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  • The Mill on the Floss

  • By: George Eliot
  • Narrated by: Fiona Shaw
  • Length: 20 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (209 ratings)
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The Mill on the Floss cover art

The Mill on the Floss

By: George Eliot
Narrated by: Fiona Shaw
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Summary

The Mill on the Floss is one of the great works of English literature. It is perhaps the most autobiographical of all Eliot's novels.

The relationship between its heroine, Maggie Tulliver, and her brother, Tom, closely resembles that of George Eliot and her own brother, Isaac. The subject of sibling affection was clearly a deeply poignant one for George Eliot - she also wrote a series of beautiful and evocative sonnets entitled 'Brother and Sister'.

Maggie's feelings as she nurses her dying father also echo those described by George Eliot in a letter when she was in the same situation. And there is something in the essential character and personality of Maggie that reminds us of her creator, of what we know of her from the life she led and the decisions she made.

Like its predecessors, Scenes of Clerical Life and Adam Bede, it is a domestic tale. And, like its predecessors, the book draws closely on people and places in Eliot's native Warwickshire. Although she did travel to Lincolnshire, where the story is set, to identify appropriate rivers for the apocalyptic flood, Dorlcote Mill closely resembles Arbury Mill, where the author played as a child.

It is essentially a story of family loss, tragedy and the sheer cruelty of fate. Like many of George Eliot's heroines, Maggie Tulliver's intelligence and emotional capacity are her undoing; they create in her an appetite for greater things than the social restrictions of the day tended to offer women - a theme which characterises much of George Eliot's work.

Public Domain (P)2007 Silksoundbooks Limited

What listeners say about The Mill on the Floss

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Great Literature

I enjoyed this book immensely. It has a strong narrative and shows profound psychological understanding. The main characters are complex. The minor characters can be identified in the community. There is a range of human feeling: jealousy, pride, stubbornness, snobbery, conceit and longing. There is reference to 'unconscious' motivation, which demonstrates that, contrary to the claims made by his followers, this concept was not invented by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). The novel was written in 1860.

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14 people found this helpful

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Masterclass in narration

Fiona Shaw brings this wonderful novel to life. A
masterpiece. Tried reading it many years ago, but never finished it. Much more accessible listening.

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Disappointing!!

I thought the book was brilliantly read by Fiona Shaw with her amazing variety of character voices!! I would have expected nothing less as she is a brilliant actress. The book itself however, I found tedious after a while and the story weak. I had been so looking forward to hearing it as I’ve never read it but sadly it didn’t hold my interest but nonetheless I was determined to finish it!! Well done Fiona!!

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9 people found this helpful

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fantastic

Fiona Shaw reads this perfectly. She is lovely to listen to, very clear and brings the story to life.

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6 people found this helpful

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George Elliot is magnificent.

it is almost embarrassing to come to Eliot so late in life where others have known her genius since youth. Better late than never. The Mill on the Floss tells of a woman whose life implodes, despite her deep morality, her kindness, and her will to do good. The characterisation, the acute observation of human impulse, and the sly, sharp humour carry this powerful tale high over any impatience a modern reader might feel in the face of the frustrating, historical restrictions on personal (especially female) autonomy . Fiona Shaw is masterful in narration.

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My all time favourite book

Love this book, but could t get on with Fiona Shaw’s narration, and ended up exchanging it for another narrator.

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Fiona Shaw is an excellent narrator.

Not a book to read if you are low in spirits. And I have to say I found the sentimentality at the end rather cloying. We see the world mainly through Maggie Tulliver and it is in adulthood; we see the collision between expectations and desires. And her stubborn father, a man unwise in his quarrels and choices. Some wonderful descriptive writing by Eliot.

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About being good!

Sad ending, and story in general. I couldn't get into this book initially but very glad I kept going.

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Fiona Shaw brilliant

Fiona Shaw doesn’t just read the book, she completely inhabits the characters and turns it into a one-woman dramatisation: at several points it felt like different actors were reading the various roles - male, female, children - instead of just her. Superb.

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2 people found this helpful

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Great reading

One of the books I’m studying at uni for one of my modules. I’m a very very slow reader so this was a huge help! Highly recommend

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1 person found this helpful