Daniel Deronda by George Eliot is a classic novel. It follows
two people: Daniel Deronda, a young man raised as the ward of a wealthy British
aristocrat with no knowledge of his heritage and Gwendolen Harleth, a beautiful
yet poor young woman determined to get all she wants out of life. We follow
them on both of their searches, where their path’s cross and the effect
they have on each other’s lives.
I gave this book 4.5
out of 5 stars. As expected, the writing style and quality were lovely. There
is something about these classic works that is noticeable in the very way they
are written and I find it quite enjoyable to read. The only thing I didn’t like
was the quotes before every chapter; they felt jarring and pulled me away from
the story, instead of adding to it (especially when in a foreign language).
The characters were
fascinating. Some you dislike (and like to dislike them), others draw your
sympathy, and still more are so heartwarming and wonderful. I can’t possibly go
through all the characters and tell you what they made me feel, but my feelings
about them were so diverse that it enhanced my pleasure in reading about them. I
also really enjoyed the growth we got to see and how they responded to all they
went through.
The story line dragged
at the beginning, especially since it focused on Gwendolen (who I don’t like).
We don’t really get to see Daniel until chapter 14, but that is where my
interest really picked up and I began to truly enjoy it. The pacing wasn’t
the best, it sped up and slowed down a bit, but thankfully it wasn’t too
extreme or I would have DNFed the book. Overall, I loved the story with the
redemption arc and the soul searching and the characters figuring out who they
are and what they want to do with their lives.
Overall, a simply
lovely read and it makes me want to read more by Eliot. Maybe I will get to one
of her other works soon.
Side note: If you
didn’t know and / or it interests you, George Eliot is the pen-name for Mary
Ann Evans
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