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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Eliot is superb as always! I'd give it 10 stars if I could,
By
This review is from: Penguin Classics Mill On The Floss (Paperback)
This is Eliot's somewhat autobiographical novel, and tells the story of Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom. The story takes place in the village of St. Ogg, and at the Mill on The Floss that's been in the Tulliver family for generations. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Eliot depicted the sibling relationship between Maggie and Tom with all of those ups and downs that we all have experienced with our siblings, and culminating in the final finish of the story that thoroughly blew me away. I think I just sat for a good ten minutes just saying Oh Wow over and over again, and then felt the need to seek out my brothers and give them both a big hug.The joy of reading this novel or any other by Eliot is her gorgeous prose and brilliant characterizations, even with the minor characters. Just be warned, this is not an action packed, sit on the edge of your seat, can't put it down until it's finished type of novel. This is a story to savor and enjoy the multi-faceted characters and the author's glorious prose like a fine red wine or a box of chocolates (or both). If you are looking for high action and adventure, this is not the book for you. Highly recommended for any lover of 19th century English literature, not as dark and brooding as Hardy can be, but the prose is just as lovely, if not better.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The divided self.,
By frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mill on the Floss: 150th Anniversary Edition (Mass Market Paperback)
_The Mill on the Floss_ (1860) was George Eliot's third published book (after Scenes from Clerical Life and Adam Bede)and tells the story of Maggie and Tom Tulliver, two children who grow up in the middle-class rural community of St. Ogg's.It's been a while since I've read Mill on the Floss, I think that the last time I did I was in my early 20s, just graduated from school. I got a lot more out of the read this time, I think it's probably a book that profits both with re-reading and age. The first time I read it I identified so strongly with Maggie that I practically skipped over everything dealing with the other characters. I found Tom loathesome and the ending of the book appalling. As a slightly more adult human, I was able to read it for more than just Maggie's story and enjoy it even more. I was surprised by how compulsively I read it. I'd had every intention of stretching it out over several days, but I literally found that I couldn't stop reading it and carried it with me from room to room in the house. I was able to laugh more at Eliot's sly humor and more able to see people like the Gleggs as people and not simply stock appendages of the story. I think what makes Mill On the Floss such a powerful book (aside from the writing style, which is excellent) is this notion of the divided self which is being worked out both through Tom and Maggie. Tom has a firm clear sense of right and wrong and is always being forced to question or do injury to that sense because of his very difficult sister. On the other hand, Maggie can't seem to find the right balance between self-indulgence and renunciation. She can't ever manage a way to negotiate between the sharp emotions that she feels and her desire not to inflict the consequences of those emotions on her family and friends. It's a tragedy that neither of them ever really manage to understand each other and are constantly hurting and being hurt in their drive to do the right thing and be who they really are. Interesting how Eliot plays with the tropes from all the popular women's sentimental novels of the time. A young girl who's unattractive because she's dark-haired overcomes poverty and goes on to attract the eye of the most fastidious and eligible man in town... However, in the world of St. Ogg's (unlike the novels of the sentimental sisters like Mary Jane Holmes) Maggie is unable to overcome her obstacles to happiness and is as trapped by her beauty and popularity as she was her unattractive hoyden girlhood. Given the position of women at the time and the strength of the social norms, it's unfortunately a much more believable view of the outcomes of things. If you haven't read Eliot, I'd agree that it isn't her best book (that's still Middlemarch, for me, and I would begin there first) but it's hugely thought-provoking and honest. It should make many a young woman of today count their blessings and thank the stars that the world has changed since the time Maggie Tulliver was a girl.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Mill On the Floss- Honest and Unbiased,
By
This review is from: Penguin Classics Mill On The Floss (Paperback)
*NOTE* This review may contain spoilers at the end.The Mill on the Floss is one of those rare, rare gems that haunts you long after your finished. I read it this past summer, and am still dwelling upon it. Many people read this book as a novel, and it is- in a way. The story is of Maggie Tulliver from her childhood to her adulthood, and the events of her family. But more importantly, this work is one of the clearest insights into human nature I have ever read. Elliot creates numerous characters, yet these characters are not flat, but filled with depth. Throughout the pages, Elliot truly reveals their souls- their intents, thoughts, desires, etc. and you will be surprised (and maybe a little convicted) to see yourself mirrored in them. So many aspects of the soul are revealed here- our true motives, how we deceive ourselves, how we truly feel. She completely bares these people- her people, with all their faults, trivialities, and loves. It is an over-powering work of brilliance, and one that I am proud to have on my shelf. The ending, I feel, is appropriate. No other ending could have been written- this ending is the true consequence to the passions and drives of Maggie's heart, as well as Tom's. It was fitting, and it leaves you wondering if it was possible for Maggie to change her nature, wrong though it was. Highly recommended.
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