George Eliot
The Mill On The Floss
'If life had no love in it, what else was there for Maggie?'
Maggie Tulliver worships her brother Tom and is desperate to win the approval of her parents at Dorlcote Mill, but her passionate, wayward nature and fierce intelligence bring her into constant conflict with her conventional family. As she reaches adulthood, and discovers love, the clash between their expectations and her desires leads to tragedy.
With its poignant portrayal of sibling relationships and its vivid depiction of rural England, The Mill on the Floss (1860) is considered George Eliot's most autobiographical novel. In the strong-minded, tormented Maggie, she created one of literature's greatest heroines.