George Eliot is brilliant at creating morally complex scenarios and characters that struggle in their psychological development. This novel, Eliot’s last, focuses on several intertwined stories. The beautiful and selfish Gwendolen Harleth enters into a marriage that leads her to psychological and spiritual damage from which she relies on Daniel Deronda, a deeply caring and morally sensitive character, for her salvation. Meanwhile, Daniel is undergoing his own transformation as he is drawn to Judaism and Zionism through a budding friendship. He eventually learns that he is a Jew (the book jacket would tell you this much so I don’t consider it a spoiler). A lot of other stuff happens in 832 pages too.

I really enjoyed Daniel Deronda and it deepened my appreciation of George Eliot, which was pretty high to begin with. I gravitated to the book because I was intrigued by the idea of Jewish protagonist in Victorian literature. Eliot creates a richer picture of Jewish life in Victorian London than I would have expected. Although I’m obviously not an expert, it seems like she did her homework regarding Jewish mysticism and thought of the period.

At times she tends towards the overly dramatic characterization -- the overly good and simple Mirah, the overly zealous Mordechai, the overly compassionate Daniel, the overly selfish Gwendolen -- but I think this heightening is a Victorian trait in general. It’s an amplification of the character trait being explored and for the most part it works well to deepen the moral dilemma or to get a point across. Despite relying on the amplification of particular traits, Gwendolen and Daniel are multifaceted characters. Gwendolen remains selfish throughout but she struggles deeply with her selfishness. I really liked that Eliot doesn’t shy away from making her self-centered in her point of view, even as she grows. Daniel Deronda sometimes comes across as recognizing the constraints inherent in being so compassionate. Throughout, Eliot provides insightful ideas about compassion and the human capacity for growth and love through Daniel's and Gwendolen's actions, conversations, and thoughts -- especially at the points of novel where their lives intersect but also in their involvement with other characters.