Product Description

When the young nobleman Harold Transome returns to England from the colonies with a self-made fortune, he scandalizes the town of Treby Magna with his decision to stand for Parliament as a Radical. But after the idealistic Felix Holt also returns to the town, the difference between Harold’s opportunistic values and Holt’s profound beliefs becomes apparent. Forthright, brusque and driven by a firm desire to educate the working-class, Felix is at first viewed with suspicion by many, including the elegant but vain Esther Lyon, the daughter of the local clergyman. As she discovers, however, his blunt words conceal both passion and deep integrity. Soon the romantic and over-refined Esther finds herself overwhelmed by a heart-wrenching decision: whether to choose the wealthy Transome as a husband, or the impoverished but honest Felix Holt.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72705 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Margaret Harris, University of Sydney
"a handsomely-produced and reader-friendly edition of Eliot's powerful novel of social ambition and illicit love."

About the Author
George Eliot was born Mary Ann (Marian) Evans in 1819. After her mother died in 1836, Marian was her father's housekeeper, educating herself in her spare time. After moving to Coventry in 1841 she met progressive intellectuals and became managing editor of the Westminster Review in 1851. She lost her Christian faith and was alienated from her family, moving to London where she met the separated George Henry Lewes. They lived together until his death in 1878. During those years she wrote the fiction, journalism and philosophy she is remembered for under the pseudonym of George Eliot. Edited with an introduction and notes by Lynda Mugglestone

Customer Reviews

Radically good
The first Reform Bill has just passed. The wealthy squire Harold Transome is set to compete against the more deserving, labouring Felix Holt on the same Radical ticket to the local borough seat. And they soon become unwitting rivals in another arena, for the heart of the book's real heroine, Esther Lyon, the dissenting minister's daughter. `Felix Holt' is a rich novel: both political speculation and comedy of manners. It portrays 19th century election processes in their full, colourful detail: corruption, intimidation, vote-buying and all, while leaving room for hope and ultimately painting a fascinating picture of nascent democracy. It is also endowed with George Eliot's subtle dialogue and keen eye for psychological and social nuance.

I have only read Middlemarch by the same author. The much thicker and better known work has a wider cast of characters and, with its more slowly-paced plot, it provides a deeper analysis of early Victorian country mores, but it is also a more classical piece of social study. `Felix Holt' is a busier, rowdier novel, yet I found it just as convincing and engaging in its characters and relations. It is entertaining on multiple levels; this is a book that appeals both to readers with a historical interest and to those simply looking for a good intrigue. Highly recommended.

Only for the most committed Eliot fans
Eliot tries her best to engage with the political ferment surronding the Reform Acts of the 1830s, but such themes prove to be beyond her, just as they were in Middlemarch a few years later. At least in that novel there are greater themes of ethical responsibility, sympathy, the problems of having to make choices that affect the whole of your life etc., in Felix Holt there are no such themes. Except for the 'political' narrative, there is a rather stupid inheritance plot that is just dull. Small in scope and unoriginal in structure, the novel starts with a couple that despise one another and end up getting married.
This is a rather stupid book.