From her childhood, Maggie Tulliver is perceived as a “thing out o’ nature.” She’s far too clever for a girl, and she doesn’t hesitate to passionately express her feelings; even her hair won’t be controlled. As a little girl, Maggie gets into one scrape after another, and no one seems to approve of her. Even her brother Tom, whom Maggie adores unconditionally, sees her as “a silly little thing.”

As Maggie grows older, her family loses the mill that has been its primary source of income. The loss drives her father to despair and raises in him a grudge against the Wakem family for being involved in his misfortune. Maggie is torn between her loyalty to her family and her burgeoning friendship with young Philip Wakem. For Maggie, however, the oldest loyalties are always the strongest, and she follows her brother’s directions in where to plant her affections. Her loyalties to her family, to friends, and to herself continue to be tested throughout the book, and the right choice becomes less and less clear, especially when the most principled path is the one that is likely to cause her the most pain and to draw the most scorn from the community. Maggie, in never choosing the expected path, is destined to be misunderstood.

Maggie is a likable heroine–independent, passionate, intelligent, curious, principled. At times, her principles and passions do lead her to make unwise choices, and Eliot does a brilliant job of showing how society can seem to conspire against the unconventional. Although Maggie is the heart of the story, the other characters are well-drawn and interesting, and they develop and change over time. I didn’t like every character, but I don’t expect to. I did, however, believe in these characters, which is the most important thing.

The last few chapters of the book do feel rather rushed. After taking great care to meticulously record ordinary events of Maggie’s childhood, Eliot hurries through some of the most dramatic events in the story. And there are a few stretches of lengthy description that might seem overlong and pointless—although most of these are well-written and contain interesting nuggets about the worldview Eliot is expressing in the book. The story takes several turns that are unexpected but perhaps inevitable. In fact, there’s a sense of inevitability about the whole novel. The imagery of rivers and currents emphasize the impossibility of resistance, even if submitting to the flow means annihilation. It is a masterfully done work. It was my first Eliot many years ago, and it remains my favorite.

See my complete review at my blog. ( )

Edward Tulliver thought about making his son lawyer in the future.His son,Tim,studied,but not succesful.
At first,when I watched the book cover,I think this is the adventure,but in fact is related to family. ( )

This is Maggie's story, who is a daughter of a miller. And this story is love story. When she met Philip Wakem, her life was becoming change.
The last is very shocking for me. Was she happy? I worry about only that. ( )

Father who works while boasting of water mill hut.
Mother who supports him.
Elder brother who shoulders the parents' expectations.
And smart younger sister.
This is the story of the family.
Elder brother's name is Tom , and younger sister's name is Maggie.

I thought it was a normal love story, but it was very complex story.
I was very surprised at the ending. It was very shocking. ( )

Story of a family/girl's life. It drug on for far too long. Father loses mill after a lawsuit. Son and daughter have to leave school. Son has to support family. Father dies in disgrace. Daughter falls in love with cousins love. Girl disgraces family. No happy ending for any of the characters. ( )