I took my first foray into George Eliot's fiction via this tasty morsel of 19th century prose in April. I found it a trip well worth taking, as it is full of vistas not only into bucolic country scenes, but into the hearts of men and women like you and me.
The namesake protagonist is a peasant carpenter in late 18th century England (the book was written, however, in the mid 1800s). He's a man whose station is improving; he's learning letters and figures from a schoolmaster, and his strong, even temperament puts him in good stead as far as future prospects go. However, he is in love with a silly girl. This same silly girl is seduced and wronged by the Squire of the local estate.
I certainly didn't find the book perfect. Some of the characters were caricatures, and some of the drama didn't quite ring true. I wish the book had ended differently than it did, I didn't think the last section really lived up to the former sections. If you've read, perhaps you know what I mean.
The strengths of the book, however, were powerful. The portrait of the squire in particular was excellent. He is shown to be a human with understandable failings. I felt that his soul was revealed as powerfully, if not quite as darkly or strongly, as a character from Dostoyevsky's novels. The consequences of these failings are clearly revealed. This was excellent.
Also, there are a few emotionally charged scenes that are worth picking up the book for. I liked some of the book's key confrontations, and I felt powerfully the book's one execution scene. I think that scene alone is golden - approaching the peak of prose's power to impress feeling. It's the kind of moment that books are remembered for, and it's much like the Tale of Two Cities here.
Another wonderful element of this book is that one of the main characters is a strong Methodist, whose faith is richly evangelical and vibrant. The whole book is full of the tensions of Christian life, and does so really well. This adds, I think, another impetus for reading it. It's a good Christian novel.
So, over all, not perfect, but quite good. I'd say 3.5 of 5 stars - with moments approaching 4.5. If it wasn't for the ending, I'd rate it higher.
2 comments:
Hey Jon and Libby...
Today I saw two black birds with big red spots on their sides in a field. I was wondering what kinds they were and found myself thinking of you two! I suppose that's very little information to go with, though... :)
If they were all black with red spots on their sides (I'm assuming perched, this would be the wing), then they're probably the beautiful Red-winged Blackbird. Libby and I love to see these birds, the contrast is quite wonderful, especially when they fly. Here's some information on them: Cornell's All About Birds - Red-winged Blackbird
Often the male's red patch doesn't look as big as it does in this picture: sometimes you can't really see it at all, just to give some perspective.
What a nice bird to see! Keep your eyes open, there's a dazzling diversity of beautiful birds all around you.
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