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apechild 's review for:
Silas Marner
by George Eliot
This was all right, and surprisingly, it has a happy ending! Yet it did drag a bit in parts, which is saying something because it's not actually that long a book. I see a lot of other editions where there's the old man and the little girl, Eppie, on the front cover, making much of that story - and it is one of the best bits - but she doesn't rock up until two thirds into the story.
It's not all about Silas either and he's absent for several chapters. It's about him and the biological family of the little girl, I guess, although you don't realise this for a long time. Silas is a weaver, who left his home town when falsely accused of stealing chapel money (his best friend did it and ran off with his fiance as well). So he's a bit bitter, keeps himself to himself and works at his loom seven days a week. He makes a lot of money, which he doesn't spend, but instead the joy of looking at all those golden coins is enough for him.
In his new town, Raveloe, at the posher end, there's the squire and his good for nothing sons. There's Godfrey with a secret wife and child that he denies - because he sees himself as the victim in all of this - who live in rags and the mother is an opium addict. They end up struggling to Raveloe and his wife dies in a hedge in the snow. His brother, Dunsey, is even worse, and ends up stealing all of Silas Marner's money and trotting off into the night, not to be heard of for 16 years. Whilst the mother dies, the toddler gets up and away to a warm open door - turns out to be Silas's cottage, and curls up by the fire. Silas takes this as an omen as such, out the door went his money and in came a toddler, whom he takes as his own daughter and raises. It's only when she's 18 that Godfrey decides to come clean and goes to offer her his home and parentage (because he and his wife don't have kids) - after having let her live in rags and possible death, then letting Silas raise her, he seems to think he's marvellous and of course she'll go skipping home with him. And I wonder if he would have been interested had he and his wife had children? Nope, don't rate the rich folks in this story.
It's a nice story, short, happy end (don't think that happens a lot with Eliot) and yet it didn't really grab me. Perhaps because it was so short she never managed to really get into any of the story lines?
It's not all about Silas either and he's absent for several chapters. It's about him and the biological family of the little girl, I guess, although you don't realise this for a long time. Silas is a weaver, who left his home town when falsely accused of stealing chapel money (his best friend did it and ran off with his fiance as well). So he's a bit bitter, keeps himself to himself and works at his loom seven days a week. He makes a lot of money, which he doesn't spend, but instead the joy of looking at all those golden coins is enough for him.
In his new town, Raveloe, at the posher end, there's the squire and his good for nothing sons. There's Godfrey with a secret wife and child that he denies - because he sees himself as the victim in all of this - who live in rags and the mother is an opium addict. They end up struggling to Raveloe and his wife dies in a hedge in the snow. His brother, Dunsey, is even worse, and ends up stealing all of Silas Marner's money and trotting off into the night, not to be heard of for 16 years. Whilst the mother dies, the toddler gets up and away to a warm open door - turns out to be Silas's cottage, and curls up by the fire. Silas takes this as an omen as such, out the door went his money and in came a toddler, whom he takes as his own daughter and raises. It's only when she's 18 that Godfrey decides to come clean and goes to offer her his home and parentage (because he and his wife don't have kids) - after having let her live in rags and possible death, then letting Silas raise her, he seems to think he's marvellous and of course she'll go skipping home with him. And I wonder if he would have been interested had he and his wife had children? Nope, don't rate the rich folks in this story.
It's a nice story, short, happy end (don't think that happens a lot with Eliot) and yet it didn't really grab me. Perhaps because it was so short she never managed to really get into any of the story lines?