I haven't read Middlemarch (yet), so perhaps I'm not a typical reader. I connected with this book because I know how one book can become a treasured companion throughout a person's life. I want to read some George Eliot now. I give this book three stars because I did find that it meandered a bit too slowly at times. This may be because I haven't read Middlemarch. All the same, I probably won't re-read.