Minor Works Book Club with Mandylion Press

Minor Works with Mandylion Press Book Club is for readers who’ve covered the classics and want to go deeper into the nineteenth-century novel. We read forgotten treasures—including Mandylion’s own rediscovered gems—alongside the lesser known works of the period’s most famous authors. Meet the 19th century they tried to forget. 

This month we’ll discuss one of George Eliot’s most ambitious and imaginative novels—the story of a young woman’s intellectual and spiritual awakening in Renaissance Florence, Romola.

“George Eliot’s humanity colors all her other gifts—her humor, her morality, and her exquisite rhetoric.” —Henry James

Romola is set during the turbulent years following the expulsion of the powerful Medici family. At its heart is Romola, the devoted daughter of a blind scholar, married to the clever but ultimately treacherous Tito. Her husband’s duplicity in both love and politics threatens to destroy everything she values, and she must break away to find her own path in life. Described by Eliot as “written with my best blood,” Romola is a compelling portrayal of a Utopian heroine, played out against a turbulent historical backdrop.

In her introduction, Dorothea Barrett examines Eliot’s life and literary career, and issues of gender, language and history. This edition also includes further reading, glossaries and notes.

Contact Genay, at bookclubs@mcnallyjackson.com with any questions.