The Middlemarch Readalong

Bex at An Armchair by the Sea is hosting a 6-week-long readalong for Middlemarch. Now, I bought my copy of Middlemarch 21 years ago, in my first year of university - because I thought I was one of those people who wanted to read everything highbrow while still managing an English Lit degree's reading list (yip, and I hadn't found the pool pub at that point - how optimistic). Since then, the only thing I have done with this book is move it, dust it and ignore it. I decided, when I stumbled upon this readalong, that it would take something just like this, something public, something that required signing up, something that felt like motivation, to get me to pick it up, and not put it down again. So here we go! My first ever readalong and my attempt to strike Middlemarch off my TBR pile once and for all!

Today is Day 2 and so far, I am on schedule. All I need to do is read two chapters a day. I can do that. I usually read 100 pages a day! (When I am not swamped with work - but I am on holiday now, so let's ignore that place, shall we.)

My first impressions were not bubbling with enthusiasm. I will be the first to admit that it took a bit to get my head around the language. It has been a while since I have read an old classic. All the references to figures in those days, events etc., which require a glance in the back at the list of references, did not help either. It felt inaccessible and daunting. But! I pushed on! The language is now easier, the references have lessened and I am speeding up! Brilliant!

I don't want to discuss much of what I have read so far. After all, what can one really say about four chapters? But, just in case my initial impressions have put you off giving this a try, let me add my second impression. I have been finding some things amusing. Miss Brooke is quite the character. I am looking forward to tomorrow's two chapters to see what she gets up to next. I am also curious to see if the characters are as they seem.

Now on to some expectations (which I am sucking out of thin air for the most part, because I do not know what this book about - inexcusable considering I have owned it for so long). Every time someone says that women can't do this, or can't understand that, my bullshit buzzer goes off. Now, I know that George Eliot deliberately used a man's name because she felt that female authors were not taken seriously. So I am hoping that, expecting that, the female characters in this are not going to be ditsy. I expect them to be strong, clever and have an effect. And I hope that they are going to show this strength, cleverness and effectiveness in different ways. In time (or 6 weeks!) I will know.