#Victober

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

I had to prepare myself to watching this video in case we ended up fighting!!! LOL!!! We're good. :) This may be a long comment... Your ranking makes perfect sense to me. I knew Romola was your favorite. And I loved what you said about the complexity of Middlemarch. All too true. Some of the reasons I LOVE Eliot may be some of the reasons she may annoy you. I love her realism. She was socially liberal, but moralistically quite traditional. She wrote women as in the roles modeled to her in her era. I had a discussion with Sonya @anenthusiastic reader about Adam Bede and the ending. The female minister Dinah. Eliot wrote very strong female characters that, at the end of the day, fell into traditional female roles of the time. But, she took a male name because of the inherent sexism shown to female authors! They were emotionally and intellectually strong, but didn't advance above their "status". She was NOT an eager feminist but she cared very deeply for the right of women to get an education. She had a very complex relationship with religion -- another reason I LOVE her writing. She consistently grapples with and challenges religious concepts, giving women strong voices in religious conversations. My ranking? 8. Romola (great book, not my favorite) 7. Silas Marner (great start to Eliot's writing) 6. Mill on the Floss 5. Scenes of Clerical Life (not included in your ranking) 4. Felix Holt the Radical 3. Adam Bede 2. Daniel Deronda 1. Middlemarch One of my favorite fun facts about her? She was almost "outed" by Charles Dickens as being a woman author! He couldn't believe a man wrote Scenes of Clerical Life, and wrote her a fan letter at the publication of Adam Bede addressed, "Dear Madam..." LOL!

Loved your comment! And I think your analysis is spot on, also re the reason why I sometimes struggle with Eliot. It would have surprised me if Deronda, Middlemarch and Adam Bede hadn't been your top three! And loved the 'fun' fact, Dickens was quite full of himself, I think...

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@ clearly!!! 😅😅😅

[@BookishTexan]

I enjoyed your video about George Eliot’s novels more than I enjoyed reading either of the GE novels I read.🤓

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

HEY!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Watch out for the wrath of Kim! 🤣🤣🤣

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@ 🤣🤣🤣

[@davidnovak9537]

I was biting my nails when you get to the last two. You see, those are the only ones I’ve read. _Romola_ so far is the best book I’ve read all year, and yes it nudges out _Middlemarch_ IMHO. Or more than a nudge. Florence, I think. 🙂

[@melissahouse1296]

Totally agree David!😊

That's great, I really hope you will enjoy Middlemarch! And yes, Florence, of course!!

[@katehowereads]

So fun to see where our rankings are similar and where they diverge! I too have found that Felix Holt just didn't stick with me unfortunately. I am a very enthusiastic fan of Adam Bede and I think it's because I really felt a connection to the characters. I can see how it wouldn't be as big of a hit if you didn't connect with the characters. Romola is one that challenged me so much and I felt that my read of it only scratched the surface. I look forward to reading it many more times! I am still perplexed by the ending of The Mill On the Floss. It just seems so out of nowhere and abrupt? Lovely to hear you unpack your relationship with each book!

Ah, yes, I can understand that about Adam Bede. I think I just didn't connect with the way the women were fleshed out in the book... And I agree, Romola is a book to re-read many times! And oh yes, the ending of Mill on the Floss! It felt a bit as if Eliot just wanted to be done with it 😊

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

I have a greater fondness for Adam Bede than you and I think Middlemarch hangs on to top spot for me, but I was rather pleased to see Romola as your favourite. It is the Eliot novel that surprised me most and such a glorious central character. Mill on the Floss is definitely my least favourite. I forgive its faults somewhat knowing it is her most autobiographical novel. It feels like her feelings about her own brother distort the book somehow. In all her books I enjoy observing her dilemmas about religion and morality, how she is pulled between the conventional views of the period and her upbringing and the rational conclusions stimulated by her intellectual and political development. Thanks for making this video.

I think your remark that the autobiographical aspect distorted the book is spot on. And the moral dilemmas in Eliot's work are always interesting, even though the religious aspects dont resonate with me as much... I would love to see you do a ranking video as well! (Just saying...)

