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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Reading George Eliot is anxiolytic. Sure — it can be overly sentimental for overly long stretches that seem to repeat themselves over and over again; the plot can be ridiculously improbable (the ending — my god!); and sometimes Eliot's philosophy gets a little too didactic and veers a little too close to a humanist reduction of Christian love ressentiment (in this book especially). But there is no author who describes people and the forces that drive them better than George Eliot: there is no author who makes me feel more pathos, more significance of my role in this strange little drama we're all enacting. And she is outrageously funny. The scenes with the Dodson sisters and their families recall Kafka at his funniest and most cutting — if Kafka had been birthed and reared in provincial 19th century England. Nothing cheers me up like George Eliot.
21/100
the second half of this book was phenomenal, the writing was very slow and meandering throughout but the ending was
the second half of this book was phenomenal, the writing was very slow and meandering throughout but the ending was
While Jane Austen is lace and tea amidst neighbourhood gossip, George Eliot is grit and pain amidst the daily grind. Austen has a sharp wit and sharp eye for character nuances. Eliot however, is a master at deeper insight, imho. It is absolutely delicious to enter into the motivations behind a character's thoughts and behaviours. I find that Eliot laser-beams right to the core, every time.
Eliot's observations also make for very well-fleshed out characters. At least for the three central ones. Maggie, our leading lady, is multi-layerd. We know her, we love her, we feel her moral and romantic pains. Or she annoys us, but she leaves a real impact. This novel is also semi-autobiographical, which makes her childhood experiences particularly intriguing.
I didn't enjoy it as much as the soap-opera of Middlemarch, I'll likely never read it again. Yet Eliot always brings the beauty of rich characterization into my life.
Eliot's observations also make for very well-fleshed out characters. At least for the three central ones. Maggie, our leading lady, is multi-layerd. We know her, we love her, we feel her moral and romantic pains. Or she annoys us, but she leaves a real impact. This novel is also semi-autobiographical, which makes her childhood experiences particularly intriguing.
I didn't enjoy it as much as the soap-opera of Middlemarch, I'll likely never read it again. Yet Eliot always brings the beauty of rich characterization into my life.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book lacks synergy.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
sad
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes