Middlemarch by George Eliot - Readalong

[CramptonHodnet]

This is the Readalong thread for anyone feeling brave enough to tackle this huge novel this autumn/winter

I’m in. We can do it, people!

Great, made a note of dates.

I’m in too!

I ordered the DVD of the BBC's 1994 production of Middlemarch (the one with Rufus Sewell) and that arrived today. DD (12) surprised me by saying it looked interesting and might join in with watching the DVD (but not the novel).

I've got my copy! Slightly over-eager...

Rather ashamed to admit I've never read this, so I'd like to read along too!

Would love to join in with this - great idea!

I first read MM at university almost 40 years ago. Very interested to see how I react to the characters now I have more life experience.

Off to see if it's available on Kindle as my Penguin copy long since fell apart.

It is most certainly available on Kindle, highlandcoo, downloaded it this morning as my tattered old copy is on very yellowed paper and the print is quite small, so my ghastly eyesight just won't cope with it any more.
Finished up Olivia Manning's Fortunes of War double trilogy this morning, bid a fond farewell to Harriet and Guy Pringle and left them "tidying up the ruins of war and in their hearts burying the noble dead". So ready in advance for the Middlemarch readalong.

Fantastic! I was thinking of re-reading Middlemarch. This is just what I need to get me going.

I’m in! I’ve started it a couple of times but life always gets in the way of me finishing it. I have a brand new copy sitting on my bookshelf which I bought a couple of weeks ago so this is good timing.

Looking like there's going to be lots us doing this then

I'd like to join in, if that's OK. I'm planning to do Victober and was hoping to make Middlemarch one of my choices. However, with my other (long) choices I don't think I'll have the time but I really do want to re-read it.

Also MrsSteptoe's post has just reminded me that I've been meaning to read Fortunes of War since forever. I think I've got my TBR sorted until Christmas now.

Ooh, this one's been sittin gon my shelf for a while. I'm up for a readalong!

I loved Middlemarch - it's well worth the read! May lurk along with you lot

Project Gutenberg have it for free in kindle edition. Have you started reading? I think I might be too stupid

Do join in, Skimble . It's been years since I last read anything that could pass as a classic novel and I'm hoping I will be ok. I'm just going to dive in, starting on Monday (just got back from holiday this evening). There will be readers of all levels on here so no-one need feel they couldn't attempt it.

I tried to read it years ago and gave up.
Then years later I watched the BBC DVD which made it all much clearer, found the book really interesting after that. Have since re-read it a couple of times.

Just a heads up to say that I will be starting reading Middlemarch tomorrow (Monday).

First four chapters this week
No sppilers until the weekend following the week's reading.

Crampton all set! Hope you had a great holiday and re-entry's not too painful.

Love the 'Balkan/Levant' trilogies, think they're fascinating books, although once lent them to a friend who found them dull.

Discussions starting 15/9, then?
Dottie The Balkan/Levant trilogies - I did speed read a bit through some bits, but I really enjoyed my journey through Harriet's eyes, and her relationship with Guy. I'm a bit puzzled as to why Anthony Burgess thought Guy one of the major characters in English literature. I can only think that when Burgess reads, women are literally invisible to him so he got to the end and thought it must have been Guy that made the book compelling and didn't notice that it was, in fact, Harriet.

MrsSteptoe - I think we can discuss aspects of the book as we go along but avoid adding any spoilers until everyone has had a chance to read the chapters.

I haven't done a readalong on MN before, just on Goodreads, so hope this goes ok. I think we'll just find our way as we go along

Dottie - we had a good holiday. Weather was a bit dodgy at times but it was lovely to get a break.

Confused about when we convene to discuss it (heaven help me with the actual book, then!). I thought it was Sep 10th, but it's not? I've read my four chapters and ready to go.

Flippin' heck, I must say the notes are a bind. I have to keep flicking to the back every second sentence to illuminate myself on the matter of no. 32. Does everyone else read every note or do you tend to ignore them?

I’m going to try and join in with this. Will start tonight. What a pp mentioned about losing reading stamina really rings true. Since flicking through so much on my phone now I really struggle to concentrate properly on a proper book. Hoping this thread will give me the motivation to keep going and hopefully break the annoying habit of picking my phone up every spare second I get rather than reading.

Irma - today's day 1 of week 1, so we have from Monday to Friday each week to read four chapters, and then re-convene at the weekend to talk, with spoilers allowed. Any chat about the book during the week needs to be spoiler free where possible (or at least SPOILER in big bold caps so we can avoid it if we need to ).

My copy (Penguin English Library, pink cover with silhouettes) doesn't have any notes, so if there's anything I don't understand I will have to google it!

Over forty years ago I studied Middlemarch for a degree. I wrote a dissertation
which had a long title: An Investigation of George Eliot’s Conviction that ‘Truth of Feeling’ is the only Authentic Basis of Religion and Morality Through The Study of Characters and Situations inAdam Bede, Silas Marner and Middlemarch. Yes a long title and as I pick it up now I wonder who this person was who had slaved over it all those years ago. I cannot remember much about Middlemarch except the heroine was Dorothea,
Perhaps I should read it again in the hope that my old brain can work as it once did!!! My copy was thrown away awhile ago as it was full of underlinings which referred to my file which I gradually filled with intense care.