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Chrissie's Reviews > The Mill on the Floss
The Mill on the Floss
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Chrissie's review
bookshelves: audible-us, fiction, relationships, england, great-britain, bio, disliked, returned, victorian
Jun 27, 2012
bookshelves: audible-us, fiction, relationships, england, great-britain, bio, disliked, returned, victorian
ETA: Eliot can write. She has a great vocabulary, but so does a dictionary.
***************************
I finished 3 minutes ago. I will write the review later..... but this is just to explode!!!! The ending sucks. TERRIBLE ending. I think that is one of the worst endings I have ever come across. The ending is unbelievable and soppy. (view spoiler) There must be something wrong with me. I simply have no idea how others can like this book, and many, many do. Any hope I had for giving this book two or three stars is gone. I will write more and try and explain after I have cooled down.
TERRIBLE BOOK, just my personal opinion of course.
*****************
I am shocked that I react so differently to most others who read this book. I can understand that others like Victorian literature, while I don’t. I find it too wordy, too convoluted and too moralizing. Very rarely do books of romance appeal to me; so few books are capable of capturing true love in all its ins and outs. Finally I am disappointed with the main character, Maggie Tulliver. I wanted to shake her. She was incredibly self-effacing. You saw this from page one. Her inability to make up her mind about what she wanted for herself and from her life, her inability to make choices and stick with them, this is what brought about her own downfall. No, I do not feel sorry for her; I am mad at her.
The narration by Wanda McCaddon was excellent. You knew exactly who was speaking at each moment.
My reviews are highly personal. They reflect only how I personally react to a book. It is clear that Eliot can write; she has complete control over her words. Sometimes I would smile and say that was cleverly put, but on the whole her style does not appeal to me, and the ending tipped the balance from OK to bad.
**********************
In Book Five one finds the following philosophical statement :
Perhaps there is inevitably something morbid in a human being who is in any way unfavorably exempted from ordinary conditions, until the good force has had time to triumph, and it has rarely had time for that at two and twenty. The force was present in P in much strength, but the sun himself looks feeble through the morning mists.
(I am a bit unsure if I heard the word exempted correctly....)
I present this for two reasons. To both show you the prose style and to exemplify how Eliot lays out the book. Each plot event occurs. Thereafter follows a philosophical statement concerning how the event should be interpreted. The above is such a statement. The analyses can be interesting, but sometimes I feel like shouting: I can figure this out myself! Not everything has to be explained to me, and not in such a convoluted manner!
**********************************
Still reading: I keep trying to branch out, and yet I find that I always react in the same way. Although Eliot's writing has its charms, I still get all itchy and irritated with the Victorian attitudes and mannerisms. The prose is wordy and standoffish and so very correct and proper. The veneer is only skin deep - as it should be for those hypocritical times. I am ashamed to say that I get very irritated.
Two things irritate me: the wordy prose style and the characters in the book.
I have taken the time to write out lines found in Book Three. I want a prospective reader to taste the writing.
Maggie, in her brown frock, with her eyes reddened and her heavy hair pushed back, looking from the bed where her father lay to the dull walls of this sad chamber which was the center of her world, was a creature full of eager, passionate longings for all that was beautiful and glad, thirsty for all knowledge, with an ear straining after dreamy music that died away and would not come near to her, with a blind unconscious earning for something that would link together the wonderful impressions of this mysterious life and give her soul a sense of home in it. No wonder, when there is this contrast between the outward and the inward, that painful collisions come of it.
Although I find the writing style "difficult", I am so drawn into the events and feel such empathy for the characters I like that I feel like wringing the necks of the ones I immensely dislike. What does this mean? It means that despite a writing style that puts me off, I am tremendously moved. The despicable actions of some of the characters seem so very real. I have recently had to deal with similar types. Some characters in the book are straight out of my real world. You will recognize them too. That has to be seen as praise for the author's writing abilities. Right?
The book gets me very annoyed. This must be seen as a compliment of the author's writing skills.
***************************
I finished 3 minutes ago. I will write the review later..... but this is just to explode!!!! The ending sucks. TERRIBLE ending. I think that is one of the worst endings I have ever come across. The ending is unbelievable and soppy. (view spoiler) There must be something wrong with me. I simply have no idea how others can like this book, and many, many do. Any hope I had for giving this book two or three stars is gone. I will write more and try and explain after I have cooled down.
TERRIBLE BOOK, just my personal opinion of course.
*****************
I am shocked that I react so differently to most others who read this book. I can understand that others like Victorian literature, while I don’t. I find it too wordy, too convoluted and too moralizing. Very rarely do books of romance appeal to me; so few books are capable of capturing true love in all its ins and outs. Finally I am disappointed with the main character, Maggie Tulliver. I wanted to shake her. She was incredibly self-effacing. You saw this from page one. Her inability to make up her mind about what she wanted for herself and from her life, her inability to make choices and stick with them, this is what brought about her own downfall. No, I do not feel sorry for her; I am mad at her.
