I've never read George Eliot's writing, and yet I was eager to read a story about her life. Is that weird? Maybe not. I just find that I was more interested in learning about her, than I was in reading her writing - until now. After having just finished The Honeymoon by Dinitia Smith, I am now obsessed with reading all of Eliot's works. I can't help it. I've fallen in love with her through this wonderful fictionalized version of her life - the history, the relationship, the writer - all of it has captured my heart and imagination. And now, I can't wait to dive into her books and Dinitia Smith's books.

The Honeymoon captures a specific period in Eliot's life - the last few months of her life, when she's honeymooning with her new husband, John Walter Cross. She's sixty, he's twenty years younger than her, and she's grieving the loss of her beloved companion, George Henry Lewes. What's a woman to do? Especially at that age, when questions about aging, loneliness, and the future loom rather largely all of a sudden. Smith explores Eliot's frame of mind through this fictionalized account of her honeymoon - inventing encounters with fellow authors, aggressive gondoliers, etc. She also weaves a detailed account of the author's personal history throughout the story, which I found to be extremely fascinating. Marian Evans (aka George Eliot) was quite the intellect, who penned several classics (Middlemarch, Silas Marner, The Mill on the Floss, and Daniel Deronda to name a few), and wound up being rather famous (she wore a lace mantilla to cover her face so that no one would recognize her!). I loved getting to know her through Smith's perspective - she seemed to really capture the essence of Eliot. And she's made me want to reach for one of her books ASAP.

All in all, The Honeymoon wound up being one of favorite reads this year. The writing was superb, the history was richly detailed, and learning about Eliot was such a treat. I think this book is a must-read for fans of George Eliot - you are going to LOVE this story!! And if you are a fan of historical fiction with a memoir-ish bent, then you will definitely enjoy this book. I would happily recommend it to anyone looking for their next great read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Other Press for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book about the life of Mary Ann Evans, who was known with the pen name of George Eliot in the literary world. Mary Ann (as I will refer to her in this review) had gained fame with the publication of books like "Middlemarch", and "Silas Marner". She lived an unconventional life as an unmarried partner to the love of her life, George Henry Lewes. Lewes was unable to divorce his first wife, but despite that, Mary Ann and George cobbled together 24 good years together.

After George died, Mary Ann was struggling emotionally and physically. She is swept off her feet by the decades younger John Cross. They are married about 18 months after Lewes' death. They travel to Venice for their honeymoon where Cross seems to have a mental breakdown.

This story is about all of Mary Ann's life, not just as the book title suggest, the honeymoon. I really enjoyed learning about Mary Ann Evan (George Eliot) and what drove her writing, and her unconventional choices during her lifetime. She managed to cobble a life for herself by standing up for her convictions even when there were real societal and financial consequences to be paid. This is a really well written book that I'd recommend to book lovers, and historical fiction afficionados.