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bibliobethreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bwood95's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nnikif's review against another edition
3.0
OK, have to agree with the general consensus: there's so much wrong with this book.
dukegregory's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
Overwrought, overwritten, and overlong.
Eliot lived in Florence while writing this, but it just feels stodgy and without life for much of it. The characters are where the life and propulsion reside, and they were the only reason I kept going. The ending is preachy garbage and lowered my three-star opinion down half a notch.
I keep being too tired to read The Books Of Jacob because of academic work, but the hundred pages I've read from that put this to shame to be honest. So much more vibrancy and wit and an actual good balance of expository information to narrative. So, in the end, this makes me want to reread Hilary Mantel and get to Tokarczuk more and more.
Middlemarch superiority holds true in comparison to this.
Overwrought, overwritten, and overlong.
Eliot lived in Florence while writing this, but it just feels stodgy and without life for much of it. The characters are where the life and propulsion reside, and they were the only reason I kept going. The ending is preachy garbage and lowered my three-star opinion down half a notch.
I keep being too tired to read The Books Of Jacob because of academic work, but the hundred pages I've read from that put this to shame to be honest. So much more vibrancy and wit and an actual good balance of expository information to narrative. So, in the end, this makes me want to reread Hilary Mantel and get to Tokarczuk more and more.
Middlemarch superiority holds true in comparison to this.
lav_v's review against another edition
Writing language was too much for me for the time i chose to read it.
dgirardot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
stefanv's review against another edition
2.0
As someone who loves history - especially the Renaissance period - as well as historical novels in various forms, I was expecting to love this novel. And although I did have some enjoyment reading this book, I did, however, not love it. It is by no means a bad novel, but it has failed to grip me, to touch me. I never had any problems with slow paced novels - some of those are among my favourite books - but in Romola there hardly seems to be any plot development at all. A strange thing, as the novel is set in a chaotic time in history. It felt to me like George Eliot focused more on the aesthetic of her writing than on the development of the story and fleshing out of the characters. And with that we reach the main plus of Romola: it is beautifully written.
lynchian_ahab's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25