Happy to report that I've got another lengthy tome under my belt. Middlemarch, by George Elliot (or Mary Ann Evans as her mother would have known her) - has the subtitle of "A study of provincial life" and is thought to be based on Coventry in the early 1830s. Full of interesting characters and a variety of plots it gives an insight into the social history of the day. There are three main stories, all linked together with skill and a light touch.
We start with Dorothea Brooke - an idealistic woman who wants to do good with her life. Much to the surprise of her sister and uncle, she marries the unpopular Edward Casaubon - a middle-aged pedantic scholar - thinking that to help him him complete his "great work" is her destiny. The marriage sours almost immediately, and her friendship with Will Ladislaw, a cousin of her husband, doesn't help. When her husband dies, he sets a provision in his will that should Dorothea marry Ladislaw, she will lose her inheritance.
Next we follow Tertius Lydgate, an idealistic doctor who arrives in town and causes heads to turn - including that of local beauty, Rosamond Vincy - niece of Mr Bulstrode, the "money" man of Middlemarch who has a dark secret. Self-centred Rosamond seduces Lydgate in the sure knowledge that marriage to him would bring her fortune and status. She is mistaken, and proceeds to make both their lives miserable.
And finally, there is Fred Vincy, brother of Rosamond. He's not the sharpest tool in the box, but has a good heart. He longs to be married to his childhood sweetheart, the sensible Mary Garth, but is thwarted in his intentions when a presumed inheritance does not actually come his way. Mary loves him right back, but until he settles down and makes something of himself rather than acting the dandy, she will always turn him down.
These three stories weave in and out of each other as the book progresses, with each little drama counter-balanced by the lighter moments of life. All experiences are covered - hope, ambition, disillusionment, redemption, grief, love and charity. There is much humour in the book and this was brought out to a great extent by the brilliant narration of Juliet Stephenson in the audio version which I read. It's a book you can get your teeth into and I can heartily recommend it, though I did think there could have been a little editing in places, with some elements being repeated ... but maybe with such a long book, we readers needed to be reminded of things every now and then in case they had slipped our minds!
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 736 print pages (with very small print!)
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; audio multimedia CD; ebook.
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