shebephoebe 's review for:

Middlemarch by George Eliot

4.5

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I did not expect to have such an overall splendid time with this one. I figured it would be a moderately enjoyable read, but my goodness, the way Eliot writes people; living, breathing, absurd, endearing people. I had so much fun just existing with them for a while, even if I did sometimes feel like a guilty gossip. (Except Mr. Casaubon. I'm ignoring any morality lessons attached to him.) 

I will say that it is huge and feels huge, and by around the 75% mark I was starting to flag a little. In the end, I only truly cared about Fred and Mary. The rest were fun or frustrating in their turn, but Fred and Mary were simply delightful. 

Oh, and Caleb Garth. He reminded me very strongly of Dickon and Martha Sowerby's mother in The Secret Garden. I would trust Caleb with my life.