Middlemarch by George Eliot

Alas! A book with a happy ending!  Well, for some of the characters anyway. Interesting little tidbit is that George is a woman.  Her real name was Mary Anne Evans.  My great great grandmother was named Mary Evans and she lived in England during the same time period.  I am glad she didn't go by George.

What I loved about this book was that it really helped me to get a better understanding of Provincial life in England.  How funny that I find out afterwards that the subtitle (don't know how I missed it before) was A Study of Provincial Life. It really seemed to show the battle between industrialization and maintaining the importance of family nobility.  It seems that for the antiquated traditions to continue to exist that the masses had to be held down.  This book basically shows those wanted to continue this and those that were in a station to help and chose to.

The major theme for me was that what goes around comes around, that sooner or later you reap what you sow.  I loved that the efforts of those that chose to do what was right first brought misery and gossip, but eventually brought freedom.

I would highly recommend this book, especially for someone who is just starting to read the classics.  The story and characters and the pace kept my interest.  I really felt myself pulling for the protagonists.

And, I am not afraid to admit this, there was a tear in my eye when the two people ended up kissing that you wanted end up kissing...Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that...