Book Review: Daniel Deronda by George Eliot

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I’m struggling with where to begin.

A few years ago I began to read (ahem listen to) George Eliot’s work. I’ve now listened to Silas Marner, Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss, Adam Bede, and . I’ve never looked ahead to see what the book will be about or the direction it will take and I’ve always been drawn in and engulfed by her writing and, really, her commentary on human nature from all of the perspectives. She polishes them until they’re clear.

Daniel Deronda is no different. We get glimpses of Daniel toward the beginning and learn some about his nature early on. Eliot gives us a deep sympathy with him through his careful reasoning through the misfortunes that have befallen his young life – he does not allow those to embitter him, but to improve his character and act for the good of others. Deronda, through his suffering, becomes wise and generous and kind.

But Eliot focuses for a large part of the book on Gwendolyn Harleth Grandcourt who is selfish and vain and beautiful and delightful and faces many difficulties. Her life should be glittering but the glittering images dim under a cloud of oppression.

Daniel and Gwendolyn’s lives intersect and twine throughout the tale as priest to penitent. The comparison between them is always before us, but is perhaps not the main story. Yes, there’s talk about class and wealth and marriage and restrictions and boundaries. Yes, Grandcourt treats Gwendolyn badly with marriage as a power struggle instead of a partnership (but, it may be noted, how she fully intended to treat him). Eliot is doing some important work here, I don’t deny that for a moment.

But the main storyline is Daniel, he’s the title character after all. Who he is as a man from being brought up by (the lovely if imperfect) Sir Hugo Mallinger with education and compassion (whilst keeping him in the dark on some really important parts of his parentage); how he works through mentally, emotionally, and spiritually what he is unsure about; how he goes about his life as a British Gentleman, in many ways seeking his vocation but sort of drifting toward it rather than driving to it; and how he finds, accepts, and acts toward it once he knows.

I haven’t even touched upon the Judaism and Zionism which is so important to the story. Or the spiritual relationship between Daniel and Ezra – in their study and soul brotherhood. On Mirah or Rex or the Meyricks or …

I keep coming back to Eliot’s beautiful way of presenting people, real people who move and grow and learn and change. The people have desires – good and bad – and thoughts and ideas and Eliot understands them and presents them to us. She clears our eyes to see their motives and reasoning and, no I did not like Grandcourt at all, but I could see him for what he was.

I don’t think this is the first Eliot I’d recommend. If you haven’t read the others, Silas Marner is short and quite easy to read, Middlemarch is the masterpiece, The Mill on the Floss is approachable, and these others are perhaps best left for after those three. I’m so glad I’ve acquired the taste, though, and am glad I have a couple more to go … and the essays and the poetry.



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