Old Books, New Readers discussion

Hi all,
the next book the book club is set to read is Middlemarch
Due to the length of the book, we will be reading it over December and January.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feelings on the book!

Hi! Good choice I'm in!!!
You mean December and January, right?

This book has been on my shelf, staring at me, daring me to read it for many years. Last night, I read about 50 pages. Take that Ms. Eliot!

I’m actually surprised that this group hasn’t tackled it. I’m looking forward to the comments.

First thought: I’m, with exceptions, not a fan of 19th C. English-language novels (Brit or American). It takes me a while to adapt to the overly formal, ornate language.

JazzyJake wrote: I’m actually surprised that this group hasn’t tackled it..."

Middlemarch has been nominated at least 5 times before, but this is the first time it is victorious. The length of it has scared me off a few times..lol

Hi All,

There is no way I can get through a book this size without following a schedule, so I have put together a rough schedule to follow for the next two months. I am reading the Penguin Clothbound Version to try an get a upper body workout in 😀. Although the page numbers will be different in different versions, I have included them for a reference as to how many pages there are per week.

Reading Schedule
Dec 1-11 Preface and Book 1 Chapters 1-16 Pages 3-120
Dec 12-19 Book 2 Chapters 17-22 Pages 121-226
Dec 19-25 Book 3 Chapters 23-33 Pages 227-320
Dec 26-Jan 1 Book 4 Chapters 34-42 Pages 321-428
Jan 2-8 Book 5 Chapters 43-53 Pages 429-534
Jan 9-15 Book 6 Chapters 54-62 Pages 535-636
Jan 16-22 Book 7 Chapters 63-71 Pages 637-730
Jan 23 - 31 Book 8 + Finale Chapters 72-86+Finale Pages 731-838

Cheers,
Ian

Ian wrote: "Hi All,

There is no way I can get through a book this size without following a schedule, so I have put together a rough schedule to follow for the next two months. I am reading the Penguin Clothbo..."

Thanks so much for planning the schedule Ian!

Thanks for the schedule, Ian! Makes the book less daunting.

Michelle wrote: "Thanks for the schedule, Ian! Makes the book less daunting."

I am already really behind...lol

Going to try and join in. When I studying English a long time ago I had to read the book in a weekend. It almost killed me. Not a complex plot but very long. I think I forced myself to do three hundred pages a day. But I was young back then.

I received the book as a gift years ago and this is the opportunity for me to read it

Good idea Ian, I think a schedule encourages more discussion along the way. I'm always afraid of giving spoilers when discussing before the end of a book but with a schedule it takes some of that away. My copy doesn't line up exactly with yours but close enough.

My edition does something that drives me crazy: untranslated foreign words. Aaaaarrrrggggghhhhhh! I have some French, but zero Latin, not much else.

When Eliot wrote it, she probably could expect that an educated Englishman had a least passing familiarity with French & Latin. Not so we educated Yanks. 😕

Ian wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Thanks for the schedule, Ian! Makes the book less daunting."

I am already really behind...lol"

I have yet to start it so I am behind too lol. I hope to catch up over the holidays.

Oooooh! This book called my attention in a library in London a couple of months ago and bought it despite thinking "When will I read this!?". BOOM! :D

Started it and loving it. When I first read it decades ago Dorothea really infuriated me but I understand her now. Still I am way behind the set reading dates. Will try and catch up as much as I can.
Usually I very much enjoy scheduled reads-makes the reading more manageable. Just started this late.

I am in chapter 30 now. I love the book! Too many characters make rich plot. George Eliot was a brilliant woman

Lydgate got on my nurves!

What do you think of Lydgate everyone?

Also what chapter are u reading now?

hi everyone I am getting behind on this information because of the holidays. I work for Macy's so you can imagine how busy I am for now. I am on chapter 22 . I hopefully will get caught up after new years when life calms down.

Lydgate does think a lot of himself doesn't he.

Def. He's too self absorbed to notice what's going on around him... I m in chapter 50

Hello everyone! Am I the only one who's excited about this novel?
I ll give it 5 stars once I finish! Farebrother is my fav so far! I m in chapter 65. Meryy Christmas everyone ^^

Happy new year to all! I have finished middlemarch
Enjoy your read

Happy New Year, Everyone! I'm starting late but I'm going to try to catch up. This book has been sitting on my shelf for years and I really don't know why it is still unread. About to change all that. Happy reading!

Ok so I am way behind on this book. Congrats to Ibtissam for completing and seeming to really enjoy this one.
I will hit this pretty hard over the next few weeks and try and gain some ground. I'm about 200 pages behind the schedule. Is anyone else up to speed I do not see a lot of discussion so hopefully i am not the only one.
I will say I am enjoying this world that is being built and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Yeah, I am really behind on this book as well; I always plan on doing a lot of reading over the holidays, but in practice, but in practice, I seem to be only able to read one page before falling asleep. I am going to try to catch us as much as I can by the end of the month, but I doubt I will finish it in time.

I finally have caught up with the reading schedule for this and should be on schedule to finish by the end of the month. I will refrain from comments until I am sure everyone else has completed their reading. I am curious how many of us are still reading and are going to finish before next month's selection. Anyone care to comment where they are in their reading.
I will say the plot thickens as the story gets more and more interwoven. She sure does know how to spin a tale and connect the dots. With all the characters it's sometimes hard to remember certain facts but the reader is thrust backwards into the story to Remember certain facts that become relevant later.
Enough said just a little encouragement to those floundering. Happy reading everyone.

I finished this morning and as I got down to the last few hundred pages, I could not put it down. I think that in these long sagas you get to know the character's so well it's like you are a part of the story. You have invested time and emotion with each person and have opinions and attitudes as if they were real and it is personal.
Hope everyone who is still reading is enjoying as much as Ibtissam and myself did.

I was struggling through but am now about 350 pages in and can't put the book down. It was definitely slow going early on and I think part of the problem was finding the right cadence in my head as I read. I downloaded an audio version, brilliantly narrated by Juliet Stevenson, and listened until I could hear the words as I read by myself. I am now half reading and half listening and fully enjoying both.

Sharon I am listening to the audio version and I am enjoying it that way and like Juliet Stevenson

Hello Everybody. I hope you are all enjoying Middlemarch. I finished this morning and want to thank you all because I couldn't have done it without the help of a group read. I don't have a natural affinity to George Eliot but am very happy I finally read this book. I gave it 5 stars. I am now caught in a loop of wondering about its influence on 20th Century theater: I keep thinking about William Inge's Picnic and Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Since I love theater, this is a very fun rabbit hole. I'm sure there will be others; this book will stay with me for a long time.

This poll is ridiculous. Not everyone has Netflex! My family doesn't have TV cable. Hope to participate in the future.

Themes for February could have been romance, or Black History month.

Hi All,

I am running late on this but finally finished Middlemarch. I found it took a while getting going with so many characters and subplots, but half way through it really picks up as the subplots start coming together. I'd be curious to what an estate law expert/historian thought of Casaubon's codicil; if Dorothea forfeited her inheritance from Casaubon, then who does the money go to? As far as I can remember from the book, the only relative he has would be Will Ladislaw....