The narration by Wanda McCaddon was excellent. You knew exactly who was speaking at each moment.
My reviews are highly personal. They reflect only how I personally react to a book. It is clear that Eliot can write; she has complete control over her words. Sometimes I would smile and say that was cleverly put, but on the whole her style does not appeal to me, and the ending tipped the balance from OK to bad.
**********************
In Book Five one finds the following philosophical statement :
Perhaps there is inevitably something morbid in a human being who is in any way unfavorably exempted from ordinary conditions, until the good force has had time to triumph, and it has rarely had time for that at two and twenty. The force was present in P in much strength, but the sun himself looks feeble through the morning mists.
(I am a bit unsure if I heard the word exempted correctly....)
I present this for two reasons. To both show you the prose style and to exemplify how Eliot lays out the book. Each plot event occurs. Thereafter follows a philosophical statement concerning how the event should be interpreted. The above is such a statement. The analyses can be interesting, but sometimes I feel like shouting: I can figure this out myself! Not everything has to be explained to me, and not in such a convoluted manner!
**********************************
Still reading: I keep trying to branch out, and yet I find that I always react in the same way. Although Eliot's writing has its charms, I still get all itchy and irritated with the Victorian attitudes and mannerisms. The prose is wordy and standoffish and so very correct and proper. The veneer is only skin deep - as it should be for those hypocritical times. I am ashamed to say that I get very irritated.
Two things irritate me: the wordy prose style and the characters in the book.
I have taken the time to write out lines found in Book Three. I want a prospective reader to taste the writing.
Maggie, in her brown frock, with her eyes reddened and her heavy hair pushed back, looking from the bed where her father lay to the dull walls of this sad chamber which was the center of her world, was a creature full of eager, passionate longings for all that was beautiful and glad, thirsty for all knowledge, with an ear straining after dreamy music that died away and would not come near to her, with a blind unconscious earning for something that would link together the wonderful impressions of this mysterious life and give her soul a sense of home in it. No wonder, when there is this contrast between the outward and the inward, that painful collisions come of it.
Although I find the writing style "difficult", I am so drawn into the events and feel such empathy for the characters I like that I feel like wringing the necks of the ones I immensely dislike. What does this mean? It means that despite a writing style that puts me off, I am tremendously moved. The despicable actions of some of the characters seem so very real. I have recently had to deal with similar types. Some characters in the book are straight out of my real world. You will recognize them too. That has to be seen as praise for the author's writing abilities. Right?
The book gets me very annoyed. This must be seen as a compliment of the author's writing skills.
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Reading Progress
June 27, 2012
– Shelved
June 27, 2012
– Shelved as:
audible-us
June 27, 2012
– Shelved as:
fiction
June 27, 2012
– Shelved as:
relationships
June 27, 2012
– Shelved as:
england
August 4, 2012
–
Started Reading
August 5, 2012
– Shelved as:
great-britain
August 5, 2012
– Shelved as:
bio
August 8, 2012
– Shelved as:
disliked
August 8, 2012
–
Finished Reading
January 7, 2013
– Shelved as:
returned
October 10, 2019
– Shelved as:
victorian
Comments Showing 1-38 of 38 (38 new)
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Kim
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rated it 5 stars
Aug 07, 2012 02:55AM
I've rekindled my love of Victorian literature in the last year or so, Chrissie, after avoiding it for years, probably because I had to read so much of it at university. I generally find Victorian writers much easier to listen to than to read. For example, The Mill on the Floss is one that I started reading and struggled with, and then I fell in love with when I switched to an audiobook. Also, I think Eliot's novels can take a bit of warming to. It took me ages to get into Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life, as I recall, but I ended up loving it.
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Kim, I am listening to this. The narration by Wanda McCaddon is absolutely excellent. Hypocrisy, when people say one thing and do another, infuriates me. Clearly, hypocrisy is not limited to the Victorian age, but the mannerisms of the age do exaggerate this characteristic. I am currently listening very carefully and writing down the lines to add to a review. This is so hard, and very, very time consuming, but I want others to know what they must deal with when they take on this book.
My problem is that the falseness that I see in hypocritical behavior gets me so mad that I cannot sit still..... There are characters in this book that remind me of people I recently have had to deal with. This says to me that the writing is very good; some of the characters in the book are acting exactly as real people I know. The whole situation annoys the hell out of me. This also says that the writing has achieved its goal. These characters ARE supposed to make us mad. (It is just that I personally get so unhappy when I read about people acting so deplorably. I get too emotionally involved.....)
