Middlemarch

It's so rare that I read a book written in third person omniscient that the leapfrogging in and out of people's heads was sometimes a little jarring. It was also a little off-putting to be transported occasionally from the story to the present for the narrator's comments which more than not started with with “poor Will” or “poor Dorothea.” Those are minor complaints though. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I love how every character's actions shown and explained in context of their internal motivations. Middlemarch really is a great illustration of how nobody thinks that they are bad and everyone feels that what they do is perfectly justified and generally the right thing to do in the circumstances.

Middlemarch isn't a fast-moving book, it's so full of names and characters and sub-plots that I sometimes found my mind wandering and occasionally even had to rely on external motivation to keep me going. For example, the rant on proper practices for doctors was so drawn out that it took a few sittings to get through it. It was all worth it though, the complex characters and plots were woven together into a really rewarding story that I often find myself reflecting on days after finishing the book.