An amazing novel. Virginia Woolf famously described Middlemarch as, "one of the few English novels written for grown-up people". The same could be said about Daniel Deronda, although it has a few contrived coincidences/resolution that are more reminiscent of the non-grown up Victorian literature.

Daniel Deronda focuses on the parallel stories of two characters--who come together at critical moments in the beginning, middle and end of the book. The first is Gwendolen Harleth, a "spoiled" young woman raised by a mother and absent father, she is smart but not well educated, talented but not practiced or disciplined, and a bit flighty. She has to adjust to her family losing their money in a financial fraud which forces her into a terrible choice--which she makes to knowingly marry the wrong man.

The second is the title character, Daniel Deronda, who is raised by Sir Hugo as his nephew but has mysterious parentage and what increasingly seems like Jewish features and attitudes. He is like a caring white night, rescuing Gwendolen's necklace from the pawnbroker, a woman from drowning in the Thames and more. He is caring and wise.

As the book goes on the Gwendolen parts which read like a grown up and disillusioned Jane Austen shift to a set of philosophical and political dialogues about the nature of Judaism, the relationship of Jews to Israel, religion vs. ethnic identity, and more. In many ways these conversations seem like the same ones that are going on today, in other ways they seem prescient, maybe in a few cases they seem dated. But throughout they are a sophisticated and non-stereotypical portrayal of the variety of Jews in England at the time.

The two arcs of the book fit together uneasily. It does not feel perfectly constructed. Or perfectly written. But it is filled with amazing parts, psychological perspective, an interesting slipping in and out of authorial perspective, and more. Overall outstanding and exciting but also a bit of a problem novel in the provocative type of way that makes something more interesting not less.

My second George Eliot, I'm excited to read more.

While ostensibly the story of one Daniel Deronda, a young man of (we learn) unknown parentage, raised to be an educated Englishman of worth and standing, this novel is also the tale of Gwendolen Harleth, and how their lives intersect. We are introduced to both early on and see them off and on over time as they face changes within their families, their sense of self, their future.

This is my third Eliot novel. While I found some truly wonderful prose here, as I have found in the others I have read, I was left with the impression that Eliot attempted more than she could comfortably accomplish. Her character descriptions are typically excellent, some quite amusing. She is able to skewer her people both lovingly --- and not.

As an example of the first (perhaps) there is this description of Gwendolen.

And happening to be seated sideways before the long
strip of mirror between her two windows she turned to
look at herself, leaning her elbow on the back of the
chair in an attitude that might have been chosen for
her portrait. It is possible to have a strong self-love
without self-satisfaction, rather with a self-discontent
which is the more intense because one's own little core
of egoistic sensibility is a supreme care; but
Gwendolen knew nothing of such inward strife. She had
a naive delight in her fortunate self... (loc 972)

As for another character, Grandcourt:

when he raised his hat he showed an extensive
baldness surrounded with a mere fringe of reddish-
blond hair...; the line of feature from brow to chin
undisguised by beard was decidedly handsome, with
only moderate departures from the perpendicular, and
the slight whisker too was perpendicular. It was not
possible for a human aspect to be freer from grimace
or solicitous wrigglings; also it was perhaps not
possible for a breathing man wide awake to look less
animated....his long narrow grey eyes expressed nothing
but indifference. (loc 2507)

But after these characterizations comes the plot and here comes also what, for me, was the problem. Here it felt as if Eliot's concern for the politics and history of her story overwhelmed the narrative. That never really gelled with the basic story of the characters. The polemics overshadowed several chapters and a few of the characters, seeming to reduce them to ciphers. But Eliot is still a powerful writer and, often, a clever and beautiful writer. I didn't find her writing about the "cause" too strident. Some of it I found very appealing. But as a whole I don't think it succeeded in bringing the story of Daniel Deronda fully to life.

It was a struggle finishing Daniel Deronda, because it was the first book I terminated after a week or more of reading slump and also because, as other reviewers had noticed, it's not an easy read.
It's long, sometimes very verbose, but I'm proud of myself for having got through it, because it's a beautiful story and it worths while.
At the beginning Daniel Deronda, after whom the book was named, makes only a brief appearence and all the narration is focused on the character of Gwendolen Harleth. Gwendolen is a selfish and bold girl that lives with her mother and her stepsisters, and that is suited by Mr Grandcourt.
She doesn't love him, but sees in him a chance to escape from poverty and to make a better life, and when her family is ruined she decides eventually to marry him, but will regret soon her choice.
She meets Daniel Deronda and sees in him a superior moral person and looks for his support in her wretchedness.
Daniel Deronda has been raised by Sir Hugo, Grandcourt's uncle, and is unaware of his origins.
He saves a Jewess girl from drowning and gets in touch with the Jews community. Prejudice against Jews is an important topic of this novel.
I read it with interest, though I admit that I skipped some pages in the middle because they were dragging too much, but I really appreciated it.
Gwendolen was my favourite character.

