That I finished the 617 pages of Middlemarch is an accomplishment for me because I am a slow reader who prefers the short story. This *huge* novel was really magnificent, though. What I admired most in her writing was her use of non-artfiicial scenes to shift the narrative focus from one character to another. It was seamlessly done. Equally seamless is the 3rd person omniscient narrator's shift from one character's point of view to another. And Eliot has a number of brilliant zingers and one-liners: I was not expecting it to have as much humor as it does, although most of it is in the first half. I'm also impressed by the language of emotion and mental health in the work, and it's not just about women's emotions.I think the ideal audience for this is people 25-50 years old. It's about love, marriage, success, failure, and ultimately, really about being loved by the one whom you love. But it is not a sappy romance. And there is someone I know who reminds me of Rosamond. I am glad I finally read it. This codex is one that I acquired while in grad school at UConn and have been lugging around with me since then, evidently intending to read it in my retirement. (I have read it ahead of schedule.) I will return to this volume to read the shorter works included, but I am unlikely to revisit Silas Marner. (Silas Marner is wasted on high schoolers.) ( )

I gave this five stars for "Silas Marner." One of my favorite books from high school required reading. An old, ostracized hermit has been hoarding gold. Until one night, when it is stolen. He rushes out into a night storm looking for it; he does find gold, in the form of a beautiful blonde-haired little girl. He takes her into her home. A beautiful story. ( )