Five thousand stars.<br/><br/>This was one of the most emotionally vibrant things I've ever read. Maggie was such a vivid character that every page she's on feels true. And yet, it's such a novel, with themes so richly built. The symbolism is effortless and perfect and needed. (And is it really possible people don't like the ending?)<br/><br/>It was a really visceral read: lots of face-clasping and jaw-dropping. Maggie says some of the truest things I've ever seen in fiction, and it's wonderful. Eliot's omniscience says the rest of them. I was stunned how sharp the commentary was, painful and real. She seems to have known everything.<br/><br/>One of the things I like most about reading through DailyLit emails is that though most pages can be deleted after they're read, emails with passages I really like I save instead. Just in case. I eventually saved110 pages of The Mill on the Floss. For a little perspective. It is needed.