So a couple of years ago on . . . I dunno, PBS? BBC? I got hooked on a miniseries called Daniel Deronda, which was starring Hugh Dancy and Romola Garai (the reason why I tuned in) and based on a novel I had never heard of, by George Eliot, who I had heard of but never read anything by.

Hooked. HOOKED, I TELL YOU!

One is not expecting a story by an English lady authoress to suddenly delve into the plight of the Jewish people in Victorian England. One is not expecting mistresses and illegitimate children to be talked of as though it were a matter of course. One is not expecting a beautiful young woman's emotionally abusive husband to be . . . Well, I shan't tell you what happens to HIM. You'll have to read it and find out!

But do read it. Because the miniseries, though wonderful, does not quite capture the breathtaking scope of the book. I read the Barnes & Noble Classics edition, which I really liked because it has plenty of excellent footnotes, as well as an introduction to the novel, a biography of Eliot, and a timeline of her life. The introduction points out that this is not only the most globe-trotting book by Eliot, it's pretty much the most widely-spread novel of the time. Daniel Deronda and Co. travel the globe, as well as the length and breadth of England. There are also extensive (but not difficult to follow) flashbacks and flash-forewards, and two separate storylines throughout. And Daniel Deronda, like some sort of reluctant guardian angel, travels between both storylines, giving out good advice and saving people along the way. Daniel Deronda is an excellent hero, because he frankly could have turned out to be a preachy pain-in-the-ass, but Eliot always pulls back from going quite that far. He is a genuinely good person, who cannot turn away from a friend in need, particularly if that friend is a beautiful woman. He's also a very intelligent and educated person, which makes it believable when so many men seek him out for help. And he isn't proud of the fact that he's asked to advise literally everyone he meets, all the time. He's kind of alarmed by it, which is endearing.

And then there's our girls. Oh, Eliot writes wonderful women! But in particular, we've got our two girls: Gwendolen Harleth, spoiled society miss, and her opposite, Mirah Lapidoth, shy, mis-used Jewess. Gwendolen just knows she was meant to lead a life of pampered luxury, and behaves accordingly. Mirah has spent her life on the stage, sought after by men for her beauty, and detests it because her father kidnapped her as a child and forced her into acting, making the supposedly glamorous life a kind of slavery for her. The story is as much their's as Deronda's, and Eliot switches between the three effortlessly. For a 700+ book, the pacing was excellent, and even her soliloquies about the Jewish faith, or the hardships of poverty, or the inadvisability of marrying simply for money, were all riveting. I was worried that the book would have a lot of preaching in it, it was apparently written after Eliot became close friends with a number of Jewish intellectuals and got involved in their fight for equality, but she managed to get her thoughts across without moralizing.

And now I'm excited to read Middlemarch!

This is a tale of ethics, of the way in which one young woman is overwhelmed by, shaped by and re-imagines herself due to her collision with the force of nature which is Daniel Deronda, a young man facing his own ethical questions. What do we owe to our heritage, to our parents, to ourselves? This is also a novel that explores the early Zionist movement, yet is tainted by a strong thread of (unconscious?) anti-Semitism running through it. The tale is told with a persistent current of irony, which pleasantly leavens its richly luxuriant language. In the end I found it to be most perfect in the loving way she portrays, and causes us to care deeply about, a thoroughly unpleasant young lady.

[Minor spoilers, but it's a classic so I'll assume I'm not revealing any great surprises]

Very bizarre book. You get the sense that Eliot has this bizarre desire to be Jewish. With a fervidness of almost Rachel Dolezal-like proportions.

It's clear she identifies with her hero Daniel, who just feels this deep kinship with Jewish culture and feels desperately that his destiny is connected with the Jews, in spite of having no apparent connection to Judaism other than making a few Jewish friends along the way (including the young Mirah, a Jewish woman who he's in love with but doesn't feel right about marrying because he's not Jewish).

In a purely wish-fulfillment moment for George Eliot herself, he finds out that he is indeed secretly Jewish! What a happy coincidence!

And then Daniel fulfills his destiny by going off to help spread Zionism and create a Jewish state. Which, you know, is pretty damn crazy when you think about the fact Zionism wasn't really established as a movement until about 20 years after this book was published. That's some impressive foresight.

Oddly enough, the destiny Daniel feels is his (returning the Jewish to their Promised Land by spreading Zionism) is more or less Eliot's own destiny. Many leaders of the Zionist movement have cited Daniel Deronda as the inspiration for their beliefs. So, there you go, Eliot. You were able to be a part of Zionism without actually being Jewish.

Themes aside, though, the contents of the book didn't move me like Middlemarch. I didn't swoon at the beauty of the language or the stirring depth of the characters as I did with Middlemarch. Gwendolen's whole plot and character arc are way less interesting and original than Daniel's. Spoiled girl treats people around her as disposable, shit happens, she realizes she's a brat and wants to reform herself. Good for you? I'm not really invested with that arc, it's too familiar.

