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Adam Bede

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( 26,234 ratings, 1,369 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Adam Bede by George Eliot, set in rural 19th-century England, follows the moral path of the earnest and hardworking Adam Bede. As he navigates the complexities of love, ambition, and societal pressures, the story explores themes of religion, virtue, and the human condition through a cast of vividly drawn characters and evocative pastoral settings.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you enjoy richly detailed narratives and intricately drawn characters, this novel offers an insightful glimpse into rural life in 19th-century England. With its blend of romance, morality, and social commentary, it's perfect for readers who appreciate thought-provoking fiction that delves into human nature and societal norms.

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Carpenter Adam Bede is in love with the beautiful Hetty Sorrel, but unknown to him, he has a rival, in the local squire's son Arthur Donnithorne. Hetty is soon attracted by Arthur's seductive charm and they begin to meet in secret. The relationship is to have tragic consequences that reach far beyond the couple themselves.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Carpenter Adam Bede is in love with the beautiful Hetty Sorrel, but unknown to him, he has a rival in the local squire's son Arthur Donnithorne. Hetty is soon attracted by Arthur's seductive charm, and they begin to meet in secret.

The relationship is to have tragic consequences that reach far beyond the couple themselves, touching not just Adam Bede, but many others, not least pious Methodist Preacher Dinah Morris. A tale of seduction, betrayal, love, and deception, the plot of Adam Bede has the quality of an English folk song.

Within the setting of Hayslope, a small, rural community, Eliot brilliantly creates a sense of earthy reality, making the landscape itself as vital a presence in the novel as that of her characters themselves.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Many readers have praised Adam Bede by George Eliot for its emotionally rich narrative and detailed portrayal of rural life in the 19th century. The novel's characters are noted for their depth and realism, with critics often highlighting Eliot's skill in weaving complex moral and social themes throughout the story.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780140436648

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 April 2008

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Edited by Margaret Reynolds

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 478g

Pages: 704

About the Author

Mary Ann (Marian) Evans was born in 1819 in Warwickshire. Under the name of George Eliot, she wrote Scenes of Clerical Life, Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Romola, Felix Holt, Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda, as well as numerous essays, articles and reviews. She died in 1880, only a few months after marrying J. W. Cross, an old friend and admirer, who became her first biographer. Margaret Reynolds works on literature from the C18th to the present day, especially poetry, and especially in the Victorian period. Her The Sappho History (2003) traced the transmission of the works and images of the ancient Greek poet as they appear in the works of Mary Robinson, S.T. Coleridge, Alfred Tennyson, Baudelaire, Swinburne, H.D. and Virginia Woolf. Margaret Reynolds is the presenter of BBC Radio 4's 'Adventures in Poetry', now in its 11th series. She has a weekly column on classic books in the Saturday Times .

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