[@barbaraboethling596]

Super video. I've read all her novels except Felix Holt, and I read them all many years ago, so my memories are very fuzzy. I can only state a preference by the vague impressions left floating around in my aging brain, i.e., which books intrigued me enough to make me think at the time I read them. I rank them so: 1. Romola 2. Daniel Deronda 3. Middlemarch 4. Silas Marner 5. Adam Bede 6. Mill on the Floss ...anything else I think I'd rather reread Romola and Middlemarch, than read Felix Holt for the first time.

Thank you for the compliment, Barbara! And our rankings are so similar, love it!

[@SpringboardThought]

This was great! I really need to get around to picking one up. 😮

Thank you, Fraser! And I really hope you will!

[@AbdulRahim-wd3ki]

What sets apart you from other booktubers is that you explain and give respectable time space for every novel you read. A great addition once again.

Aww, thank you so much for your lovely compliment, I really appreciate it!

[@georgedeoso3541]

I love how you emphasize how there's something wrong with Mill on the Floss haha! I haven't read it, and I might read it last once I finally begin binge reading Elliot's works. Thanks for this ranking!

Hahaha yes, Mill on the Floss really rubbed me the wrong way. Obviously. 😂

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

Hi Britta, I’m almost finished with the first part of Middlemarch Miss Brooke and really loving it. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like it and I’m glad I prepared to read it. I want to read Daniel Deronda next. Aloha

So very happy you're enjoying Middlemarch!

[@bouquinsbooks]

I have read Silas Marner and I am about at the halfway point of Middlemarch. I did not like Silas Marner very much. I found the writing style difficult to read and did not care much for the story. Halfway three Middlemarch, I love it. I find it very funny (I think Eliot is gently mocking every character in the book), but I am also completely invested in the story. I want to know what will happen to the characters. Romola sounds right up my alley. This could be the next Eliot I will read.

Pity about Silas Marner, but very happy you're enjoying Middlemarch! And I hope you will like Romola.

[@cherylynlarking191]

Great reviews of all the books. I have started Middlemarch however I am now eager to read Romola now. These novels were all so rich in their descriptions of life and mores of that time.

Hope you enjoy both books! And yes, that's so true, they are very rich in their description of the life back then.

[@sarawilson9155]

I have only read Middlemarch, and I loved it. After watching your video, I’ll try and fit in Silas Marner this Victober, but it will be a squeeze! The list is long this year! I am enjoying your Victober videos, thank you.

Happy Victober, Sara, and yeah for Middlemarch! I hope you will get to Silas Marner, or maybe next year? ☺️

[@josmith5992]

I know what you mean about rankings like these Britta, I tried to rank Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels the other day and apart from one at the bottom they were all virtually on a par 😉Unfortunately the three Eliot’s I have left to read are your bottom three but I will still go in with an open mind and yes, I was surprised at Romola being top of your list, not because I don’t love it but because it is so different and I doubt it’s many other people’s favorite! Middlemarch would be top for me and then possibly Silas Mariner as the first Eliot I’ve read and the only one I’ve read twice, it holds a soft spot, Romola would be next and then Daniel Deronda which I did not really enjoy- I wanted way more of Gwendolyn and less of Daniel! I plan on rereading them all many times so that could easily change - I’d be interested to hear if your list does as you reread.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

Romola was Eliot's favorite of her own novels! 😀

[@josmith5992]

I wonder why she didn’t write more historical fiction Kim, any ideas from her biography?

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@josmith5992 well, because she wrote realism and themes of English country life, she became an astute observer of people around her; she wanted to write psychological analyses and didn't have to delve into research to craft her story. She almost broke writing Romola because of the amount of traveling and research behind that story. She was pretty physically ill during that process and suffered from a lot of chronic illnesses. Writing about what she knew was preferable. But I think she favored Romola in spite of the pain, and loved the setting and information she gathered. She traveled to Italy to scope out the landscape for the story. I personally think her strength is in English pastoral life.

