Adam Bede (1859 original; edició 1961)

Adam Bede was a really slow read for me. I would say overall I liked it but it's kind of a slog. There are some stunningly beautiful turns of phrase in describing rural life. I also found it interesting to see that contemporaneous view of the protestant work ethic invading everyday life. At the same time, I found some of the plot points (for instance, Dinah's sudden marriage) kind of dumb and out of character. Dunno, maybe it just wasn't for me at this time of my life.

As a note, I think that Daniel Deronda is a masterwork so it's not Eliot generally. I love DD -- it has so much depth and complexity, plus it's just a great story. I didn't see the same in Adam Bede. ( )

Adam Bede is one of the best novels of the social realism genre, and Eliot, as usual, outdoes herself in this richly descriptive text of a man whose faith carries him -- and those who know him -- through myriad trials and travails. Tragic in its plot, redemptive in its denouement, Eliot's showcases her talent in this early work. ( )

Adam Bede, was the first novel by Mary Ann Evans, and was published in 1859.I read this as part of 1001 Books and TBR takedown. It was an enjoyable story of the 19th century. According to wikipedia, this story is founded on the life of the author's aunt who was a female preacher. I enjoyed the calm, peacefulness of this story of human life. I enjoyed the characterization of Adam, Arthur, Hettie and Diane. I thought the characters were real. It covers such items as infantacide, women preachers. It has a rural setting. Everything ends well and that makes the novel unbelievable in the scheme of things. ( )

I liked this book. It felt more or less like stepping into a world that was very familiar, although distant. The village life, the events that take place, the relations between the characters in the book, it was interesting to read. Distant in time, but nevertheless still very recognizable and actual.

The dialect wasn't always easy, but when I got used to it, it was easier to understand. I wasn't very fond of Hetty & Arthur, they came across like superficial, egoistic characters. Totty was funny, like children can be :-). And Dinah, well she was nice in her own way, more likeable than Hetty in any case. Seth and Adam were also okay characters, more occupied with work and providing a living for the family than with girls. Funny to read how Adam misreads female signals :-) ( )

The dialect got a little tiresome to read and, of course, there's an awful lot of religion, but this was generally satisfying. It even got -almost- progressive when questioning the imbalance of blame for Hetty's fall. ( )