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Summary: A tale of Family Growth
Review: A young woman's brother won't let her marry or meet up with her flirts. An extremely well exectued book with hilarious and witty scenes, George Eliot is fabulous. You HAVE to read George Eliot if you like Bronte, Hardy, or Austen.
Rating:
Summary: A story for the open minded
Review: Ah...readers who do not know how to appreciate the structure and writing of classics should not even read them at all, even if they are required to for a class or course. A number one hit, telling the story of family and love.
Rating: 
Summary: Removed from context this book falls flat.
Review: As a modern reader I found the tone of Eliot to not only be didactic but insultingly so. With every nuance so pointed in its intentions the characters and action are devoid of any impact. One cannot help that feel this is clearly a novel that has aged badly for the simple reasons that its very heavy handed message is old hat and obviously the original audience for this novel was one of lower education standards than today. As a simple book written to carry a message this is one of the weaker Eliot novels for the modern audience to read.
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Summary: This is what great writing looks like.
Review: Compare it not to DAVID COPPERFIELD but to Proust. I don't understand calling this book "sentimental" or "melodramatic." Big Things happen, yes, many of them inside the characters' heads, and they all pay their way in tragic resonance. Big Things are felt, yes, and anatomized with scrupulous truthfulness. The prose is glorious, and the characters presented with such subtlety and complexity that a reader can only feel extravagantly complimented on his intelligence. If you're stranded on a desesrt island for the rest of your life and can have only one novel with you, make it REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST. But if you're stranded on a desert island and have only a week to live, make it MILL ON THE FLOSS. By the way, Byatt's notes and introduction are terrific. (You will read the introduction after reading the book, of course.) She's plainly aware of all the traditional critical assessments of the novel, but isn't afraid to bust some of the hoary objections historically raised to the novel, most of them relating to the double-standard with which mostly male academics tend to treat female protagonists in fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: A Big, Compassionate Novel
Review: Early in the novel, Eliot tells the great story of St. Ogg, who selflessly carried the Virgin Mary across a flooded river. The story pretty much frames the themes of the whole novel. The society of The Mill on the Floss is harsh, and the main characters must find it in themselves to live compassionately despite actions of the people aroung them.
This tragedy is primarily the story of Maggie. Her father's unwitting actions spark the family's financial downfall. In the Victorian society, this downfall is particularly harsh toward women like Maggie. She has to struggle against the deterministic forces fighting against her.
A lot of people don't like the opening hundred pages, but I thought they were some of the best. There was some wonderful biting humor, some extraordinary characterizations (particularly of Mr. Tulliver), some powerful imagery (look at the descriptions of the river), and real humanity. These elements carry on throughout the novel, and the plot picks up, too. Overall, this is a wonderful novel. Perhaps it is not Eliot's best, but it is too good to pass up.
Rating:
Summary: Good story with important social issues
Review: Few females were writing fiction in those days, but it says a good thing about Great Britain that most of them were British. Mary Ann Evans, the real name of "George Eliot", was an enlightened and socially conscious woman, who wrote a story about the Torvill family, from the standpoint of Maggie, a young girl with a sharp mind, struggling to be herself in a world which was hard for that kind of person. The central theme is perhaps her struggle between family loyalty and independent spirit, as revealed through her relationship with his beloved, but tough, brother. The book is long and evocative, painting with acuteness the social surroundings in which the story develops. And the development intertwines many messages and situations, always revealing Maggie's inner self. One important characteristic of the book is that it is difficult to classify, since it contains features of Romanticism and Realism; social narrative and a glimpse into what psyichological literature would be in the Twentieth century.
Rating:
Summary: Good story with important social issues
Review: Few females were writing fiction in those days, but it says a good thing about Great Britain that most of them were British. Mary Ann Evans, the real name of "George Eliot", was an enlightened and socially conscious woman, who wrote a story about the Torvill family, from the standpoint of Maggie, a young girl with a sharp mind, struggling to be herself in a world which was hard for that kind of person. The central theme is perhaps her struggle between family loyalty and independent spirit, as revealed through her relationship with his beloved, but tough, brother. The book is long and evocative, painting with acuteness the social surroundings in which the story develops. And the development intertwines many messages and situations, always revealing Maggie's inner self. One important characteristic of the book is that it is difficult to classify, since it contains features of Romanticism and Realism; social narrative and a glimpse into what psyichological literature would be in the Twentieth century.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Tale; Splendid and Beautiful Writing
Review: George Eliot is another one of those unsung Victorian authors who's covered by the Brontes and Austen. Eliot is by far superior to those two, in writing suspenseful and mysterious tales with twisted ends that just make you want to scream. Fabulous, Mill on the Floss is one of the most powerful books on family, send this out to fighting sibblings, it'll teach them the luck of having a sibling.
Rating:
Summary: A moving masterpiece
Review: George Eliot was truly a writer ahead of her time. she definitely knows how to create characters which have soul and substance. Mill on the floss is much more then a mere tragic story; if the reader looks more carefully she or he can see the various social themes that Eliot tackled in this book. Themes I might add that are still around today. The rich against the poor, eg, Edward Tolliver's struggle against Wickem. Sexism, prejudice against people with disabilities, hypocrisy social judgement and morality. All these issues were raised in this story of family love, duty and trajedy. This book though classifyed as classic literature can still teach us a lot about the human condition. Its underlining messages still very much relevant today. I especially found the scene of maggie and Steven in the Inn very poignant. one could truly feel what Maggie was going through at that moment. Another outstanding scene was the one where Tom confronts Philip in the woods and berates him for having the boldness to court his sister. pointing out his deformaty he usues it as a weapon to drive Philip to the ground despite the fact that class wise philip was above Tom. George Eliot (Mary Anne Evens) must be laughing somewhere seeing how her books are still talked about today. Finally, I have to congradulate Naxos on producing another great audiobook. Sara Kestelman does an excellent job at narrating this lovely story.
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Summary: This novel presents a sense of duty and honor we have lost.
Review: George Eliot's "The Mill on the Floss" potrays a sense of duty and honor, right and wrong which we have sadly lost today. Maggie is self-less in a selfish society and resists Stephen's rationalizations in a way that reflects true womenhood. Maggie knows her duty and will do it even it causes her much pain. As for the ending -- I have heard it criticized as being melo-dramatic -- not so. This ending simply protrays life with all its crushing force. However, it could only crush Magsie's body, not her soul, which had been given completely for the happiness of others. In two words -- excellent novel !
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