There are many intermingled plot strands, but the basic structure of Middlemarch is built around four sub-plots. It is an absolutely glorious novel which repays the dedication it demands of the reader with a rich, profound, deeply moving, tale of life in a provincial English town in the pre-Victorian era. I think something else in my personal top ten favourite novels is going to have to give way to Middlemarch. In short, it is a book which takes a heck of a lot of reading. George Elliot often writes in long, elliptical sentences whose meaning only becomes clear the second time through. It is a book originally published in eight instalments over the course of a year, not necessarily devoured in less than an eighth of that time on a Kindle.
It is a book written for people with more time on their hands, and fewer demands on that time. It is a book written for a different age and a different mode of reading. Make no mistake, Middlemarch is a book I found, at times quite challenging. And her writing style is so lyrical - to me it reads like a poem. On every page there are quotable comments. Best of all is George Eliot's clever writing.like the observations of an invisible local. And I love the gossipy town and all the local characters. There are no easy HEAs in Middlemarch, but it's not totally miserable either.
Even today this is unexpected.we expect noble people to be rewarded. I like that idealism causes so much trouble. I have always wished nice Tertius and Dorothea could get together but that is not where the story goes. Like Dorothea, local doctor Tertius also has a noble heart, but falls in love with a shallow woman. She soon finds her husband’s greatness does not extend to daily life where he is petty and self-absorbed. Idealistic Dorothea marries an older man for his great mind, despite the warnings of a pragmatic sister. But you need to be ready for the wordiness of 1800's novelists to enjoy this wonderful book. It’s also about the good citizens of Middlemarch, where the favourite activity is speculating about the neighbors. This is 'Days of Our Lives' in 1800's England as two characters make bad marriage choices.
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