Cover of Middlemarch

Book · 2007 · Fiction

Middlemarch

by George Eliot · Recommended by 22 people on 11 podcasts

#70 of 15,593 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts

mentions
33
people
22
podcasts
11
episodes
27
critical mentions
0

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It's the best English language novel, period. Without question.
Min Jin Lee · The Book Review · Aug 2025 Listen at 31:25

What they say about it

Grouped from 33 mentions
  • Greatest English novel“greatest English language novel ever written”
    3
  • Favorite book“one of my favorite novels”
    3

The best things said about it

6 of 33 · every mention
Recommended
Middlemarch is sort of my go-to on thinking about normal people being swept along by kind of the winds of change as a major technology revolution is taking place.
Paul Kedrosky The Ezra Klein Show · Oct 2026
Recommended
Middle March is one of my favorite novels. I read it uh 50 45 years ago probably. And the last page of Middle March is a masterpiece.
Russ Roberts EconTalk · Jul 2025
Recommended
Middlemarch is by many people's estimate the greatest English language novel ever written.
Matt Yglesias The Ezra Klein Show · Jan 2025
Recommended
Middlemarch is the great social novel.
Min Jin Lee The Book Review · Jul 2024
Recommended
My favorite novel is Middlemarch.
David Wolpe Lex Fridman Podcast · Mar 2022
Discussed
Like in Middle March, the I think the greatest novel ever written by George Elliot, there are so many moments where a a character has made a decision to do something and you just stop in your traction.
Anne Lamott How I Write · Apr 2026

Where and when it comes up

Mentions per year

Counted mentions by episode date. Our archive is deeper for recent years; 2026 so far.

How it comes up

Recommended means the speaker tells listeners to read it.

Most mentions, by podcast

Top 9 of 11 shows

22 people who brought it up

Most recommendations first

Also: James Marriott · Alain de Botton · Anne Lamott · Ben Platt · Cynthia Erivo · Margaret Atwood · MJ Franklin · Patrick Radden Keefe · Tina Jordan · Tyler Cowen

Why people recommend it

Middlemarch by George Eliot is a classic Victorian novel that explores provincial life, social reform, morality, and human relationships in a fictional English town. The novel drew high praise from multiple prominent guests and hosts across various podcasts. On The Book Review, Min Jin Lee repeatedly championed the work, noting that she had read it countless times because she turned to it endlessly, and boldly declared it to be the greatest novel written in the English language, as well as the ultimate social novel. Matt Yglesias similarly referred to the book on The Ezra Klein Show as widely considered by many to be the greatest English-language novel ever written, recommending it as an essential classic. On EconTalk, Russ Roberts shared his long-standing admiration for the novel, which he first read decades ago, and singled out its final page as an absolute masterpiece. Shilo Brooks recommended the title on Honestly with Bari Weiss as an essential read for anyone wishing to think more deeply about love. Additionally, Judith Shulevitz discussed the author's famous work on The Ezra Klein Show. Across these discussions, speakers repeatedly highlighted the profound depth, enduring relevance, and masterful storytelling embedded within Eliot's nineteenth-century masterpiece.

