• The Mill on the Floss

  • By: George Eliot
  • Narrated by: Fiona Shaw
  • Length: 20 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (163 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Mill on the Floss  By  cover art

The Mill on the Floss

By: George Eliot
Narrated by: Fiona Shaw
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $27.22

Buy for $27.22

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The Mill on the Floss is one of the great works of English literature. It is perhaps the most autobiographical of all Eliot's novels.

The relationship between its heroine, Maggie Tulliver, and her brother, Tom, closely resembles that of George Eliot and her own brother, Isaac. The subject of sibling affection was clearly a deeply poignant one for George Eliot - she also wrote a series of beautiful and evocative sonnets entitled 'Brother and Sister'.

Maggie's feelings as she nurses her dying father also echo those described by George Eliot in a letter when she was in the same situation. And there is something in the essential character and personality of Maggie that reminds us of her creator, of what we know of her from the life she led and the decisions she made.

Like its predecessors, Scenes of Clerical Life and Adam Bede, it is a domestic tale. And, like its predecessors, the book draws closely on people and places in Eliot's native Warwickshire. Although she did travel to Lincolnshire, where the story is set, to identify appropriate rivers for the apocalyptic flood, Dorlcote Mill closely resembles Arbury Mill, where the author played as a child.

It is essentially a story of family loss, tragedy and the sheer cruelty of fate. Like many of George Eliot's heroines, Maggie Tulliver's intelligence and emotional capacity are her undoing; they create in her an appetite for greater things than the social restrictions of the day tended to offer women - a theme which characterises much of George Eliot's work.

Public Domain (P)2007 Silksoundbooks Limited

Featured Article: 20+ Creative Quotes About Art to Leave You Inspired


Art is as much a part of human nature as breathing. Since the dawn of time, humans have taken to creating in various forms and schools, with all manner of reception. Whether beloved or highly critiqued, art is a fixture of culture and what it means to be alive. To inspire your creativity, we’ve compiled a list of the best quotes about art. From painting to dance, art has been enriching the world for centuries. Get inspired to share your passion with some amazing quotes.

What listeners say about The Mill on the Floss

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    124
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    132
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    96
  • 4 Stars
    31
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Fiona Shaw makes George Eliot endurable

First of all let me say, I do not like George Eliot. This was a book club book, so I had to "read" it. I would never have made it through the actual 800+ page book, but Fiona Shaw read it so beautifully, I managed to finish it in time for the meeting. And I must say, this story had more humor than Middlemarch or Silas Marner. (But not up to Jane Austen's standards.) But those stories had a "happy ending" and this one did not. I understand that George Eliot was making a statement about the status of women in Victorian England--I get it, I get it--and she definitely makes you feel the injustice of that system, but does she have to take 800+ pages to do it?

However, if you MUST read George Eliot, you cannot do better than have Fiona Shaw read it to you. She was absolutely perfect. Now I need to listen to her read something I might actually like, such as Emma or Dr. Johnson's London.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best reader I have ever heard. Been listening for years.

This is a major work of literature, and a good introduction to the more challenging Middlemarch.

It's a fascinating story, and a classic. I recommend this book, and especially this amazing performance, to literature buffs.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

Fiona Shaw was an excellent narrator.

The Millon the Floss is an amazing book I am a little too emotional to talk about it right now

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a writer well ahead of her time.

All of George Eliots work should be required reading. Her character work is impeccable and only grows stronger with each of her novels. Her use of forshowding throughout TMOTF is harrowing and unrelenting, yet poetic and a poignant reminder of how insignificant human pettiness ultimately can be. The performance started off a bit off putting to me while the characters were young, but grew quite enjoyable as the story progressed and the characters aged. Who knew Petunia Dursley was so talented!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Feminine romance

This marvelously written romantic tale from a feminine viewpoint will likely appeal to you if you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

This is the third consecutive novel by George Eliot I have listened to on Audible. What a wonderful writer the phrasing, dialogue, character development- all are so enriching. The narrator was Fiona Shaw.. her performance could not have been any better- a wonderful treat

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Captivating and vivid!

Beautiful descriptions of the landscape and deep character reflections. Many twists and turns and definitely a surprise ending! I think there's a lot of metaphor to be found in the Mill itself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fiona Shaw is amazing!

Brilliant reading of a grear classic Victorian novel. No one could have read Elliot better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb narration

Fiona Shaw has done a stellar job in this reading. Really brought the book to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Pretty Good

Concerning this great book only as a recorded work, I'd get tired too if I had to read the whole thing out loud, but often this is how Ms. Shaw comes across. As well, I had to lower the sgpeed to compensate for her British English at times spoken too quickly or less than crisply in terms of enunciation. Then when she did the character voices -- well, there are just whole passages I gave up trying to make heads or tales of. Overall though I think Fiona Shaw is competent. At least she does not seem as affectatious as a few other British narrators I have since encountered, some being almost completely "inaudible" oh my! And what's this that just because it's British English literature, all the narrators have to be British English? Why don't you get your favorite Michelle Obama to do it -- nothing seems to get her all tuckered out -- or are you all racist-racist or something?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!