This tumultuous tale of life in a bleak farmhouse on the Yorkshire moors is a popular set text for GCSE

and A-level English study, but away from the demands of the classroom it’s easier to enjoy its drama and
intensity. Populated largely by characters whose inability to control their own emotions leads to violence
and revenge, it’s a tale that spans two generations and two families. At the heart of the story is the
mysterious ‘gypsy’, Heathcliff, adopted as a ragamuffin child into the Earnshaw family to live at Wuthering
Heights. As he grows up, he becomes close to his adopted sister Cathy, falling in love with her only to be
met with crushing disappointment when she marries Edgar Linton, a kind and gentle man from
neighbouring Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff disappears and returns a rich, educated man bent on
revenge.

Middlemarch, subtitled “A Study of Provincial Life”, is the story of the inhabitants of a Midlands village in
the 1830s. Masterfully weaving together several plotlines, the novel charts the fortunes of an interesting
cast of characters, exploring their motivations, delusions and preoccupations. The remarkable thing about
Middlemarch is the detail and realism with which George Eliot describes emotions. Feelings you thought
were unique to you are described here in a way that could be describing your own thoughts. It’s one of
the reasons why Middlemarch has been described the likes of Martin Amis and Julian Barnes as one of
the greatest English novels ever written; read it and you’ll soon find yourself agreeing with them