[@josmith5992]

Thanks Kim! I knew you’d have some answers!

Now, I'm curious (of course): which Gaskell is the one at the bottom? And also curious to hear how you will get on with the three remaining Eliots! So far, I have only reread Middlemarch and Silas Marner, but I certainly plan to reread the others (well, maybe not Mill on the Floss...) .

[@GemofBooks]

I’ve just started The Mill on the Floss, and it’s my first Eliot 😬 Loved hearing your thoughts on all of her novels 🧡

Ooops, I hope you will like it much better than I did! And if not, there are 6 more Eliot novels to try... 😊

[@janicemacdougall1844]

I have all these novels on my TBR because of your videos, so thank you. 😊. I am so happy you really like Middlemarch! I am reading it for the 2nd time with a group on Goodreads. I love it! I hope to read her other novels in the years to come. 😊

Yeah for Middlemarch! And I hope will enjoy Eliot's other books as well. Happy reading, Janice!

[@iiling7]

Like you, I absolutely adore Romola! Just finished it today and am digesting it all slowly. At this point in time, my tops would be, on equal par, Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda and Romola, all taking first spots for various reasons but most invitingly for me is GE's mastery of the language which shines brilliantly in every single one of these books. I would have to do a reread (which I look forward to!) in order to rank them. I am just a little saddened by the fact that a book like Romola is not as well acclaimed as the others.

Yay to Romola! So happy to hear you love it as well! I agree, it's a pity that it's less acclaimed than her other books.

[@MsReadsAlot]

😳 I am reading the mill in the floss next year. Uh oh. Loved Silas marner! It was my first Eliot! I think romala is on my list… I think… 😍

Middlemarch must be on the list, no? And I hope you will enjoy Mill on the Floss more than I did! 🤞🤞

[@audreyh7892]

I read Silas Marner in high school and really liked it. I read Middlemarch as an adult and loved it.

Yeah for Silas Marner and Middlemarch!!

[@audreyh7892]

@ I need to read more of her books.

[@emmavd]

Thanks, Britta!🌷I’ve only read Middlemarch (twice) and The Mill on the Floss (I liked it, but once was enough, btw I couldn’t stand the brother either). Daniel Deronda will be next, but I don’t think I’ll manage to read it this year. I also have Silas Marner, and hearing again your enthusiasm for Romola, that will be joining my George Eliot collection soon. By the way, I also have a novel by Kathy O’Shaughnessy, In Love with George Eliot, which is actually a well researched fictionalised biography. I look forward to reading that too. I definitely need more free time!

Yes, more free (= reading) time! I hope you will enjoy Romola, and Silas Marner as well. And thank you very much for the recommendation, that sounds right up my ally, I will check it out!

[@emmavd]

@ 😊📚

[@JosephFrancisBurton]

Fascinating ranking - I am halfway finished with Daniel Deronda, but otherwise have read every novel by George Eliot. After Daniel Deronda, I only have Theophrastus Such and a few poems left to read. Our rankings are almost exactly the opposite - Yes, George Eliot wrote at a ridiculous pace, but slowed down after The Spanish Gypsy nearly spent her in 1868. She really slowed down after 1870's. Her first two novels, and Scenes of Clerical Life were very moral, reflecting her own life in those early books. I hate to correct you, but in Adam Bede, Dinah Morris was portrayed as an itinerant Methodist Preacher, which was allowed in that religion at the time of that novel's depiction (~1790). I am contrary to nearly everybody, in that my favorite of her novels is Mill on the Floss, and my least favorite is Middlemarch. There - I said it. Romola, your #1, is such an odd novel for George Eliot and really stands out from the rest of her novels. If you are interested, here is my ranking - lowest to highest, including her short stories, Scenes of Clerical Life and her Epic Poem, Spanish Gypsy: Brother Jacob Mr Gilfil Silas Marner Janet's Repentance The Lifted Veil Middlemarch (yeah this one is low on the list - definitely not my favorite) Amos Barton (the best short introduction to George Eliot) Romola The Spanish Gypsy Adam Bede Felix Holt the Radical Mill on the Floss I am halfway through Daniel Deronda, but I am loving it and it is shaping up to eventually knock Mill on the Floss out of my #1 spot. Thank you for your discussion.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on Eliot'swork and for the ranking. It's always fascinating to me to hear different views!