Still, I think I have an aversion to the wordy writing style...... I prefer more simple language. My conclusion at this point is that despite the prose this author is moving me; she is making the events real and timeless.
Right now I am liking Tom. He is only 16, but he is acting as an adult - by that I mean how adults should, but rarely do, act!
Gaeta, did you read the lines I took the trouble to copy into my review? Do you have trouble with such prose? I will keep away from Middlemarch. What will irritate me, the true to life characters or the writing style, or both? I want to expand into new genres, but I cannot seem to. Delaney's book does look good, probably because I have always enjoyed magical realism while disliking pure fantasy.
You misunderstood me - I like magical realism but don't like pure fantasy. It is a question of how much fantastical is thrown in. My brain can only take so much.And which element will put me off Middlemarch?
That would not be my favorite book.
Hi friend, I just had that reaction with a Henry James novel, so I feel your frustration and pain.
Oh my God. I have never, ever run into such a bad ending. My immediate reaction is shock and a huge question mark.HOW in the almighty can others like this book? I acknowledge that Eliot can write. She has a great vocabulary, but so does a dictionary. The ending is just blowing me away. Dawn, how long did it take you to calm down? I cannot take such turmoil. Henry James does not appeal to me either.
I tried so hard to expand my horizons and read other genre..... Total failure.
I finished Monday and am still calming down and digesting it all, in order to write a coherent review. I've started another book just to give me space and get that separation from that one, which is helping.I really liked Washington Square by James and looked forward to seeing that same character development and human emotion, but this felt like a totally different author.
You have to include this "Eliot can write. She has a great vocabulary, but so does a dictionary." in your review, just brilliant.
Oh Dawn, I feel so odd. Why am I so different from everyone else?! BTW, I sent you a PM two days ago I think.....
I felt that at first with this James book, saw so many high ratings from friends, and kept thinking I must be missing something, or maybe it all comes together at the end. But nope it just never did and I'm actually comfortable with that now, you'll probably feel the same after some distance. I did get the PM and hope to be able to respond to them today, so you should have one waiting for you when you get up (fingers crossed). Need to go take Nougat and Cooper out for a short outing, they aren't liking this heat.
Have a nice walk with the dogs! You can have some of our cold, but the rain is included too.
I was just getting ready to PM you back when I saw you pop up in the feed. Rather early for you after being up a little late.We get the rain too but would love the cool. We are in the middle of hurricane season, so the tropics are busy and our weather pattern means strong thunderstorms almost daily. The rain was coming in the back sliding glass door and bringing down branches, but those are rather normal around here. Oh, Ron's round of golf, first in weeks, got stopped halfway through the course, the horn alarm went off to clear the course.
I took Nougat and Cooper out twice, once to take care of business and then before the storm, when it was overcast and cooler, to run and play.
I like storms, as long as they do not cause damage, and hurricanes do. Yeah, I was up early. The book was bothering me. Have you read this by Eliot? I put in a spoiler about what happens at the end. I cannot believe that others find this book at all credible, and so soppy.
Simran, I am certainly going to stay away from Victoriana. That's for sure.
ETA: Eliot can write. She has a great vocabulary, but so does a dictionary.Oh, I LOVE this!
It just came out of my mouth that way while I was talking to Dawn. She told me I had to put that in the review. This book has the worst ending I have ever come across.
I have no desire to read it. Thanks for screening. Glad Dawn told you to put in that line.
I appreciate the honesty of your reaction, Chrissie, even though we feel very differently about the novel. I too wanted to shake Maggie, but more often I wanted to hug her and give her some good advice. Sure, there's lots of melodrama in the narrative, but that's part and parcel of Victorian literature, as is wordiness. However, I think that Eliot's use of language is quite wonderful. As for the ending, it was inevitable. Eliot foreshadowed what would happen through the novel, and Maggie's story is supposed to be a tragedy. For me, the melodrama of it doesn't overwhelm the tragedy. However, Victorian literature obviously doesn't appeal to everyone and if you don't like it, Chrissie, there's no point in for in forcing yourself to read it. Since joining GR, I've read a number of books in different genres which I would not otherwise have read - particularly fantasy, speculative fiction and young adult fiction - and that's been a wonderful broadening of my horizons. However, there's nothing wrong with just sticking to what you know you love. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, not hard work.
Kim, I appreciate your take too.
