jorstruly 's review for:

Middlemarch by George Eliot

5.0

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My mind travels back to this discerning work of Mary Ann Cross (Eliot) a lot. It's a solid medium between Austen's optimism and Dicken's pessimism. The setting is comfortable and familiar, but the author does not pander to our expectations. The insights into the interior lives of the namesake townsfolk are astonishing. Middlemarch predates the humble beginnings of psychology by almost a decade. With that in mind, Eliot's perception of how human hearts and psyches interact is groundbreaking. Middlemarch establishes the mechanics of its individuals, at play in the larger community. It is a testament to how our interior ones, impact our relationships. It is also easier to follow than I expected, and this is not a pastoral fairy tale. I state both of these things in compliment.