This is so great! I have read this to my daughter (2 yrs old) over and over. She requests it by saying "Phut, Phut, Phut", which is her favorite part. We love the opportunities to dramatize sounds, which in turn my daughter mimics. This keeps her interested and enables her to "help me read" the book. Nearly ever page has something she will identify. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I read this to my 4 and 6 year-olds and they loved it. Great learning for children on the do's and don'ts in getting lost.

It's easy to see why Middlemarch is a classic. The theme of reality not living up to one's ideals is a thread that runs through the lives of most of the major characters, and is instantly recognizable and relevant nearly a century and a half after the book was written.

Idealism is most evident in Dorothea Brooke. She wants to lead a learned life of service to others, but Casaubon is not interested in teaching her much, and the great work she initially believes he is writing is an irrelevant, disorganized bunch of notes. Tertius Lydate is also an idealist whose ambition is to make contributions to the medical field. Before he marries Rosamund Vincy, he sees her as the feminine ideal, a woman who will provide unquestioning support and an emotional haven. Instead, she turns out to be a self-centered spendthrift who ennervates him. He ends up with no money or energy for his research, and must concentrate on making enough money to support his wife's extravagance. Interestingly, the characters who end up the happiest, Mary Garth and Fred Vincy, lack such lofty ideals.

One of Eliot's strengths is her sympathy and compassion for her characters, despite their faults. However, she is no stylist, and I found her prose to be awkward and stilted. The reader needs to be patient with this book, because Eliot's style makes it somewhat difficult to get through.

Middlemarch has been described as the one Victorian novel written for grownups. Here, Eliot combines the multiple and interlocking plot lines so beloved by the Victorians with adult characters facing real problems. Particularly engaging is Dorothea Brooke's efforts to find a way to serve, if not achieve, greatness. Rather than undertake some great work herself -- something that Victorian women were not encouraged to do -- she chooses to dedicate herself to supporting a man that she mistakenly believes to be creating a major work. Similarly, Lydgate's slow downfall is realistically portrayed. Unlike many of the works of Dickens, Middlemarch's multiple plots work well together. If you have not read anything by George Eliot, this is the book to begin with.

This is a beautiful and romantic novel not to be missed by any fan of classic literature. The thick volume (795 pages) may be an instant put-off for some readers and the story does take a little while to develop, but TRUST ME, once you get past the first 50 pages, you'll be HOOKED and finding it difficult to put down the book.

I love George Eliot's style of writing - beautifully and distinctively eloquent and expressive, and with such observance and skills in depicting the depths and complexities of human relations and the demands and passions of the heart. The book also explores the issues of "class" (e.g. in the courtship between gentleman Fred Vincy and working class Mary Garth), "money" (e.g. questions raised over Featherstone's will after the old miser's death), "politics" (on elections and the cause promoted by the 'liberal' Middlemarchers), "scandals" (especially concerning the dark secrets of the respected banker, Mr Bulstrode) and even "murder" - all portrayed brilliantly in high drama and with engrossing suspense.

My favourite character is the heroine, the virtuous Dorothea Brooke whose life is made miserable by her marriage to the old, dull, selfish academician, Casaubon. Her later acquaintance with young Will Ladislaw who is Casaubon's cousin ("cousin, not nephew", as the vain Casaubon always makes a point to clarify, due to the apparent age gap between them) provides Dorothea with the companionship of someone who listens to and respects her views and who brings a ray of sunshine and cheer into her otherwise lonely life. Love soon blossoms between Dorothea and Will but they're forbidden to court/marry even after Casaubon's death due to a nasty clause put in by Casaubon in his will. It was pure heartache to read of the feelings that these two have for each other but aren't able to express due to societal constraints. Will knows rather early on that he loves her; it takes Dorothea longer to realize her true feelings. I got all teary-eyed when I read the part where Dorothea, alone in her room and in a state of inescapable anguish, moans out "Oh, I did love him!" [And to quote]: "... But she lost energy at last even for her loud-whispered cries and moans: she subsided into helpless sobs, and on the cold floor she sobbed herself to sleep".

The other main characters are no less interesting and will easily capture the reader's heart and compassion. There's Dr Lydgate, an ambitious man whose marriage to the vain, beautiful but spoilt Rosamund Vincy turns out to be a most exasperating and expensive affair (you have to read the book to find out just how SO). There's also a love triangle involving Fred Vincy, Mary Garth and Farebrother (the vicar). The other smaller characters such as Bulstrode, his wife, Mr Garth (Mary's father), a blackmailer (Raffles) and others are all well-painted and believable, each with their own story to tell.

Unlike some classics, this one provides a most satisfying ending because it discloses in the 'Finale' what happens later to the main characters after the "main story" has ended - e.g. up to what age they live to, if the (new) marriages are successful, how many children each couple has, etc.

"Middlemarch" is a truly remarkable classic and a wonderful, wonderful read.