Maybe 3.5. I have mixed feelings on this one. The beginning was a little slow and the last chapter felt abrupt, but there were some absolutely fantastic moments and characters here.

'An Age of betty tit for tat,
An Age of busy gabble:
An Age that's like a brewer's vat,
Fermenting for the rabble!

'An Age that's chaste in Love, but lax
To virtuous abuses:
Whose gentlemen and ladies wax
Too dainty for their uses.

'An Age that drives an Iron Horse,
Of Time and Space defiant;
Exult

The Ordeal of Richard Feverel is a Victorian bildungsroman that follows the early life of an heir raised and educated according to a "System" of his father's devising. When I heard about the book, it was described as a philosophical novel, and it is so in the best sense: the characters are motivated

This was my most enjoyable experience of classic literature in some time. I'm amazed at how Meredith wrote such unapologetically glowing prose that manages to be fanciful while still presenting a realistic, believable story. He imbues every line with wit and grace, and most importantly, a healthy se

More people should read George Meredith. This is insightful, witty, and compassionate writing. But with Meredith's novels the language is so interestingly ironic and literary that it feels like you're looking through several different lenses onto the action or particular characters. It makes for a s

Some books are simply impossible to pigeonhole, although sensational, psychological, socially critical Bildungsroman pretty much covers the waterfront of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel: A History of a Father and Son. George Meredith’s most successful early novel is this exquisite dissection of the sm