MiddlemarchMiddlemarch
Score Classic
What it's about
In an English market town around 1830, Dorothea Brooke, a young woman longing to do good, marries a dry old scholar, believing she can help his great work, and quickly discovers her mistake. Meanwhile Tertius Lydgate, an ambitious new doctor, marries the town beauty and sinks into debt, and a respected banker hides a dark past. Dozens of lives cross in a town on the edge of change.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. Virginia Woolf called it one of the few English novels written for grown-up people, and it's wise about marriage, ambition and ordinary lives.
You'll love it if you liked
Pride and Prejudice
Anna Karenina
BuddenbrooksGood to know
It's long and slow-paced, with frequent commentary from the narrator. The patience it asks for is repaid.
By the numbers
- Readers54 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics78 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller45 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #59 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #166 of the 762 classics we rank
- #530 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic, Moving
More by George Eliot
If you like this, read next
G.
Howards End
The French Lieutenant's Woman
The Red and the Black
Jude the Obscure
Sentimental EducationExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Middlemarch worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It ranks #530 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Middlemarch about?
In an English market town around 1830, Dorothea Brooke, a young woman longing to do good, marries a dry old scholar, believing she can help his great work, and quickly discovers her mistake. Meanwhile Tertius Lydgate, an ambitious new doctor, marries the town beauty and sinks into debt, and a respected banker hides a dark past. Dozens of lives cross in a town on the edge of change.
How long does it take to read Middlemarch?
About 21 hours (853 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Middlemarch?
If you liked it, try Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy or Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann.