Middlemarch

By George Eliot

Categories: Literature & Fiction

George Eliot's novel, first published in installments in 1871–72, is set in the fictional Midlands town of Middlemarch from 1829 to 1832. It follows several intersecting lives, among them Dorothea Brooke, an idealistic young woman who hopes to do some good in the world, and Tertius Lydgate, an ambitious doctor with plans to reform medicine. Through their marriages and choices, Eliot explores the status of women, idealism, self-interest, religion and political reform.

Recommended by 4 people

• Christopher Hitchens
• Greta Gerwig
• Sarah Jessica Parker: “I want to read the Fosse book too. Alas middlemarch stands in the way.”
• Patrick Collison: “For me the clear standouts are Middlemarch, Bleak House, Karenina, and Life and Fate. I would enthusiastically reread any of them. If I had to choose just one to go to again, I would probably select Middlemarch.”