George Eliot is regarded as one of the great English novelists and I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve not read any of her books. Now, thanks to this wonderful debut, which brings to life the world of both the woman Marian Evans, and the legendary author, George Eliot, I’m determined to rectify that.

In this beautifully imagined novel, the rich intellectual world in which Marian lived is brought alive. In 1854, Marian took the remarkably brave step to live openly with her lover, George Henry Lewes, a move that saw her ostracised as a social pariah. Marian’s siblings cut her off and no respectable woman would visit her. But Marian had the courage to live by her convictions and she and Lewes had a long, happy relationship. Adam Bede launched George Eliot onto the literary scene and, once Marian was revealed as the author, her fame grew. She was a towering figure as an author, yet she was also plagued by anxiety and depression.

Along with the exploration of Marian’s life, there is a second, modern-day narrative running parallel about Ann and Kate, two female scholars studying Eliot. Ann is scornful about Eliot’s lack of commitment to changing women’s lives, while Kate is writing a novel based on her life.

Eliot’s complex, compelling presence is brought alive in this book, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of her birth. It’s inspired me to dig out the unread copy of Middlemarch and have my own Eliot experience.

Reviewed by Melinda Woledge