Daniel Deronda

A wonderful reading by Nadia May of George Eliot's complex novel. For me, this was a far more absorbing and emotionally resonant tale than "Middlemarch"; Eliot's ability to portray the London Jewish community sympathetically seems unique among Victorian authors, at least the ones I've read. That portrayal is not just sympathetic but (at times) immersive: this is no cursory glance but a deep exploration. I can't quite give it five stars though, for two reasons: one is that Eliot's writing tends to be humorless, even though her characters are brilliantly drawn; and May, even though she gives wonderful voice to those characters, can't make up her mind how to pronounce the name "Mordecai."

If you liked "Middlemarch," this one is certainly worth listening to. If you didn't, the greater dramatic intensity in this novel may still be worth a try.

After reading/listening to Middlemarch and Adam Bede, I embarked on the 4 volume Deronda. I was happy that I enlisted Nadia May whose spectacular voice rendition of charcters pulled me through all 4 volumes. I enjoyed it all and was particularly captivated by the ugly experience of British prejudice so prevalent in cultured British society. The love story as with all George Eliot's books was tender and romantic.

I had long heard of Daniel Deronda and kind of given up hope of ever reading it. But a two-hour commute each way to work made this a wonderful companion. Deep, compelling, and filled with fascinating characters, the novel is a melodrama with philosophical and religious depths. Called a "controversial novel," because of the author's ability to show the Jewish community of the 19th century in a tolerant and non-stereotypical way (in a culture, or, perhaps, a world in which stereotypes did---and do---abound), Eliot shows what is unique, human, and sometimes ignorant and insensitive in individuals, no matter their culture or religion. Nadia May's wondrous narration is truly a joy. She captures the core of each character, and her Italian, French, and German seems on the mark (although her pronunciation of Mordechai is not). She has renewed my interest in Eliot and I will surely continue to purchase books that she has narrated.

A tale of triumph and tragedy skillfully told in the style of bygone years. If you enjoy classics, you'll want to listen. A bit long winded in several areas. Deronda appeals to the reader.

I'm a fan of George Eliot, but If you're wanting to get a start with her, I wouldn't recommend this one as the first to try. There are two stories entwined, one about spoiled, self-centred and self-indulgent Gwendolen Harleth, and the other about Daniel Deronda, brought up as the "nephew" of a baronet but ignorant of his true parentage. A large theme is Judaism, and I was hoping and expecting to find an examination of the attitudes of various upper-class and aristocratic Victorians to Jews.

It's just not there, and I was disappointed.

I was also a little disappointed with the narration: it's good, but it's not as good as the very best.

There is still plenty to like about Daniel Deronda. The portrait of Gwendolen Harleth in the first half of the book, before her marriage, is excellent, and the description of how she accepts the proposal of the rich but cruel selfish Grandcourt is outstanding.

I would recommend this audiobook to any friend who had a philosophical mind, who delights in interior, rather than exterior events, who can appreciate the mind of a truly masterful writer. Nadia May's reading of this book and its wonderfully complicated characters is one of the best I've ever heard.

It's very difficult to pick a favorite character, but I would have to choose Daniel Deronda himself. He is subtle, complex, and deeply compassionate. A spiritual guide to Gwendolyn, he serves as a spiritual guide to all readers, as well.

Nadia May brought a vivid nearness to each of the characters she portrayed with such cohesion and understanding. She is more an actress than mere reader. I felt as if I were watching a play or a movie, rather than listening to a book, and this was entirely because of May's superb performance. It's almost too exquisite a reading to be called a performance.

No. I listened to it over a period of almost two months. It is more than 30 hours long.

I listened to the book while I read from the Oxford edition, and I think the two companion experiences and media made it all the more penetrating. This is probably one of the best books I've ever

An almost perfect novel, divided by two distinct plots. The first a complex and glowing account of Gwendolen Harleth, a young strongly willed girl with many charms and faults, and Daniel Deronda, a parent-less gentleman, an intellectual with empathy only for the obviously miserable, the other. Her journey fascinates me and his informs me of the world situation, at the time, of nation building. Unlike, perhaps, all other popular Victorian novels, we have a very positive portrayal of a Christian's view of Zionism. Very interesting and important, but for me jarring and awkward into what is a great story that naturally flows from Elliot.

Daniel Deronda is the eponymous character but he shares the main focus of the novel with Gwendolyn Harleth, a young woman who falls from egoistic selfishness into a rollercoaster of unfortunate events.Their lives entangle but their relationship is not what you might expect. The novel is filled with wisdom that George Eliot presumably found in her extensive reading but she must have lived as well. She must have experienced so much in order to understand humans in their various economic, religious and moral dilemmas. The performance rattles along terribly quickly which is sometimes a bit bumpy but mostly entirely great storytelling. I wanted it to keep going.

Yes. Classic with so much depth it bears reading over and over

No

Way too long to listen in a single sitting. I enjoyed savoring it in segments as, no doubt, George Eliot expected her readers would when she wrote it.

no.

Eliot likes to have beautiful, vain women and see the trouble they get into or cause. So half of the novel is as we might expect--and great. The Deronda half of the book is less expected, and somewhat less convincing.

She does the accents and the idiosyncrasies of the speakers very well.

No, but some of the accounts are moving.

Eliot is for knowledgeable, sophisticated readers. It helps to be interested in subtle psychology; to like little essays along the way; and to like, or tolerate, learned allusions. Not everyone should try Eliot.