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  • The Mill on the Floss

  • By: George Eliot
  • Narrated by: Eileen Atkins
  • Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (227 ratings)
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The Mill on the Floss cover art

The Mill on the Floss

By: George Eliot
Narrated by: Eileen Atkins
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Summary

Exclusively from Audible

'If life had no love in it, what else was there for Maggie?'

The Mill on the Floss, first published in 1860, is considered one of George Eliot's most autobiographical works.

Having formed a complex bond with her own family, George Eliot, now known to the public as Mary Ann Evans, depicts the loving yet volatile relationship between the Tulliver siblings and their doting father.

Spanning over a period of 10 years, The Mill on the Floss follows the coming of age of the beautiful and idealistic Maggie, as she experiences family tragedy, forbidden love and the wrath of the English patriarchy. A sublime literary accomplishment which brings to question the very essence of what it takes to become a civilised and moral society, Eliot perfects the genre of psychological realism.

George Eliot was one of the leading writers of the Victoria era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and are said to have paved the way for authors such as Henry James. James continued to explore Eliot's revolutionary approach to literature, further introducing the public to a naturalistic genre far removed from the hyperbolic Dickensian narrative that had dominated the 19th century.

Narrator Biography

Dame Eileen Atkins is an English actress and screenwriter. Her breakthrough performance in the Broadway production of The Killing of Sister George paved the way for an astonishing theatre, film and television career. She is now a BAFTA, Emmy and three-time Olivier Award winner.

Eileen co-created the classic British series, Upstairs, Downstairs, alongside Jean Marsh, in 1971. She has also acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and been in numerous plays including, The Retreat from Moscow, Medea, A Delicate Balance and Vivat! Vivat Regina!

Her film credits include Magic in the Moonlight, Robin Hood, Last Chance Harvey, Evening, Gosford Park, Jack and Sarah and Equus.

Eileen's passionate and diverse narrative style makes her an Audible favourite and can also be heard in The Winter's Tale and King John by William Shakespeare, Angela Carter's Wise Children, Alan Bennett's Talking Heads 2 and Arnold Bennett's The Old Wives Tale.

©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Mill on the Floss

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

heartbreakingly good

Eileen Atkins reads superbly. The title of this review says it all, without being a spoiler.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Just Beautiful

Beautifully read. A classic story and well worth the 20 hours or so to listen. I read along and Eileen Atkins brought the words on the page alive.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Revisiting after sixty gyears

Very enjoyable. Excellent narration and good to refresh my memory.. Great book and story. Five star listen

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A compelling classic

This is a very compelling classic with the mill being only the central theme rather than the theme of the text which is one of melodrama and female conflict as seen through the eyes of Maggie. She’s good despite herself and causes much agony though none of it intentional. She’s by turns weak and strong, undecided and definite and her brother is much the same. it’s a literary nobel but not any the less interesting if you like victorian melodrama which more than a touch of romance. A word avout the performance though. The accents are not consistent and they ought to be. This is a book about middle class society and the accents ought to reflect that despite the education of the youger ones. However, they do not and that spoils the narrative a bit for me at least.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I felt like I was drowning

It may be heretical, but the story is probably George Eliot and Thomas Hardy meeting on a bad day with the inevitale consequence. I loved Silas Marner but with "Mill on the Floss", after the first few chapters of simpering kids, I expected the worst, saw the clouds gathering and bailed out. Eileen Atkins is brilliant, but even she could not swing it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful reading by Eileen Atkins

A wonderfully written tale, read perfectly by Eileen Atkins, highly recommended! I didn't think I'd find anyone as good as Prunella Scales as a narrator, but I did!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I wanted to love it: I didn't

I've loved Adam Bede, Silas Marner and Middlemarch. I thought I would love this too, but I really didn't like it. I couldn't engage with the Tulliver family and their relations and the story just meandered along. Sure there are some humorous scenes and some drama but that couldn't win me around.

I was close to giving up. Then, suddenly, more than 11 hours into this 19 hour audiobook the tone of the book completely changed with a glorious scene among the dog roses. Suddenly the story had passion and direction, and I became hopeful of a glorious ending.

But the tone changed again with the arrival of a new character - Stephen Guest - whose languid conceit is irresistible to women (it seems). From then on Ms Eliot seems determined to create a template for Thomas Hardy's novels a decade later (but Hardy does it better). Maggie Tulliver is determined to make herself miserable and to hold to her obnoxious brother rather than try for happiness.

What can I say? Apart from a wonderful two or three hours two-thirds of the way through, the book just annoyed me. Felix Holt is next on my list of George Eliot to read - I hope it restores my faith in her.

I also felt that the narration was old fashioned and "imperious" in tone. I don't know when it was recorded, but a more modern treatment might make the book more enjoyable - although I am not sure it could save the dreary storyline.

Sorry. I wanted to love it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An absolute treat of a listen

Funny, moving, interesting story, beautifully written and beautifully read. I loved it and would thoroughly recommend

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

wonderfull story

wonderfull story well performed sadly only 4 stars because of the constant hum in the background.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

My second book by the author and I loved this. Am so enjoying her writing and characters. I’m really enjoying discovering her work and see myself returning to this book in the future.

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