which she has time to do given MM’s length).
Silas Marner had some weirdness for me with the heavy-handed symbolism. It’s a little hard to describe, but there would be an obvious symbol floating about, and then Eliot would point that symbol out blatantly through the narrator. So I wasn’t sure if that made it better or doubley-bad.
There is also no real depth to the tale. It ends as you would expect. It’s kind of like a parable really. “The Parable of the Weaver and his Gold.”
Read Middlemarch because you must, read this one because your hold came up at the library. Great audiobook narrator. Nadia May.
Listening to this on the heels of my Middlemarch journey, it’s hard not to compare the two. Middlemarch is so much better that this is quite unfair of me.
Silas Marner is a good read for fans of Eliot, and is a sweet story reminiscent of Middlemarch: a handful of chAracters in a small town whose stories converge nicely in the end. Middlemarch takes this premise to a different level and draws much more rich characters (which she has time to do given MM’s length).
Silas Marner had some weirdness for me with the heavy-handed symbolism. It’s a little hard to describe, but there would be an obvious symbol floating about, and then Eliot would point that symbol out blatantly through the narrator. So I wasn’t sure if that made it better or doubley-bad.
There is also no real depth to the tale. It ends as you would expect. It’s kind of like a parable really. “The Parable of the Weaver and his Gold.”
Read Middlemarch because you must, read this one because your hold came up at the library. Great audiobook narrator. Nadia May.