Woven threads of life. (Middlemarch - George Eliot)

Name: Bryn Pearson

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Product:	Middlemarch - George Eliot
Date:	04/10/01 (89 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: superb, well developed characters, quitea few twists and turns.

Disadvantages: none at all

"Middlemarch" is often acclaimed as George Eliot's greatest piece of literature, and having now read most of her novels, I am inclined to agree with this assesment. Middlemarch itself is a small town somewhere in England, and the book traces the interweaving lives of various inhabitants. The plot itself is quite subtle and complex, as various relationships alter, and various truths come to light. Trying to give a full account of the plot would take, oh, about a full length novel, and it would spoil a few of the twsits and turns. So, here's a few tempters to be going along with.

Dorothea is a bright, idealistic young gentlewoman who marries an older man - Casuabon, in the hopes of helping him in some great work. He turns out to be far less than she had imagined and her mariage soon becomes her prison. Meanwhile, clever and talented Doctor Lydgate courts and marries the local belle. She is a rather foolish lass, and, with the help of various unfortunate events, she ruins him. Will Ladislaw is related to Mr Casuabon, and attracted to Dorothea. His past is shrouded in mystery, and his exact relation to other figures only comes to light towards the end of the book. The there's Mr Bulstrode, a self made man with a bit of a past, Fred, a wild young man trying to get his life on track, the Garth fmaily, a lovely group of down to earth people..... and many more. Their lives intertwine and overlap as the story unfolds. Love blossoms, love dies, secrets are revealled and several people die off.

This is a fascinating book - rare to have so many little lines of plot all woven together in such a brilliant way - it's very skilfuly created piece of work and an amazingly detailed portrayal of a small town in the eigtheen hundreds. There's a great deal of detail about society and ordinary life - detals of dress, of behaviour and of class that from an historical perspective are quite wonderful. Despite having such a huge number of charac
ters, all are well drawn, and most develope during the course of the novel.

George Eliot is a superb writer; insightful, skilled and able to tell a good story. This book is certainly her best, and stands several readings. For real enthusiasts, I woudl recomend the TV dramatisation from a few years back - you can get the whole series on video and it really is rather good.

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