Misunderstood Maggie Tulliver is torn. Her rebellious and passionate nature craves expression, but her provincial kin and community expect self-denial. When her father's folly places their ancestral home in jeopardy, Maggie is forced to draw upon her intelligence and sensitivity -- qualities unappreciated in a woman of her time and place. Her failure to uphold the family honor excites the self-righteous wrath of her neighbors, a scornful condemnation shared even by Maggie's adored brother, Tom.
Written in 1860, The Mill on the Floss reflects the values of England's growing middle-class society. Maggie's story, with some incidents and characters drawn directly from author George Eliot's own life, explores the conflicts of love and loyalty and the friction between desire and moral responsibility. An accurate, evocative depiction of English rural life, this compelling narrative features vivid and realistic characterizations, including one of nineteenth-century literature's most appealing heroines.