The Reading Challenge Group discussion

All are welcome to join this Buddy Read of Adam Bede.

Happy reading, Trisha, Sonia, Penelope and Eileen-and everyone else who joins.

You can read at your own pace, but in order to be careful of spoilers, please state which chapter, or volume and chapter if your book is organized that way, you are referring to in your comments.

Okay, I think I'm going to try doing this one, but it will be a little while before I start. I have a bunch of library books I really need to read and return, ha ha!

There's no hurry, Eileen. I always have a few library books on the gi as well.
I remember enjoying Adam Bede as a character, as well as the book overall.

It sounds interesting! I know nothing about it!

Thank you for setting this up, Rosemarie.

Eileen, don’t worry - start when you’re ready. If everyone uses spoilers we can comment when we want. I’m looking forward to this - I like the author but haven’t read this book before. I aim to start reading it in the next few days. There’s no point asking people to wait until I finish reading War and Peace!

Glad to do it! Any time!

Trisha wrote: "Thank you for setting this up, Rosemarie.

Eileen, don’t worry - start when you’re ready. If everyone uses spoilers we can comment when we want. I’m looking forward to this - I like the author but ..."

I laughed/ I'm reading War and Peace too, a chapter a day due to finish at the end of the year. in the meantime ready to start this straight away. This will be fun and looking forward to it.

Thanks again Rosemarie for setting it up.

You're welcome, Penelope.
I hope you enjoy the book.

I have started reading at last after life got in the way! Lots of catching up to do, sorry. I searched online & found the setting of the book is thought to be Ellastone in East Staffordshire. There’s a very small amount of information about it on the council website ellastone.org - just click on “tourism” from the home page.

Initial thoughts: Book 1, chapters 1-3
The descriptions of the countryside are beautiful, a great introduction to the book. But I struggled with the dialect once characters were speaking - which prompted me to find out where it was supposed to be. Hopefully it will get easier once I’ve read more.
(view spoiler)[At the moment I don’t like the emphasis on religion & feel the author is preaching at her readers. I don’t remember anything similar in her other books. Perhaps it will become relevant as the story progresses. (hide spoiler)]

Has anyone else started reading this book?

Yes I am in chapter three. I found it rather difficult to read too so downloaded the audible. Reading and listening has helped but am finding it very slow so far. Setting descriptions great and characters starting to emerge.

Penelope wrote: "Yes I am in chapter three. I found it rather difficult to read too so downloaded the audible. Reading and listening has helped but am finding it very slow so far. Setting descriptions great and cha..."

I considered the audio version as it usually helps with dialects - but I couldn’t find a version I liked from the samples available. I’ll read some more but try audio again later if necessary. I’m pleased you have started the book, Penelope - it sounds as though we are at about the same stage.

Chapter five The Rector, is delightful.
I was trying out the audible samples and then inadvertently pressed buy rather than next or whatever. Luckily it is a good voice and a good interpretation. Lucky I guess! The reader is Nadia May.

Penelope wrote: "Chapter five The Rector, is delightful.
I was trying out the audible samples and then inadvertently pressed buy rather than next or whatever. Luckily it is a good voice and a good interpretation. L..."

That’s funny - but seems to have worked out well for you. I agree, the book is gradually improving, or perhaps I’m getting used to the style now.

Sonia wrote: "I found the dialect hard too. But once I looked it up, and found that it was set in Staffordshire, it was all fine. The town of Ellastone is just over 30 miles away from my home so maybe I have an ..."

I’m glad you’re joining us, Sonia. I always struggle to get used to reading a book with a lot of dialect, especially when it’s an unfamiliar one. You’re doing well with the book if you’ve read about half of it. I still don’t know if I like it or not as there are lovely descriptions, a few interesting things happening but an awful lot of boring gossip!

Half way. That’sgreat. I am reading along well now but still only in Chapter 8. I imagine the countryside around that area beautiful Sonia.

(Book 2) Chapter 17

I wonder what other readers think of this chapter.(view spoiler)[ I think it was one of the worst chapters so far. Nothing much happened except the author forcing her opinions on the reader. She seemed arrogant & judgemental about poor people, obviously feeling herself to be superior. I don’t remember such strong opinions in her other books. Did I miss the point of this section? I hope I did - I found it unpleasant & if it weren’t a buddy read I would probably abandon the book now. Sorry to be negative. (hide spoiler)]

Sonia wrote: "… I finished a couple of days ago. There's a lot about the book I like - the character of Adam Bede and his brother, Mrs Poyser, the description of t..."

Well done, Sonia. Yes, I like the brothers too. It definitely isn’t her best book, I enjoyed her other books that I’ve read & feel as though this book had a different author. I just don’t feel involved with it at all.

That’s great Sonia.

