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evybungus's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this and I thought it was super interesting, I think it should be more studied and explored as part of the George Eliot canon. I definitely preferred it to Adam Bede.
The aspects of gender, spiritualism, and mental illness was very compelling to me. I think it's a really well written novella.
The aspects of gender, spiritualism, and mental illness was very compelling to me. I think it's a really well written novella.
msrichardsreads89's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
I must admit that I went into this one with high expectations because George Eliot is one of my absolute favorite authors. These stories are very different from Eliot's usual style, and both stories are quite different! "The Lifted Veil" is pretty ominous with a weird yet shocking plot twist. I've read it three times, and I find it pretty unmemorable except for the end. "Brother Jacob" is a bit more clever. I read this with a lovely group of friends, and most of them found this one humorous, but for me the humor fell flat and was borderline cringeworthy. I enjoyed the themes explored in both stories, but overall they were fun but very mid for me. In my opinion, George Eliot really shines in novel form.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
annabellelitchfield's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
meganreads5's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thestoryofaz's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I picked this up on occasion of George Eliot's birthday.
The Lifted Veil
★★★★★
'She was my oasis of mystery in the dreary desert of knowledge.'
How much knowledge is too much knowledge? The psychological thriller novella by George Eliot tells the story of a young man cursed with the power to see the future with frightening accuracy and detail (the original Raven?). It is not uncommon for Eliot to explore the repressed genius in her works and Latimer, the hero and narrator of this Frankensteinesque short piece, could be said to be one too. Deprived of the knowledge he craves, he is cursed with too much knowledge of an entirely different mold and he sinks into a life of maddening unfulfillment and hopelessness. Fraught with tension and flowing with an unparalleled mastery of language, Eliot leads us straight on into the psyche of this tortured soul and proves once more why she is one of the greatest artists of the literary canon.
Brother Jacob
★★★★
'And we see in it, I think, an admirable instance of the unexpected forms in which the great Nemesis hides herself.'
'Brother Jacob' is Eliot's foray into a straightforward social satire in the vein of William Makepeace Thackeray. It tells the story of a dishonest yeoman who travels to the West Indies to 'try his fortunes there' and subsequently returns and establishes himself as a confectioner in a quaint parish-town under a new name. His guiles are eventually exposed by the titular brother. While the story lacks Eliot's usual charm and dry humor, it is nonetheless a pleasurable read and a testament to the writer's versatility.
The Lifted Veil
★★★★★
'She was my oasis of mystery in the dreary desert of knowledge.'
How much knowledge is too much knowledge? The psychological thriller novella by George Eliot tells the story of a young man cursed with the power to see the future with frightening accuracy and detail (the original Raven?). It is not uncommon for Eliot to explore the repressed genius in her works and Latimer, the hero and narrator of this Frankensteinesque short piece, could be said to be one too. Deprived of the knowledge he craves, he is cursed with too much knowledge of an entirely different mold and he sinks into a life of maddening unfulfillment and hopelessness. Fraught with tension and flowing with an unparalleled mastery of language, Eliot leads us straight on into the psyche of this tortured soul and proves once more why she is one of the greatest artists of the literary canon.
Brother Jacob
★★★★
'And we see in it, I think, an admirable instance of the unexpected forms in which the great Nemesis hides herself.'
'Brother Jacob' is Eliot's foray into a straightforward social satire in the vein of William Makepeace Thackeray. It tells the story of a dishonest yeoman who travels to the West Indies to 'try his fortunes there' and subsequently returns and establishes himself as a confectioner in a quaint parish-town under a new name. His guiles are eventually exposed by the titular brother. While the story lacks Eliot's usual charm and dry humor, it is nonetheless a pleasurable read and a testament to the writer's versatility.
elizalynch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lerawr's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
likecymbeline's review against another edition
5.0
George Eliot does it again. This is wonderfully creepy and of course brilliantly written. Reading it for class I used two colours of tabs as markers, one for things relevant to the seminar, another just for the bits I particularly liked. The blood transfusion scene is so clear in my mind and so creepy that the pseudo-science of it doesn't even matter.