Saint Dorothea

I just finished Ch. 80-83, and simply loved the beautiful and inspiring way that Eliot described the transformation of Dorothea after feeling hurt by Will, and then coming to see the truth of his sincerity. There's a Buddhist feeling to the sentences, as if Dorothea understands that she is on the brink of discovering a whole new way of living and looking at her life -- as if she is "waking up" for the very first time. 

"Middlemarch" by George Eliot

After finishing -- and loving -- Howards End, Delycia and I have started on this wonderful novel, which I have read more than a few times. So far, we love the careful characterization. Eliot has clearly established each character as a distinct and unique person, making us dislike a few and love and admire a few. Mr. Casaubon, of course, is a character whom no reader has ever liked, and the author does a wonderful job of bringing his unsavory qualities into a strong light. On the other hand, we love Mr. Brooke, a stumbling, bumbling, winsome, unpredictable, and always kindly gentleman. We look forward to following Mr. Brooke as the story unfolds, perhaps admiring him more and more, and perhaps -- lucky us -- uncovering the secret of his charm, so that we might borrow some of it for ourselves. (I've always felt that reading great books makes us better people.)