This lack of resolution goes on way too long and, with the endless self-pitying introspection of self absorbed and entitled Gwendolyn, makes the book at least one quarter too long. The character of Daniel Deronda rises to meet all the accolades, in and out of the book, and yet, as an adult, he strangely continues to lackthe simple courage to ask Sir Hugo who his parents really are or were. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Set at the height of the British Empire, where racism, sexism, and the strict hierarchy of an absolutely uncompromising society held sway, Daniel Deronda is a jarring, emotional tale of a time and place often romanticized but rarely examined in all its facets, both glorious and grotesque. The two find their paths intertwined as they seek life outside of their station. Upon discovering some unsettling possibilities about his own ancestry, Daniel is drawn into the world of Judaism and the discipline and spiritual growth it entails while Gwendolen fiercely desires to be freed from her oppressive marriage to noble Henleigh Mallinger Grandcourt and rectify mistakes from her past in order to live on her own terms. However, their shared discontent takes them in vastly different directions. When he spies the beautiful Gwendolen Harleth, he senses a similarly dissatisfied soul in her. Byatt).Īs a true scion of the English gentry, Daniel Deronda has been raised with the expectation that he will take his rightful place in society-despite being possessed of a disquiet he cannot ignore. Two members of the British upper class are drawn together-and torn asunder-by their search for self in this “startling and unexpected novel” (A. S.

Daniel deronda by george eliot