Scan barcode
A review by machadamia
Middlemarch by George Eliot
emotional
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
As its subheader says, middlemarch is truly a study of provincial life. We get introduced to an ever revolving cast of characters and I read this book through the year with a subreddit called r/ayearofmiddlemarch which was honestly my favourite way to read it due to being able to take my time and read through the sometimes hard to read and rather dense text. It does require quite a bit of context so versions with those footnotes are definitely essential if one does not have the knowledge of how life was like in 1800s England.
While at times I was quite lost in all the different terminologies and sayings, I was still so very invested in the characters' journeys. And honestly it all happens quite slowly but there is such a huge cast of characters that you don't feel too bored. I do wish that the weaving was done a bit better so we kind of get bits and pieces of everyone along the way rather than how it was structured - you get one person's POV for a couple of chapters and then another person's and along the way there may be like time jumps or rewinds etc. I find that it makes me lose focus on who this person and that person is and I get confused sometimes like this name is familiar but I don't remember who it is and why they are important.
Overall, I really did enjoy it quite a bit and Eliot added so many pepperings of the various aspects of provincial life that I felt like I was really living it like a little fly on the wall watching these people going through these little dramatics in their lives, loving and hating some characters but overall rooting for them all.
While at times I was quite lost in all the different terminologies and sayings, I was still so very invested in the characters' journeys. And honestly it all happens quite slowly but there is such a huge cast of characters that you don't feel too bored. I do wish that the weaving was done a bit better so we kind of get bits and pieces of everyone along the way rather than how it was structured - you get one person's POV for a couple of chapters and then another person's and along the way there may be like time jumps or rewinds etc. I find that it makes me lose focus on who this person and that person is and I get confused sometimes like this name is familiar but I don't remember who it is and why they are important.
Overall, I really did enjoy it quite a bit and Eliot added so many pepperings of the various aspects of provincial life that I felt like I was really living it like a little fly on the wall watching these people going through these little dramatics in their lives, loving and hating some characters but overall rooting for them all.