Another classic title which was important

A lot happened while I walked leisurely and longly through the pastures of Middlemarch. I wrote this inside the front cover of my copy: "This book was in my suitcase while I experienced zero gravity above Las Vegas. It traveled in my backpack to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I turned 30 somewhere halfway through it. Then Rolf and I got two cats together. I was almost finished reading it when Ryan died." Middlemarch was such an appropriate book to read while that much life was happening. Virginia Woolf described it as “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people” and this is absolutely a novel for and about adulthood. Eliot’s choice words drill so far down into the core of being a human adult that her passages are timeless.

A very well written and entertaining read!

I feel a bit silly writing a review about Middlemarch - let's just say I am very happy that I took the time finally to read it. Loved the tongue-in-cheek sense of humour, I could practically hear George Eliot chuckling away as she was writing it. Reminded me of a 19th century Jerry Seinfeld, poking fun at all sorts of universal truths. Her characters and the understanding of human relationships were completely real.

"Middlemarch" is deservedly considered a classic, and an exemplar of the art of the novel. Eliot takes on an immense amount thematically, does much of it justice and somehow manages to balance broad issues with in-depth, affecting and authentic portrayals of a captivating array of characters. While the central and some peripheral characters serve to further Eliot's interest in social, political, gender, scientific and religious issues, all figures throughout the novel are etched as believable human beings, not just as one-dimensional symbols serving some more general purpose. There are no black-and-white heroes/heroines or villains, but all are presented as well-rounded individuals with strengths, weaknesses and foibles. The chapter describing how incendiary gossip about two prominent figures spreads through the community and evolves into fact is a tour de force of plot momentum - acerbic, brilliant and exhilarating to read. In other words, Eliot's mastery of theme and character do not at all mean that she gives plot short shrift. While the ending sews up the fates of the main characters, there are surprises and debatable resolutions right to the very end. This book satisfies on so many levels, and sends the reader off with much about which to ponder.