3 1/2 stars. There were many things I liked about this novel, particularly the chapters that follow Gwendolen and her precipitous path from a flighty, self-confident woman of her own mind to the perils of a marriage ill-suited and based on a selfish betrayal. And her husband’s malevolence added drama and suspense.

That being said, the chapters that detail Daniel Deronda‘s spiritual journey were harder to fathom. I could not find a window through which to see the prose that might lead to his fulfillment.

The novel does not rise to the level of Middlemarch, but I’m glad I spent a crazy and disorienting month in this other world.

4.5

How to describe this...Gwendolen is a spoiled brat used to the high life... she loves to gamble. One young man is watching her and she resents his gaze because she perceives he is judging her. That night she sells her necklace in order to get the money to keep gambling. Suddenly the necklace shows back up and she suspects this man of buying it to give it back to her.

Then we have Daniel Deronda who wants to find out about his real parentage and is searching for a career that will really fit his kind nature and be compelling.

Their paths cross and then diverge again. Both of their lives will be changed.

It took about half of the book for me to get invested in both storylines. Some of Eliot's philosophy went over my head at times but then something seemed to click for me midway and I didn't want to stop reading my 2 ch per day. Then it became incredible!! So my rating went from a 3.5 to a 4.5 by the end.

With the 2 books I've read from Eliot, I seem to need to be patient and then I'll get hooked and end up really liking the book.

Not great and sadly didn't live up to the epicness that was Middlemarch. It started well enough but by the time Deronda had met Mordecai I just found myself completely bored and wishing the book to end. I found it really hard to like or feel invested in what happened to any of the characters.

I'm only glad I didn't read this before I'd discovered Middlemarch!

My first Eliot enchanted me with luscious prose and fascinating musings on religion, philosophy, and cultural norms during the 1870s. Regardless of the size of the novel, the plot seemed well developed to hold my interest but allow me the space to reflect upon the characters and the changes they were facing.

While Gwendolen sought the limelight for most of the early stages of the novel, I felt the most interest and sympathy for Daniel, as his own circumstances allowed him to be the heart of kindness and passion in the book.

Eliot's treatment of religion, in particular Judaism, in this novel was brilliant- allowing the reader to reflect on faith and how each individual approaches faith unique to their own beliefs.

A masterpiece.

Valutazione 4,5
Un romanzo che ho amato molto, una prosa ricca, colta, raffinata, molto fluida che solo a tratti richiede, da parte del lettore, una lettura più attenta, splendide descrizioni, personaggi tratteggiati magnificamente, profonde introspezioni. Un romanzo coraggioso visto il tema delicato, ieri come oggi, che tratta, l’unico contemporaneo di George Eliot, quindi sorprendentemente moderno, audace che denuncia impietosamente discriminazioni sessuali e razziali, intolleranze religiose. Gwendolen è molto di più che una giovane donna altezzosa, capricciosa, egoista e priva di scrupoli che s’impone per la sua monumentale bellezza; è una ragazza con una mente pensante, che nasconde molte paure testimoni della sua fragilità, della sua ingenuità; che possiede una coscienza, una dignità, una moralità che la elevano e la porteranno ad un cammino di redenzione sorprendente. Daniel è un giovane sensibile, profondo, intenso che è alla ricerca delle sue origini, di un’identità che ne faranno un uomo nuovo , completo, più consapevole di se stesso. Interessante come l’ebraismo venga , man mano, recepito e giudicato da i personaggi che animano queste bellissime pagine: come crei fascinazione in Deronda sin dal suo primo incontro fatale con Mordecai, personaggio carismatico, animato da uno spirito ebraico ardente, viscerale; ebraismo che nei personaggi di fede protestante viene quasi deriso, ridicolizzato o visto con sospetto, paura, con pregiudizio, quasi come una minaccia; chi, come Lenora Halm-Eberstein madre di Daniel, lo vede come una forma di schiavitù, ostacolo alla propria libertà e autodeterminazione e che la porterà a decidere non solo del proprio destino ma anche di quello del piccolo Daniel. Un personaggio che compare solo nelle ultime pagine ma che colpisce per la sua fermezza incrollabile che non arretra nemmeno di fronte all’amore filiale, al bisogno struggente di un figlio mai riconosciuto che brama da parte sua solo una carezza, un gesto d’amore… Ma tutti i personaggi sono caratterizzati in modo superbo: la glacialità inquietante di Grandcourt, il suo bisogno di controllo, di esercitare un potere coercitivo su Gwendolen, di dominarla e umiliarla a suo piacimento…
Un romanzo che, se mai ce ne fosse bisogno, testimonia la grandezza di un’autrice che reputo forse la più grande dell’epoca vittoriana.