The Mill on the Floss, first published in 1860, tells the story of Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom as they grow from children to young adults in the small rural town of St. Ogg's, England. Intelligent and passionate, Maggie yearns to develop her mind and break free of the constraints of her provincial village. Though she loves her brother above anyone else, Tom's rigid, pragmatic personality often conflicts with Maggie's headstrong nature, with increasingly tragic consequences. A classic novel of development, The Mill on the Floss is George Eliot's most autobiographical work. Through the characters of Tom and Maggie, Eliot examines themes of gender, education, and personality formation, and her portrayal of the town of St. Ogg's is both a brilliant depiction of provincial narrow-mindedness and constraining social norms and an intelligent commentary on the changes to rural life brought about by the forces of industrialization. The Mill on the Floss is an enduring portrait of love, family, and individuals striving to create their own destinies, one whose words and characters resonate as vividly today as they did for Eliot's first readers.
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"Maggie Tulliver is a heroine so close to my heart. I totally understand her way of thinking. Seemingly tuff on d outside so she can pretend she doesn't bruise easily. Seemingly uncaring of convention but unwilling to step outside any boundary that wud hurt people she cares 4 or feels obligated to. Her relationship with her taciturn brother is also a reflection of mine. A wonderful book with a worthy heroine!" — Jenny (5 out of 5 stars)
"Maggie Tulliver is a heroine so close to my heart. I totally understand her way of thinking. Seemingly tuff on d outside so she can pretend she doesn't bruise easily. Seemingly uncaring of convention but unwilling to step outside any boundary that wud hurt people she cares 4 or feels obligated to. Her relationship with her taciturn brother is also a reflection of mine. A wonderful book with a worthy heroine!"
" Long. So long. Beautifully written, especially the compelling opening description. And wonderfully narrated by Nadia May in the audio version. But it just goes on and on, with whole chapters I didn't care about. And then the ending... Ugh. "
" A beautiful book about grace. Strongly influenced by Thomas a Kempis. "
" Review to come later, in the interest of not spoiling the text or poisoning the well for friends currently reading it. "
" Read in 6th Form together with Adam Bede also by George Elliot. "
" Really good story if a bit sad! Though took me ages to read thanks to the size of the book + uni work overload! "
" The mill on the Floss reminds my good old days of teaching English.I worked on it with my students several times.The hunch back who loves Maggie Tulliver.Her conflict against her family due to her thoughts & the men whom she loved.At the beginning of the novel,sth irritated me alot:the death of rabitts because of being neglected. "
" Ending was completely unexpected but necessary for the time it was written. Characters less developed than Middlemarch. "
" Preferred Eliot's book Middlemarch. Disappointing conclusion. "
" There are tons of geology metaphors. There is also a sister/brother relationship that is a little too close. It's a great book for increasing one's vocabulary and really stretching the brain. "
" Absolutely one of the best 19th-century British multiplot novels. One of my favorites. If you like Jo from Little Women and loved Wuthering Heights, read it and sigh. "
" Obviously a classic. I just wanted to give them all a good shake and tell them to live life and stop agonising "
" It's true - this book really picks up around page 500. Oy vay. "
" Book Club rating - 3 "
" I love me some george eliot, but WHOA didactic and sentimentalist. Not so much. "
" This book reminded me of Passing by Nella Larsen--an interesting, perfectly reasonable female character doomed by the narrative conventions and cultural expectations of the author's time and place. "
" Can you give less than one star? "
" One of my favourite books of all times, I read this at a very young age and it was the first book which made me cry! "
" George Eliot is my hero. "
" One of my all-time favorites ... "
" I feel as though I could read this book only for the rest of my life and still be engrossed in it until the end. "
" Frustrating and depressing story; I found it tedious reading. "
" A little slowly paced, but a good book for a cold winter day, pot of tea and scones. "
" I watched the movie for this book last year and just found out it had a book. And it was so much better! :D "
" Depressing. :( But very good writing. "
" Ug. Hated the first 200 pages, and the last 2 pages. Loved the middle (very Jane Austen). "
" My poor brain will never recover from the tedious in this one "
" I simply love George Elliots writing. She draws a picture of life in an age where social lives were changing, where women were daring to be counted by whatever means it took. "
" Is it giving the plot away to declare that practically everyone in this story ends up miserable or dead? I enjoyed the tale well enough in the telling, but my, what a downer of an ending. "
" Silas Marner and Middlemarch are terrific. The Mill on the Floss is very good, but depressing as hell. Adam Bede is above-average. "
" Beautifully written - a classic you must read! "
" A throughly wonderful book, damn near broke my heart. "
" An absolutely brilliant piece of literature. Mill on the floss is a timeless treasure. George elliot's best works. "
" Very touching story with an unexpected conclusion! "
" The ending is very surprising. I looked at some reviews of this in the edition I read and they noted many thought the same thing. It was an interesting read and the ending, while surprising, makes lots of sense. "
" All in all, a very good nineteenth century novel. Though a bit sluggish in the beginning, it really grows on you as the story moves along and the characters develop and the plot thickens. This is the first George Eliot novel I've read. Not likely to be the last. "
" Not usually a fan of British literature--but this is growing on me. "
" This was the novel that started my love affair with classic literature "
" So good I read it in two weeks during the college semester while working and serving at church! "
" A difficult, classic read, that I wanted to enjoy more than I did. The writing is wonderful, the story depressing for me...just not what I was in the mood for at the time. "
" So good, but also so frustrating!! "
" Filled with superfluous prose and very depressing. "
" George Eliot rules the fascinating and selective world between Victorian fantasy and true modernism, and Middlemarch is one shining example of her expertise. Not just a good reads these are, but some of the very best. "
George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann, or Marian, Evans (1819–1880), was an English Victorian novelist of the first rank. An assistant editor for the Westminster Review from 1851 to 1854, she wrote her first fiction in 1857 and her first full-length novel, Adam Bede, in 1859. In her writing, she was chiefly preoccupied with moral problems, especially the moral development and psychological analysis of her characters. She is known for her sensitive and honest depiction of life and people in works that are acclaimed as classics.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.
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