Kim, I do understand your pov and I agree that Eliot expresses herself exceptionally well, although not to my tastes.Yes, the final end was clearly foreshadowed. Nevertheless, how it occurred with those two boats, that is what tipped the scale for me. The boats were not believable. Neither the trajectory of Maggie's nor that there happened to arrive two! I am going to try one more piece of Victorian literature - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Many, many years ago I read Victoriana and none of them have left lasting impressions on me. I want/wanted to give the genre another try. At my request, Jeanette suggested this title to me. I would like to find something that I will love. I will order the audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson. You said this was excellent.
I am so very glad we can talk about how we judge the book differently, and we can do this amicably. That is wonderful. That is real friendship. (((HUGS)))
I really enjoy GR. I really enjoy hearing the views of all of you who have joined the discussion here on this thread.
Hugs to you too, Chrissie. It is indeed wonderful to be able to discuss different reactions to books with friends.I must say that I didn't find the thing with the boats at the end of the book particularly less believable than other elements of the narrative. To me, the coincidence is part of the inevitablity of the tragedy. It's rather like Greek or Shakespearean tragedy: something bad is to going to happen and everything - including nature - conspires to achieve that outcome.
I love North and South and I know Jeannette does too, so I'm not surprised she recommended it. Gaskell was a friend of Charles Dickens and like him, was concerned with social justice issues. The novel is a wonderful examination of a time of great social change in England. However, bear in mind that, like all Victorian novels, it is very wordy. Also, there is a love story at its heart, although the love story is not all there is to the book. Juliet Stevenson's narration of the audiobook is excellent. I have her reading of Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton on my iPod and I'm hoping to get to it soon.
Kim, North and South is available in the BOGO sale. I saw you chose Folly. Is that supposed to be good.
I agree with your view of the ending. I finished it a day ago and I'm still angry about it. Up until the last few chapter this book was heading to a 4.5 / 5.0 stars review, but the end has completely changed my mind. I didn't buy Maggie's hair shirt religious conversion either, but she deserved so much more than that last chapter. It felt almost as though Eliot just got bored and decided to finish the book in a single chapter.
Well, Phil, just b/c a book is a classic it doesn't mean I love it. The ending is so unbelievably bad that I find it astounding that so many people can love this book. I also had trouble with the didactic tone and convoluted language in sections. Yes, I agree that she has a superb vocabulary but that does not make a book.
"It means that despite a writing style that puts me off, I am tremendously moved. The despicable actions of some of the characters seem so very real."
This is an great comment. The best 19th century authors create worlds that are so carefully rendered that they feel completely true. Sometimes I find myself disagreeing with an author's reading of their own character, just because these books are so three-dimensional that multiple readings are possible.
This is an great comment. The best 19th century authors create worlds that are so carefully rendered that they feel completely true. Sometimes I find myself disagreeing with an author's reading of their own character, just because these books are so three-dimensional that multiple readings are possible.
Becky wrote: ""It means that despite a writing style that puts me off, I am tremendously moved. The despicable actions of some of the characters seem so very real."This is an great comment. The best 19th centu..."
It is possible for me to see good qualities in a book and still not like the book! I need to analyze what exactly attracts and annoys me with each book. By analyzing this and getting it in print, I hope that other prospective readers will be able to determine if they should read the book.
Thanks, Amalia. We agree. One can like certain aspects of an author's writing but not like all.
I appreciate your review. I was considering reading it, but as it's incredibly long I was a bit nervous about embarking on reading it if the ending was going to be frustrating.
Frustrating?! Frustrating is too kind a word. The ending is totally terrible!!!!!!!
Chrissie wrote: "Frustrating?! Frustrating is too kind a word. The ending is totally terrible!!!!!!!"Dodged that bullet! (Sorry haha but again, thanks for the honest review!)
Read the spoiler at the top and judge how you might view the ending. It is one of the worst endings I have ever come across.I ave gone on to read more of the author's books. Others are definitely better. I will be reading Adam Bede soon--maybe next month.
Just finished this morning. You are correct: worst ending ever. How freaking lazy. There was a Monty Python bit years ago called ‘How to Write Good’, where the author had a device for ending stories when you were having difficulty which was: ‘Suddenly they were hit by a truck’. This is pretty much that. I wonder if she had a deadline to meet.
Yeah, exactly. What you wrote had me chuckling. The ending simply could NOT have been worse. If he was having trouble with it, he should have just put it aside.
I enjoy your review - I am having a hard time plodding through and thank goodness I'm listening to an audio - it's easy to have it play in my background...The warning of a terrible ending motivates me to plod on ...I have to see/hear for myself.
Sally, and in dumping a book you are always left with that nagging worry that you have judged it too quickly. I dislike dumping books too, although occasionally I do,
: ) There have been a good number of books that I kept going with despite the slow, dull start and have been so glad I continued! The poignancy of some didn't appear until the end, so I am cautious about the idea of abandoning a book if it doesn't connect early.
I am hesitant too.
