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A review by lewreviews
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
5.0
It begins with a lyrical painting of a mill on a river, this vivid portrait of a small village and its harbour, inhabited by the various citizens of its lonely woods, the soft flow of the river always providing order and purpose to those workers who go about their days. And it leads the story. Whatever happens to those workers of this village, the river always flows, controlling the pace of their lives yet forever unpredictable. The life of the village, the life of the story.
Any book that starts with the verbal equivalent of a Monet deserves praise, yet Eliot manages to continue her poetic flair throughout the course of the novel. Whilst her perfectly crafted sentences can fall into tediousness at times, the effort required to power through her novels is always rewarded, coming out the other end with wisdom and gift of receiving a tale so infinitely powerful, so deeply moving.
Because the story is long. It covers several years of history for the one family and their far-reaching branches, each length of this family tree covering some drama or some conflict. The names can be difficult to keep track of, and you tend to wish the focus could be drawn back to those two memorable siblings, Tom and Maggie. The story of the mill is the story of these two, as their actions are driven by the conflicting pair of loyalty and rebellion - is blood really thicker than water? It is no wonder, then, that the book is so dominated by the Floss, and its changing tide is reflective of the relationship the siblings share. The focus, though, always comes back to Maggie, who is an incredibly complex heroine, managing to navigate the realms of spirituality, love, and purpose, all in the one novel. The conflict she feels in all the realms she desires or are forced upon her are what build to a climax that is as unexpected as it is moving.
I cannot talk about the ending, because of spoilers, but I cannot overstate how beautiful it is. I was so shocked by it, and so transfixed by how Eliot's story comes full circle, and how she uses the symbols and relationships scattered throughout the novel to bring it all into this perfect climax, leaving me in awe at the power of writing and how you can be so absorbed by a book.
I mean... it's just incredible.
A perfect beginning, a perfect ending, and a great everything else. George Eliot sure knew how to write a book.
Any book that starts with the verbal equivalent of a Monet deserves praise, yet Eliot manages to continue her poetic flair throughout the course of the novel. Whilst her perfectly crafted sentences can fall into tediousness at times, the effort required to power through her novels is always rewarded, coming out the other end with wisdom and gift of receiving a tale so infinitely powerful, so deeply moving.
Because the story is long. It covers several years of history for the one family and their far-reaching branches, each length of this family tree covering some drama or some conflict. The names can be difficult to keep track of, and you tend to wish the focus could be drawn back to those two memorable siblings, Tom and Maggie. The story of the mill is the story of these two, as their actions are driven by the conflicting pair of loyalty and rebellion - is blood really thicker than water? It is no wonder, then, that the book is so dominated by the Floss, and its changing tide is reflective of the relationship the siblings share. The focus, though, always comes back to Maggie, who is an incredibly complex heroine, managing to navigate the realms of spirituality, love, and purpose, all in the one novel. The conflict she feels in all the realms she desires or are forced upon her are what build to a climax that is as unexpected as it is moving.
I cannot talk about the ending, because of spoilers, but I cannot overstate how beautiful it is. I was so shocked by it, and so transfixed by how Eliot's story comes full circle, and how she uses the symbols and relationships scattered throughout the novel to bring it all into this perfect climax, leaving me in awe at the power of writing and how you can be so absorbed by a book.
I mean... it's just incredible.
A perfect beginning, a perfect ending, and a great everything else. George Eliot sure knew how to write a book.