George Eliot's last and most unconventional novel is considered by many to be her greatest. First published in installments in 1874-76, Daniel Deronda is a richly imagined epic with a mysterious hero at its heart. Deronda, a high-minded young man searching for his path in life, finds himself drawn by a series of dramatic encounters into two contrasting worlds: the English country-house life of Gwendolen Harleth, a high-spirited beauty trapped in an oppressive marriage, and the very different lives of a poor Jewish girl, Mirah, and her family. As Deronda uncovers the long-hidden secret of his own parentage, Eliot's moving and suspenseful narrative opens up a world of Jewish experience previously unknown to the Victorian novel.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Compelling and intriguing read:
Daniel Deronda centres around several characters. It relates to an intersection of Jewish and Gentile society in 19th century England. With references to Kaballah, Jewish identity and the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel. Gwendolen Harleth a spoiled but poised and spirited of a family of recently impoverished English gentry enters into a loveless marriage for money, with the cold Mr Grandcourt., but soon sickens of his emotional sadism. The novel centres around Gwendolen as much as it does around... more info
At the Halfway Mark...:
I'm only halfway through Daniel Deronda, but so far it's been a very compelling read. Shares a great deal with Silas Marner (a far more provocative tale than most people realize) in examining the often ludicrous extent of human folly, exhibited no less in the eponymous hero and the ostensible heroine as much as any other character.
Complex and Ambitious:
Eliot was no slouch, that's for sure. This book is terribly ambitious as it intertwines Hebrew culture with 19th century English society while exploring characters in incredible depth. The narrative structure is also quite bold, and I found myself repeatedly applauding Eliot's uniqueness. The story of Daniel Deronda (a handsome, brilliant, incredibly moral young English gentlemen with a penchant for rescuing people) takes an unconventional approach and ends in an unconventional conclusion. Eliot skillfully... more info
The great English writer, a friend of Israel:
There may seem to be a lack of painting and excess of moralizing in regards to the characters, but those are no faults: Eliot writes so well, and tells us what is inside people so well, that we care nothing for what they look like, how they dress, or whether the sky was clear that day or cloudy. We get to live under the same skin as the characters', and that's the most difficult thing to achieve in a book. And what if the improbable moral perfection of the Jewish characters contrasts against the more... more info