[@AngelineProductions]

The Lifted Veil is absolutely fantastic. One of the best short stories I’ve encountered.

[@radiantchristina]

I detest Mill on the Floss with a passion ! Hate it! 😅 I love most of her other works though 💓

[@radiantchristina]

My 2 favorites are Silas Marner and Middlemarch

Haha, I feel you! 😊

[@ianp9086]

That’s promising - Mill on the Floss is the only book by her that I tried to read and dnf’d around half way through. Not only boring but also lecturing, and entirely predictable too! I will take up your idea of starting with Silas and move on to Daniel if I like it.

Don't blame you for dnf-ing Mill on the Floss... I hope Silas Marner works better for you!

[@penelopegough6050]

I had decided that 2022 would be my year for reading these novels influenced by your reading and videos. I read Adam Bede early in the year, enjoyed it and then life got in the way. Still have Middlemarch on my radar before the end of the year. Better hurry up 🤨 loved the BBC production of Romola yeas ago and really wanted to read that one. I will but not sure when 🥹 soon!!!

Aww, I'm a reading-influencer! Very flattering! I hope you will get to Middlemarch soon and enjoy it. Happy reading, Penelope!

[@drc4168]

Lovely video, thank you! I would respectfully disagree on one minor point - you suggest people ought not to start with Middlemarch...I started Silas Marner a few times and gave up. I also read bits of Adam Bede, and The Mill on the Floss and gave up! Years later (20!) I finally picked up Middlemarch and couldn't put it down. I felt sad that I waited so long to read it...while it is dense and difficult, it is so engaging and different from her pastoral earlier books, I would suggest absolutely begin with Middlemarch as it pays immediate dividends!! :)

I love that you found your way to George Eliot through Middlemarch! Wonderful!

[@drc4168]

@ Cheers Britta!!

[@fernandamurari8577]

Thank you for the video. I agree with your choices but Middlemarch is vastly superior to Romola, in my opinion... However... I would give Scenes of clerical life a chance. It is a gem! Thanks again for your channel! All the best!

Thank you very much for your lovely comment about my channel! And I will give Scenes of a Clerical Life a try, yes!

[@ratherrapid]

Had to come back to your nice review of GE after I finished Felix Holt and Romola. Read MM twice and Deronda. And, I agree. Romola is #1 (and as u noted in comparing) it barely edges out Deronda. MM next several ticks down imo, and disagree re Felix which I have as #13 on my goat list--GE's most entertaining, possibly, with its subtle title since Felix is not a Radical politically, but is a Radical as a man. I thought story of Ester Lyons exceeds Dorothea Brooke, and the great scenes involving relationship of older women with their adult sons.

Thank you very much for your comment! Yay Romola! ❤️

[@melissahouse1296]

I feel *exactly* the same about Romola as i love that time period / renaissance Italy too!💘..it was masterful & just so entertaining.. it had me from the beginning / the prologue (which i loved). Currently its #1 followed by DD (reading/ enjoying 👍) then Middlemarch (4*) despite objectively being extremely impressive (got bored in a few places). I know what u mean about the self righteous 'moral compass' thing, worried about TMOTFloss now (next up) 😅😊

I really hope you will enjoy Mill on the Floss more than I did! 🤞🤞🤞. And big yeah for Romola!!