(Book 2) Chapters 19-21

The story seems to be moving on at last, with much more about Adam Bede & a few other characters. As before, the descriptions are very clever & include little details that add to the effect. I especially liked the part about fruit picking & also the interaction between Adam & his mother.

I finished reading this today. I decided that reading short sections wasn’t working for me. I had time to read a lot of the book today & liked it much better. The story improved as it developed & I feel disappointed that, for me, what could have been a good book was spoiled by the very slow introduction & apparent lack of any real story for so much of the early part. This was followed by a rush to tell everything quickly towards the end - another book that made me suspect the author either got bored or had a deadline to meet.
The end of the story: (view spoiler)[ I thought Hetty’s story was tragic, even though I didn’t like the way she treated Adam. I thought it strange that Adam & Dinah got together - it seemed rather unbelievable as Adam had wanted to be with Hetty for so long, & also disloyal to Seth. (hide spoiler)]

I'm glad you finished the book, Trisha. It's been a while since I read it, but I do remember Hetty.

I am still reading this and while recognising it is Eliot's first novel am not enjoying it a great deal. Will finish it but as we are aware December is a very busy month and I have had to push it back. Well done you who have finished it and I've enjoyed all comments

Penelope wrote: "I am still reading this and while recognising it is Eliot's first novel am not enjoying it a great deal. Will finish it but as we are aware December is a very busy month and I have had to push it b..."

That’s completely understandable, Penelope. I hope that you will enjoy the book more towards the end. Perhaps at some time you will try another of her books which you may like better.

Thanks for that Trish. I had originally said that in 2022, over the course of the year would read all the novels by Eliot and still intend to do that. This opportunity came up and thought it would work! Will keep going.

Penelope wrote: "Thanks for that Trish. I had originally said that in 2022, over the course of the year would read all the novels by Eliot and still intend to do that. This opportunity came up and thought it would ..."

I had forgotten that was your plan. I suspect the buddy read would have worked much better at any other time of year, so it was just unfortunate. It’s good that this hasn’t put you off reading her other books & I’m sure you will enjoy the others more once you have more time to read.

Trisha wrote: "Penelope wrote: "Thanks for that Trish. I had originally said that in 2022, over the course of the year would read all the novels by Eliot and still intend to do that. This opportunity came up and ..."

All good. I was keen to let you know about my status because I would love to have more buddy reads in the future. We had great success with Dumas earlier in the year and I really enjoy the interaction. it was just this one instance!! any way let me know if anything else is on the cards and I will report when I finish Adam Bede.

Sorry I'm hopeless at this. and cannot seem to make my comment to answer yours! but you get the idea I hope. All the best.

Penelope wrote: "Sorry I'm hopeless at this. and cannot seem to make my comment to answer yours! but you get the idea I hope. All the best."

No problem! Yes, I know what you mean. Keep in touch, hopefully we can do a buddy read another time.

Hurrah I finished it this morning. I knew it would take me a while but I have now done it.
it is Eliot's first book and I will be keen to compare to later works. Because I have been forced to stay at home this past week I had the chance to listen to it in big chunks interpersed with reading the text.
There were a few memorable characters especially the Poysers . Descriptions of the countryside and the farming activities I thought really good,

I like her descriptions of the countryside, never having been to England.

I've been reading this and it's been okay, but it's definitely taking me a lot longer to make it through than I was expecting. I find my interest has been waxing and waning depending on what is going on in the story. Overall, I think I'm just finding it too long. I definitely enjoyed Middlemarch more. I'm a little more than halfway through, and if I can focus on the book, I might be able to finish this sometime this week.

I hope you finish it, Eileen,and then go on to other books.

I’m sure you’ll get there Eileen. It was a bit strange but when I was reading Adam Bede I found it a bit of a slog but after I had finished found I was thinking about it a lot. My plan this year is to read all the novels. Adam did not put me off that plan!

Wow, how many novels does George Eliot have? I was thinking this year of reading a bit more Dickens!

Rosemarie wrote: "I hope you finish it, Eileen,and then go on to other books."

I'll definitely finish it! I'm just at the point where (view spoiler)[Adam Bede finds out about Hetty and the baby (hide spoiler)] and it's made me want to find out what's going to happen. This is definitely sadder than I was expecting.

Penelope, I agree with you about the Poysers; I found them to be interesting and sympathetic characters.

The only George Eliot novel that I found a real slog was Romola. There's more historical fact and background than plot in that one, and the main character is insipid. I was rooting for the bad guy!

A favourite of mine is Daniel Deronda.

Is it nine novels? Then there are elected essays poems etc. I think I should have read Scenes of Clerical Life first. But going with The Mill on the Floss as my next read.
It is very tempting to leap straight into Middlemarch!!!

Penelope, I agree with you about the Poysers; I found them to be interesting and sympathetic characters.