From the Bookshelf of Reading the Classics…

Middlemarch

George Eliot

Start date: November 1, 2014

Finish date: December 31, 2014

Discussion: Past Group Reads

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 214 topics — 3,499 comments total

Past Group Reads

* Washington Square - Reading Schedule
By Brian , co-moderator · 3 posts · 28 views

last updated May 08, 2021 11:27AM

* Rebecca Reading Schedule
By Jenn , moderator · 1 post · 25 views

last updated Feb 04, 2021 10:42AM

showing 1 of 1 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 21, 2015 Amle rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, read-in-english

I would say that this is a story about connections. This little society, Middlemarch, with its inhabitants in so many ways connected to each other's lives and relying on so many different people to do something for them. All these characters looking to someone else to furnish their lives with wisdom, opinion, love, occupation, entertainment, financial stability, and even relying on others to be responsible for their happiness.

I admit that I found it difficult to like our main character Dorothea ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 11, 2013 ~Calyre~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, british-literature, read-in-2013

Alors sortirent les jurés qui s'appelaient : M. Aveugle, M. Vaurien, M. Méchant, M. Luxurieux, M. Dissolu, M. Emporté, M. Hautain, M. Animosité, M. Menteur, M. Cruauté, M. Ténèbres, M. Implacable; chacun d'eux rendit son verdict personnel contre lui dans leurs entretiens particuliers, après quoi ils s'entendirent unanimement pour le proclamer coupable devant le juge. Mais d'abord ils s'exprimèrent entre eux; M. Aveugle, le premier juré, dit: Je vois clairement que cet homme est un hérétique. Pui ...more

Like · see review

Jan 18, 2014 Susan from MD rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I had put this into the "rich English young women deal with marriage issues in the 19th century" book category. I'm not usually excited about these books, but this was a lot more - which is good as it is about 900 pages!

The characters have a good mix of traits - some good/enjoyable and some bad/annoying. This complexity of personality and ambitions make for interesting and nuanced story lines. The novel takes place over a couple of years, at a time I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I had put this into the "rich English young women deal with marriage issues in the 19th century" book category. I'm not usually excited about these books, but this was a lot more - which is good as it is about 900 pages!

The characters have a good mix of traits - some good/enjoyable and some bad/annoying. This complexity of personality and ambitions make for interesting and nuanced story lines. The novel takes place over a couple of years, at a time when two sisters, Dorothea and Celia Brooke, marry very different men. The story follows several couples as they navigate their marriages and interactions with others. But, as much as the framing is largely through these couples, it is a character-based novel that is written in an engaging way.

Dorothea is a progressive character, particularly for that time. She is smart, beautiful, loyal, loving, stubborn, quick to anger, quick to forgive, wants to make a difference in the world, and so on. She marries an older man who thinks he's smarter than he is, more benevolent than he is, more thoughtful than he is. She looks up to him - only to realize after marriage that she had missed his self-centeredness, pettiness, controlling nature, etc. when assessing his character. After he dies, she comes into her own more fully and is able to take some control of her life - it was wonderful to "watch" her grow over time.

It was also fascinating to see how others responded to Dorothea. They love and respected her, but were frequently baffled by her decisions - the men in her family tried to rein her in, but to little avail. She had her own ideas and followed her head and heart.

It's interesting - nothing was particularly surprising and when I think of ways to offer insight on this novel, it sounds like it could be describing other books by Austen, Bronte and others. But there is something different here. I will have to think on how to describe it to convey that "je ne sais quoi" that makes this one different. I will be reading a few of those books this year - so maybe I will find the words later on! As I recall - it has been many years since I read some of these books - there is a nuance here that is missing in some of the others. It also reminds me of Dickens, which is good, as I really enjoy Dickens. ...more

Like · see review