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sixdaysago's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
People who think, because of the climax in Middlemarch, that Eliot couldn't really capture romantic passion would do well to read the middle novella in this.
wrenmeister's review against another edition
3.0
It's always interesting to see where a great author started but this is not her best. Some great characters and pieces of writing but a little slow at the beginning of each story.
manorclassics's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a collection of 3 novellas, the first fiction Eliot ever wrote. Each tale is set in or around the fictional town of Milby, based on the area in Warwickshire where Eliot grew up. Brief reviews of each story below.
Amos Barton. Amos Barton is the curate of Shepperton Church, and lives in the village with his wife and large family of children. Unprepossessing in appearance and unpopular because of his interpretation of Christianity, his position deteriorates further when he becomes involved with a nearby landowner, Mr Bridmain, and his charismatic sister, Countess Czerlaski. Barton's hardships fall heaviest on his sweet and long-suffering wife Milly. I love Milly, with her quiet strength, unfailing kindness and genuine love for her husband. Amos Barton is probably my favourite of the Scenes.
Mr Gilfil's Love Story. Unlike Amos Barton, Mr Gilfil is universally popular with his parishioners. We meet him as an old man, and learn that he carries a great sorrow: his wife died very soon after their marriage. The story then cuts back to Mr Gilfil's youth, when he was the ward and chaplain of the wealthy Sir Christopher Cheverel, and we are introduced to a young Italian orphan called Caterina, also a ward of Sir Christopher's. Both young people live with the family at Cheverel Manor and, while Mr Gilfil is deeply in love with Caterina, Caterina has a problem in the shape of Captain Anthony Whybrow, Sir Christopher's heir. To be honest, I found this one quite tedious and repetitive.
Janet's Repentance. The clergyman in this one is Mr Tryan, whose Evangelical beliefs divide the town of Milby. Almost everyone takes sides, with his bitterest opponent being the lawyer Mr Dempster. Dempster's wife, Janet, initially agrees with her husband's views, but personal suffering later leads her to have a change of heart. In some ways this is a sketch of a town rather than the story of individuals, but it also focuses on the Dempsters' marriage which, although originally happy, has been almost entirely destroyed by alcoholism and domestic violence. I liked the way Eliot handled all these issues, and Janet is such a strong and complex character. I loved reading about her.
Amos Barton. Amos Barton is the curate of Shepperton Church, and lives in the village with his wife and large family of children. Unprepossessing in appearance and unpopular because of his interpretation of Christianity, his position deteriorates further when he becomes involved with a nearby landowner, Mr Bridmain, and his charismatic sister, Countess Czerlaski. Barton's hardships fall heaviest on his sweet and long-suffering wife Milly. I love Milly, with her quiet strength, unfailing kindness and genuine love for her husband. Amos Barton is probably my favourite of the Scenes.
Mr Gilfil's Love Story. Unlike Amos Barton, Mr Gilfil is universally popular with his parishioners. We meet him as an old man, and learn that he carries a great sorrow: his wife died very soon after their marriage. The story then cuts back to Mr Gilfil's youth, when he was the ward and chaplain of the wealthy Sir Christopher Cheverel, and we are introduced to a young Italian orphan called Caterina, also a ward of Sir Christopher's. Both young people live with the family at Cheverel Manor and, while Mr Gilfil is deeply in love with Caterina, Caterina has a problem in the shape of Captain Anthony Whybrow, Sir Christopher's heir. To be honest, I found this one quite tedious and repetitive.
Janet's Repentance. The clergyman in this one is Mr Tryan, whose Evangelical beliefs divide the town of Milby. Almost everyone takes sides, with his bitterest opponent being the lawyer Mr Dempster. Dempster's wife, Janet, initially agrees with her husband's views, but personal suffering later leads her to have a change of heart. In some ways this is a sketch of a town rather than the story of individuals, but it also focuses on the Dempsters' marriage which, although originally happy, has been almost entirely destroyed by alcoholism and domestic violence. I liked the way Eliot handled all these issues, and Janet is such a strong and complex character. I loved reading about her.
pgchuis's review against another edition
4.0
I found these novellas each quite different. "Amos Barton", the first and shortest was probably my favourite. Everyone in it was resolutely ordinary and nothing really remarkable happened, but it felt very true to life (and had a very sad ending).
I didn't like "Mr Gilfil's Love Story" at all and the fact that he was a clergyman was so peripheral to the story that it seemed a bit of a stretch describing the story as a scene of "Clerical Life". Tina had echoes for me of Miriam in "Daniel Deronda", but with homicidal tendencies. Her character didn't ring true to me at all, although Arthur and Miss Assher were all too convincing. The story was both boring and melodramatic.
Finally "Janet's Repentance" was the longest and had it all - domestic violence, alcoholism, fallen women. Despite George Eliot's rejection of organized religion, it was extremely sympathetic to belief lived out in compassion. I found Mr Dempster's death a bit convenient - it solved Janet's dilemma, which it would have been interesting to pursue.
I didn't like "Mr Gilfil's Love Story" at all and the fact that he was a clergyman was so peripheral to the story that it seemed a bit of a stretch describing the story as a scene of "Clerical Life". Tina had echoes for me of Miriam in "Daniel Deronda", but with homicidal tendencies. Her character didn't ring true to me at all, although Arthur and Miss Assher were all too convincing. The story was both boring and melodramatic.
Finally "Janet's Repentance" was the longest and had it all - domestic violence, alcoholism, fallen women. Despite George Eliot's rejection of organized religion, it was extremely sympathetic to belief lived out in compassion. I found Mr Dempster's death a bit convenient - it solved Janet's dilemma, which it would have been interesting to pursue.