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George Eliot
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Scenes of Clerical Life Kindle Edition

by George Eliot (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 383 ratings
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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
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  1. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  2. Publication date
    May 17, 2012
  3. Language
    English
  4. File size
    611 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

It is a first-rate novel, and its author takes rank at once among the masters of the art. --Times (London)

About the Author

Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) is one of English literature's greatest and most influential novelists. Her novels, under the name of George Eliot include 'Adam Bede', 'Silas Marner','The Mill on the Floss', 'Middlemarch' and 'Daniel Deronda'. Jennifer Gribble was educated at the universities of Melbourne and Oxford. She is at present Associate Professor of English at the University of Sydney. Her publications include 'The Lady of Shalott in the Victorian Novel' and 'Christina Stead'.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0084C2I9M
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 611 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 435 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B08JB7MC3N
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 383 ratings

About the author

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George Eliot

George Eliot

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Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 - 22 December 1880; alternatively "Mary Anne" or "Marian"), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She is the author of seven novels, including Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Felix Holt, the Radical (1866), Middlemarch (1871-72), and Daniel Deronda (1876), most of them set in provincial England and known for their realism and psychological insight.

She used a male pen name, she said, to ensure her works would be taken seriously. Female authors were published under their own names during Eliot's life, but she wanted to escape the stereotype of women only writing lighthearted romances. She also wished to have her fiction judged separately from her already extensive and widely known work as an editor and critic. An additional factor in her use of a pen name may have been a desire to shield her private life from public scrutiny and to prevent scandals attending her relationship with the married George Henry Lewes, with whom she lived for over 20 years.

Her 1872 work Middlemarch has been described by Martin Amis and Julian Barnes as the greatest novel in the English language.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Swiss artist Alexandre-Louis-François d'Albert-Durade (1804-86) [Public Domain], via English Wikipedia.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
383 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, inspiring, and beautifully written
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2014
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I realize that great Victorian novels are to some degree an acquired taste. To lovers of the genre, George Eliot stands out as perhaps its finest writer. Scenes of Clerical Life does not disappoint in this regard. The book is actually three books in one, each following a different character in their spiritual growth and worldly trials. Amos Barton, Maynard Gilfil, and Janet Dempster are indelible characters who endure believable tragedies. I found the story of Janet Dempster particularly inspiring. Janet is a battered wife who becomes an alcoholic to dull the pain of her life. Through a long and detailed personal and spiritual struggle, she learns forgiveness and not incidentally overcomes her alcoholism.

I highly recommend Scenes of Clerical Life.
12 people found this helpful
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Margaret Shields
5.0 out of 5 stars moving and uplifting!
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2013
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Eliot draws on the scenes and characters of her childhood to genuinely recreate emotions and truths that are timeless! Some of her observations about human strengths and frailties might even be classed as "New Age", so apt are they to today's experiences. Some passages of this early work are a little dense but, mostly, the prose edifices and delights. It lives in one's memory.
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Jacqui
4.0 out of 5 stars A perceptive glimpse of 19th Century English village life
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2012
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I am a passionate George Eliot fan. I really enjoy Victorian era literature, and George Eliot is one of my favourite Victorian writers, so much so that I did my thesis for my Honours degree on three of her novels - Mill on the Floss, Daniel Deronda and Middlemarch. I found Scenes of Clerical Life to be quite different to these novels - a set of three nouvellas loosely linked rather than the complex plots of her big novels. I enjoyed the strong sense Eliot conveyed of some of the pettiness and power struggles that dominate a small village, and the many ways curates are used as pawns by various villagers. I remember being told by one of my lectures at University that one of the characteristics of Victorian Literature is that it focuses on the individual and his/her role within society, whereas modern literature tends to be solipsistic and driven by the individual desires of the central character. That is certainly the case with this book. I particularly enjoyed the first story where Eliot's marvellous descriptive powers painted a strong, clear picture of the setting and village life. It made me realise how challenging life is for clergy who are not wealthy and have the right connections.
Those not used to Victorian writing may find the pace a bit slow and some of the physical descriptions long-winded, but once you get used to that style and persevere, the rewards are considerable. George Eliot uses metaphor and imagery so effectively. A delightful little gem.
8 people found this helpful
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W. Cadbury
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok text, no annotations
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
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I got this because I never read it, and basically it works fine for that: there are always typos in these OCR texts, even the expensive ones, but no more than usual here. I did get this version because of the promise of annotations, because there a zillion technical clerical terms and lots more 19th century colloquialisms than in her novels, but there aren't any annotations. There are a couple of essays, respectable ones from the 1920s, but that isn't annotation. So my point: free is a good price for a good book, but don't expect scholarship or textbook-like help.
One person found this helpful
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Obstinate
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2012
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I loved reading this book. I can now add this book of my collection of George Eliot books. I have 2 more books to read by George Eliot, then my collection will be complete. I am looking forward to reading the last 2.
One person found this helpful
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Windriver
5.0 out of 5 stars George Eliot Always Comes Through
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2014
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Middlemarch is my favorite George Eliot book, and I liked this book as well. It is a little different with three stories yet they all tied together. I only wish it was longer!
3 people found this helpful
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Charles
5.0 out of 5 stars Yes mofo
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2020
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Yes
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Tom Hartung
4.0 out of 5 stars It's the language, not the story...
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2012
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Read this for the language. The plots suffer from the sentimentality found in so many great 19C novels. Eliot draws you into pastoral English life and observes the scenes there with images that cannot be found in weaker fiction of the kind. There is a delightful description of vicar Barton by his fire with pipe and gin, enjoying the contrasting wet and dry. Her language here holds you, stops the reader and forces him to sigh. These stories are full of wonderful insights and descriptions, and these are what hold the reader. Of course, it should be understood that Eliot will not be read by anyone much amused by pop/tv culture. If only we could be entertained by tv we wouldn't have to put effort into our rewards.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Piki82
5.0 out of 5 stars Genius George - fabulous collection
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2022
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I'm really pleased to have a copy of these beautiful stories by George Eliot - the edition might take a bit getting used to - it's got quite an archaic font and didn't really appeal right away, but it's a bargain, and I'm happy with it now.
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Alison Ritchie
5.0 out of 5 stars Victorian romantic writing
Reviewed in Australia on August 9, 2020
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Will not appeal to some modern tastes; but beautifully written and lots of twists & turns. Author is very witty and sharper than even Jane Austen
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Patrick Cross
4.0 out of 5 stars very amusing and perceptive of the characters, in the ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2014
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very amusing and perceptive of the characters, in the context of changes in church going and the rise of the non conformist groups at that time. I havn't finished it yet.
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P. G. L. Gilmore
5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you (or me, at any rate) glad we're in the twenty-first century
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2017
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George Elliot's first published fiction: three novellas. All deal with the clergy, and the rewards & woes pertaining. It seems a cleric with a good living was quite a catch in the early 19th century; but the living was in the gift of the local aristocracy, and could be taken away. One is struck by the prevalence of incurable infectious diseases. One is appalled at the power wielded by Methodist pastors, and the power of collective parish opinion over the cleric. Bit like Twitter, I suppose.
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D.C.Butterfield
3.0 out of 5 stars A poignant story of despair and Jove
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2014
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Although it is long a narrative Eliot sets a scene well. Her characters take on personalities at a slow pace. But the puzzle slowly fits together and develops from ramblings to a finite story with some depth.
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