A review by ruairidh
Adam Bede by George Eliot

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A deliberately slow and wonderfully intimate dive into some unique characters who feel real, in a setting which is detailed and feels loved by the author. Although the objective pace of events is slow, it never drags as a reading experience, because the author has a variety of characters whose perspectives she can switch between. I think she uses this quite well, and ignoring the content of the story it's the book's most memorable element for me: in the beginning this switching of perspectives seems to be just for adding depth to this world, but as the tension slowly builds towards one of the climaxes she uses to pull the reader in as close as possible then hook us as she switches to another, blinding us of the actual event in real time, so we only hear little details second-hand. I thought that was great. 

Going into the content of the story itself, I liked the variety of speeches each character had; their personalities seemed real and consistent with their actions; and the physical location was wonderfully portrayed.