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A review by marjorieapple
Felix Holt, the Radical by George Eliot
3.0
Her quill was truly magical. She laid down beautiful sentences. Felix Holt: the Radical is full of them. The characters are vivid and the scenes boil with action. That being said, it is quite important to understand (and ideally care about) the reform movement in 19th c english politics before embarking on this novel. Sure, you can get through it without a deep understanding. All I knew was that "radicals" were working to allow the citizenry, not just the landed gentry, to have the vote. But I am ignorant of the subtler aspects of the movement As a result, the details relating to government, politics and reform, were tedious for me. I expect political grandstanding from Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens, but not from George Eliot.
And then, after spending much of the middle on the political fight, the story progresses with the reform movement really quite a minor aspect to the love story. It was good. Very good. But in my library of classics, its not a favorite. That being said, there are some scenes that read with the clarity of a dutch master painting.
And then, after spending much of the middle on the political fight, the story progresses with the reform movement really quite a minor aspect to the love story. It was good. Very good. But in my library of classics, its not a favorite. That being said, there are some scenes that read with the clarity of a dutch master painting.