Finished, finally! I'm not sure what I was thinking when I picked up this nearly-900 page novel on a whim last month-- something to the effect of, "Oh, I'll just plow right through this real quick before I get on to the next thing." So, moral of the story, this is not a quick read. Don't take it on your next beach vacation.

It was, however, so much more than I expected. I was hoping for a love story as beautiful and elevating as Middlemarch, and what I got instead was a love story about Judaism. Considering the prejudice that was clearly prevalent at the time, I really admire Eliot's mission to renounce (delicately, subtly) the harsh judgment of Jews in 19th century England.