Monday, May 26, 2014

Not Your Typical Summer Book


Well, I did it! I finished Middlemarch by George Eliot, a book I have wanted to read for a very long time. It wasn't easy but after a while I got into the rhythm of the prose, connected with the characters and grew to love it. Though I never thought I would finish it on a vacation in Hawaii!


 I was sitting poolside when I read the final chapter "Finale" with tears in my eyes. This is not exactly your typical beach read. But I have to say that the last one hundred pages were gripping and I couldn't put the book down. For me it was the perfect vacation read.

"Dorothea, he said to himself, was forever enthroned in his soul: no other woman could sit higher than her footstool."
-- George Eliot, "Middlemarch"

Have you read "Middlemarch"? Did you like it?

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I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!
And reading something fabulous!

Next Up:  Ten Books For Summer Reading

12 comments:

  1. I hope you are having a wonderful time in Hawaii! Middlemarch is definitely not the sort of book you see on summer reading lists, but it sounds just lovely. I hope I fulfill my goal of reading it some day. I'm looking forward to your next post!

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    1. I think you would love it. We did it in our book club, dividing it in half over the course of two meetings since it is so long. This really worked out well. Maybe in the fall you could do it in your book club. It would make a great fall book choice.

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  2. I have never been able to get more than about 30-40 pages into it, but your post has inspired me to try again soon. I love the image of you in Hawaii reading it poolside, hopefully with a Mai Tai?

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    1. Kathy, it really was a funny image. If I had added that Mai Tai I might have made a spectacle of myself as I read the last pages. As it was, sunglasses helped conceal my tears!

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  3. Sunday,

    I hope that you are having a fabulous time on your holiday. I m sure the weather is fabulous and the trip relaxing.

    I have read Middlemarch and enjoyed it but as you say it is not a beach read.

    I am looking forward to your summer reading list!

    Take care, Elizabeth

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  4. I haven't read Middlemarch yet. It's one of those books that's been on my to-read list for almost a decade and I never seem to get around to it. However, I trust your book taste, so I'll go get a copy!

    Hope you enjoyed your vacation. Your Hawaii photos looked gorgeous!

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    1. Lauren, it helped to read it with my book group, to know I needed to get it done for our meetings. But really it is an amazing book. You have to take some tedious chapters with the great ones. But overall it is one of the great books. So many stories that are compelling involving about ten wonderful characters. Universal stories and human traits that we can all relate to.

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  5. Sunday...I am so glad you attached to the Middlemarch characters. As you know, the novel is one of my favorites. Perhaps, through you, more people will be interested in reading George Eliot and especially Middlemarch.

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    1. Your enthusiasm was contagious. Thanks for convincing me to read it. Now I can't wait to read "My Life In Middlemarch" by Rebecca Mead.

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  6. Yes, definitely not a typical beach read;-) As you know, I finally finished the book last month and agree that it took a long time to get into the story. After I was hooked, I always looked forward to picking it up again.

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  7. So many women who I admire love this book. I started it years ago and couldn't finish it. But, given that you stayed with it even though it was hard and you thought it was worth it--well, I guess I will give it another go! Thanks, Sunday.

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  8. Oooo, I'm looking forward to your book list!

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