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

Hi Britta, I’ve only read Silas Marner and I didn’t love it. However, I think, more sophisticated reader now than When I first heard about it two years ago. I bought the book last month and I will read it but slowly. Kim has convinced me that it’s the bees knees and I want to experience some of the joy that it gave her. I also have Daniel Deronda On my shelf so maybe I’ll read that first. Thank you for your rankings. I’m reading a Victorian novel that has a feminist theme, the half sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury. It’s a little tight tactic but in a way that I could understand and the story is Engaging. Hugs and aloha

Ah, pity about Silas Marne but maybe it will work better the 2nd time around. I feel that George Eliot is an 'acquired taste', so to speak, and sometimes it takes a little to enjoy her work. And the novel sounds intriguing, I will check it out, thank you for the tip! X

[@LaurieInTexas]

I need to reread Silas Marner. I read it many years ago and I did not like it at all. I have no idea now why so a reread is in order. I haven't read all Eliot novels yet, but I loved Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda. I did not like The Mill on the Floss. It took me three tries to read and I think I should have stopped after the second try.

Yeah for Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda! And curious to hear whether you like Silas Marner better this time around (or why you don't like it).

[@telephilia]

She's in a small minority championing Romola. The critical consensus is certainly MIddlemarch.

[@ratherrapid]

Good review. My GEs r Middlemarch twice and Deronda. MM ranked as my goat #5 until recently, now moved to #6 by Deronda which is my goat #3 after Shakespeare and Walter Arndt's brilliant translation of Goethe's Faust. Deronda is thus the first novel on my list followed by Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities and then Against the Day, and MM. Differences r subtle by my account, GE's machine gun intelligence sometimes becomes a bit wearing and grating in laterr portions of MM. Believe she handles her own high intelligence (much) more artfully in Deronda, less preachy and even more brilliant than MM, if that were even possible. Deronda is far broader in scope and significance than MM, and thus more memorable over the long haul. Deronda by my account picks up momentum to the end were maybe MM weakens a bit as it goes.

Thank you so much for your comment, and your analysis, very interesting!

[@krzysamm7095]

I really enjoyed Middlemarch for the epic journey that it was for me. However Silas Marner is still my favorite of hers.

That is such a great way of putting it, 'epic journey'. And yeah for Silas Marner!

[@RunwrightReads]

This is the way to rank books- I think your loving a book is what makes it a good book 😂

Haha, I wish that were true. I can truly love some very trash books... 🤣

[@myreadinglife8816]

This makes me want to reread Middlemarch!

I was thinking the same when I filmed the video! ❤️

[@Dosser810]

I really enjoyed The Mill on the Floss (favorite), Middlemarch, Silas Marner and Scenes of Clerical Life. I didn't like Adam Bede.

That's great to hear!

[@traciebecker6669]

A good video but you can give a little bit more about the story without it being a spoiler. The book synopsis is a good guide.

Thank you for your suggestion!

[@stst77]

Felix Holt is my least favorite but I liked The Mill on the Floss.

Ah that's interesting!

[@omnimatty]

Florence not Venice for Romola.

Yes, I know, thank you. I realized it after I had filmed the video, but was to lazy to refilm, see shownotes

[@susprime7018]

That is exactly how I feel about Muddlemarch (not a Freudian slip), my least favorite Eliot. Read it twice, once was enough. Lots of finger wagging moralists, a big part of Victorian culture, must have been writing to her base. I liked Mill on the Floss and Silas Marner.

This is so interesting! (Chuckled about Muddlemarch... ), and especially that you enjoyed Mill on the Floss. I always love how we can read the same book very differently!

[@user-cs7ye8dj3z]

How was she harsh with Hetty? I think she very clearly explained her motivations and they weren't disparaging to women. She did not paint an unsympathetic slut. She made you feel for her and Eliot I think clearly felt that Hetty was duped. That she was punished, historical. That the antagonist was not, historical. She is not being harsh to women in any of her books. It still sits in a historical context. Your comment might be valid if every woman she wrote was a horrible caricature of a woman, but anyone who reads George Eliot knows that this is not true. Say this about Dickens, not Eliot

Well, no need to get all worked up. Disagreement about a book happens.

[@loriroemer1122]

Mill on the Floss is one of the most boring book ever!! It almost did me in.

Haha, yes, couldn't agree more!