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readlikeanerd 's review for:
Adam Bede
by George Eliot
Phew! Okay, so this was a loooong book. A lot of the time it felt like it was just never going to go anywhere, but when it did it got really good.
I didn’t know anything about the book before I started so, from the opening, I assumed this would be all about Dinah and the problems of the new Methodist religion. Basically, I thought it would be very preachy and a bit boring. Then we were introduced to Hetty and shit got real.
The driving force behind the book was definitely the characters. I’ve never read Eliot before but her ability to create distinct voices for her characters came across straight away. By the end of the book, even characters that I’d hated at the start became dear to me. For example, Lisbeth Bede, who I found so irritating with her constant crying and inability to leave Adam to do what he wanted, turned out to be quite a boss once I’d spent the book getting to know her. Another thing that bothered me at the start was the sheer number of characters we were introduced to, but due to the voices given to them by Eliot, I found I knew who everyone was and was even able to appreciate their development throughout the novel.
There are a lot of interesting themes in Adam Bede, so I’m hoping to be able to focus on it for my Victorian Lit coursework. Even though religion is probably the main one, personally I’d rather explore the representation of women and the ideas of youth and beauty Eliot provides. Reading it as a 21st Century feminist proves rather problematic, especially when looking at Bartle’s belief that women are useless and have no value. This isn’t even some petty “woman get back in the kitchen” joke, he genuinely hates women. Even Mrs Poyser at one point admits the failings of other women. So that aspect made me a bit sad.
I’d recommend this book if you’re interested in exploring the fallen woman or even if you just like character-driven stories. It would be ideal for someone who likes pastoral settings and stories about rural life, but the story is definitely more than just a tale about people in the country.
I didn’t know anything about the book before I started so, from the opening, I assumed this would be all about Dinah and the problems of the new Methodist religion. Basically, I thought it would be very preachy and a bit boring. Then we were introduced to Hetty and shit got real.
The driving force behind the book was definitely the characters. I’ve never read Eliot before but her ability to create distinct voices for her characters came across straight away. By the end of the book, even characters that I’d hated at the start became dear to me. For example, Lisbeth Bede, who I found so irritating with her constant crying and inability to leave Adam to do what he wanted, turned out to be quite a boss once I’d spent the book getting to know her. Another thing that bothered me at the start was the sheer number of characters we were introduced to, but due to the voices given to them by Eliot, I found I knew who everyone was and was even able to appreciate their development throughout the novel.
There are a lot of interesting themes in Adam Bede, so I’m hoping to be able to focus on it for my Victorian Lit coursework. Even though religion is probably the main one, personally I’d rather explore the representation of women and the ideas of youth and beauty Eliot provides. Reading it as a 21st Century feminist proves rather problematic, especially when looking at Bartle’s belief that women are useless and have no value. This isn’t even some petty “woman get back in the kitchen” joke, he genuinely hates women. Even Mrs Poyser at one point admits the failings of other women. So that aspect made me a bit sad.
I’d recommend this book if you’re interested in exploring the fallen woman or even if you just like character-driven stories. It would be ideal for someone who likes pastoral settings and stories about rural life, but the story is definitely more than just a tale about people in the country.