The Mill on the Floss

This novel follows Maggie Tulliver, a passionate and imaginative girl growing up at Dorlcote Mill in rural England. Her bond with her brother Tom is the emotional centre of the book, though he is practical and stern while she is dreamy and impulsive. As the family's fortunes decline through debt and a bitter legal quarrel, Maggie struggles to reconcile her longing for learning, love and freedom with the narrow expectations of her community and the claims of loyalty. It is a tender, partly autobiographical portrait of childhood and family ties, and a sharp study of the limits placed on women.