Every mention

33 counted mentions · 8 passing or ad reads below
Min Jin Lee Gilbert, why do you love Middle March? Oh, I think I'm willing to say it. It's the best English language no… 4
Recommended
“I'd love for you to talk about yours, Min. I think I've read Metal March. Golly, I don't even know how many times because I turn to it endlessly.”
Recommended
“Gilbert, why do you love Middle March? Oh, I think I'm willing to say it. It's the best English language novel, period. Without question.”
Recommended
“I think I've read metal March golly”
Recommended
“Middlemarch is the great social novel”
John Williams I'm reading Middle March by George Elliot 4
Discussed
“well as listeners will know I have been reading and I am continuing to read Middle March by George Elliott but that will take me a bit longer”
Discussed
“I think that my version of Middle March doesn't have that character tree in the front of it that you're talking about Pamela”
Discussed
“well I've got an epic to start I I started reading Middle March by George Elliott which I've been meaning to read for many years”
Recommended
“I'm reading Middle March by George Elliot”
Gilbert Cruz I read middle Mark men that was a a master recommendation 3
Recommended
“I read middle Mark men that was a a master recommendation”
Discussed
“do you prefer this to Middle March”
Discussed
“you have a great epigraph to your book which I'm going to read and I want to hear the story behind why you chose that it's George Elliot and it comes from Middle March blameless people are always the most exasperating”
David Wolpe My favorite novel is Middle March. 1
Recommended
“My favorite novel is Middle March.”
Ezra Klein and her most famous novel you've probably heard of it is middl March 1
Recommended
“and her most famous novel you've probably heard of it is middl March”
Greg Cowles but this year I read Middle March by George Elliot and also a great 19th century novel and it enclosed what… 1
Recommended
“but this year I read Middle March by George Elliot and also a great 19th century novel and it enclosed what Madam B and and Karenina both did”
Maryanne Wolf Middlemarch is your favorite book so I have to say that at the end I love it 1
Recommended
“Middlemarch is your favorite book so I have to say that at the end I love it”
Matt Yglesias Middlemarch is by many people's estimate uh the greatest English language novel ever written 1
Recommended
“Middlemarch is by many people's estimate uh the greatest English language novel ever written”
Paul Kedrosky Middlemarch is sort of my go-to on thinking about normal people being swept along by kind of the winds of c… 1
Recommended
“Middlemarch is sort of my go-to on thinking about normal people being swept along by kind of the winds of change as a major technology revolution is taking place.”
Russ Roberts Middle March is one of my favorite novels. I read it uh 50 45 years ago probably. And the last page of Midd… 1
Recommended
“Middle March is one of my favorite novels. I read it uh 50 45 years ago probably. And the last page of Middle March is a masterpiece.”
Shilo Brooks Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlem… 1
Recommended
“Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love...”
Pamela Paul and probably unlike most people Middlemarch is is is not my favorite I love it 3
Discussed
“you have this great early quote from Middle March maybe you could share how identity was thought of During the period of George Elliott's novel”
Discussed
“and probably unlike most people Middlemarch is is is not my favorite I love it”
Discussed
“he's called the trilogy the key to all mythologies which is of course the title of the failed novel or grand work of casabon in Middle March”
James Marriott I had to speedread Blee House and Middle March in a week um to write an essay in my first week of of the fi… 2
Discussed
“I had to speedread Blee House and Middle March in a week um to write an essay in my first week of of the first year.”
Discussed
“Uh yes, I think academics are finding that for instance, they've spent their whole career assigning books like Middle March and Ulyses and they're having to stop because the the kids just can't get through them anymore.”
Alain de Botton um you there's a wonderful quote in Middle March George Elliot big fat 19th century novel where she says if… 1
Discussed
“um you there's a wonderful quote in Middle March George Elliot big fat 19th century novel where she says if we could properly register the sound of the sounds the full sounds of life um we would lose our minds from the full richness of existence”
Anne Lamott like in Middle March, the I think the greatest novel ever written by George Elliot, there are so many momen… 1
Discussed
“like in Middle March, the I think the greatest novel ever written by George Elliot, there are so many moments where a a character has made a decision to do something and you just stop in your traction.”
Ben Platt you know you know you know you know was the most Cynthia Revo thing that happened to me was I was I was rea… 1
Discussed
“you know you know you know you know was the most Cynthia Revo thing that happened to me was I was I was reading like middle marcho thing that happened to me saying incredibly well in all yeah I sang so so well I sang no no I I was reading Middle March on set and then she comes up”
Cynthia Erivo one final thing yes uh I was reading Middle March on set oh yes and I remember you got a copy I do you have… 1
Discussed
“one final thing yes uh I was reading Middle March on set oh yes and I remember you got a copy I do you have a copy I haven't read yet I haven't I haven't finished it either I was going to ask you if you finished it”
Margaret Atwood Middlemarch by George Elliott the 19-year-old said of oh this is we don't like this book at all because the… 1
Discussed
“Middlemarch by George Elliott the 19-year-old said of oh this is we don't like this book at all because the people in it make wrong decisions in their careers and they marry the wrong people”
MJ Franklin Jima has been talking about Middle March for what I feel like has been six months. I've always wanted to re… 1
Discussed
“Jima has been talking about Middle March for what I feel like has been six months. I've always wanted to read Middle March.”
Patrick Radden Keefe It's Middlemarch, which I'd never read. 1
Discussed
“It's Middlemarch, which I'd never read.”
Tina Jordan George Elliott on the other hand for example in in Middle March Heavens but this is dry reading 1
Discussed
“George Elliott on the other hand for example in in Middle March Heavens but this is dry reading”
Tyler Cowen For example, when I first finished reading George Eliot's Middlemarch in my early 20s, I resolved to live b… 1
Discussed
“For example, when I first finished reading George Eliot's Middlemarch in my early 20s, I resolved to live by her concluding insight that even unhistoric acts, small ones that seemed within my grasp, could have cumulative beneficial effects.”

Also mentioned in the same episodes

Other mentions (8: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“every time I read this book and I told your producer I didn't know how many times because to tell you how many times and to tell you I still haven't read Middle March is to my great 20 this was this was the 20th”
Passing
“The Thin Red Line by James Jones, and Middlemarch by George Eliot. But just zooming out, reflecting back on that conversation, what do you think”
Passing
“so I would say that the first book I recommend is by George Elliott so that's the gnome de plume of Maryann Evans and her most famous novel you've probably heard of it is middl March”
Passing
“well partly inspired by John in your reading of Middle March”
Passing
“I mean I don't know this book feels like you're gonna I I don't know how you're G to feel about this but it feels like Middle March to me”
Passing
“I also like to try to read a classic I've never read before I've been saying for years now that I'm going to do middle Middle March”
Passing
“so I would say that the first book I recommend is by George Eliot so that's the nom de plume of Marianne Evans and her most famous novel you've probably heard of it is Middle March”
Passing
“this is probably aimed for people who were english majors and who were reading the great classics you know if you're reading paradise lost or the great place of shakespeare or middlemarch or ulysses you're overwhelmed”

Portraits from Wikimedia Commons: Matt Yglesias, BloggingHeads.tv / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0); David Wolpe, Afshin10 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); Anne Lamott, Zboralski / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0); Ezra Klein, SWinxy / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).