A review from Amazon.com:
So the story begins with this hermit of a man living (but at the same time not living) in the little town of Raveloe, but is not exactly there by choice. He was betrayed and framed by his best friend and lost his fiance to that same so-called friend. This gloomy and depressing beginning leads to a wonderfully happy ending. Sound familiar? Yes, Silas Marner is one of those "everything works out" kind of books, but in this case does that make it good? Well yes. Is it still interesting? Yes it is. Was it a page turner? Not exactly, but it reading it wasn't a waste of time. George Eliot's style is nothing short of classic. The character flaws are perfectly calculated especially with the character Godfrey whose mistakes add irony and slight comedy to the piece. This book comes short of perfect but it has comedy, death, betrayal, happiness, and a cohesiveness that is admirable.
So the story begins with this hermit of a man living (but at the same time not living) in the little town of Raveloe, but is not exactly there by choice. He was betrayed and framed by his best friend and lost his fiance to that same so-called friend. This gloomy and depressing beginning leads to a wonderfully happy ending. Sound familiar? Yes, Silas Marner is one of those "everything works out" kind of books, but in this case does that make it good? Well yes. Is it still interesting? Yes it is. Was it a page turner? Not exactly, but it reading it wasn't a waste of time. George Eliot's style is nothing short of classic. The character flaws are perfectly calculated especially with the character Godfrey whose mistakes add irony and slight comedy to the piece. This book comes short of perfect but it has comedy, death, betrayal, happiness, and a cohesiveness that is admirable.
My all-time favorite classic! A must-read for students, too.
