Silas Marner

By George Eliot

Embittered by a false accusation, disappointed in friendship and love, the weaver Silas Marner retreats into a long twilight life alone with his loom...and his gold. Silas hoards a treasure that kills his spirit until fate steals it from him and replaces it with a golden-haired foundling child. Where she came from, who her parents were, and who really stole the gold are the secrets that permeate this moving tale of guilt and innocence. A moral allegory of the redemptive power of love, it is also a finely drawn picture of early nineteenth-century England "in the days when spinning wheels hummed busily in the farmhouses," and of a simple way of life that was soon to disappear.

Here's another novel I started ages ago and only just decided to finish. I've never read any of George Eliot's works, but I still remember reading the above description, which caught me as both timeless and beautiful. Reading the story of Silas Marner, and in turn the vilagers of Raveloe, was a slow process, but a savory one as well. The first half of the novel is introducing us to the characters and their past deeds and personalities. It is a very important thing to know, though can sometimes be dull and I found myself wondering why I needed to know this; but it was of essential purpose to the end of the story, which flew by in warmth and tender feelings. As with all classic works, it can be a chore to at first begin, but the merits of successfully finishing and digesting it are all too worth the effort.