Drawing on George Eliot`s own childhood experiences to craft an unforgettable story of first love, sibling rivalry & regret, ” The Mill on the Floss” is edited with an introduction & notes by A.S. Byatt, author of ” Possession”, in ” Penguin Classics”. Brought up at Dorlcote Mill, Maggie Tulliver worships her brother Tom & is desperate to win the approval of her parents, but her passionate, wayward nature & her fierce intelligence bring her into constant conflict with her family. As she reaches adulthood, the clash between their expectations & her desires is painfully played out as she finds herself torn between her relationships with three very different men: her proud & stubborn brother; hunchbacked Tom Wakem, the son of her family`s worst enemy; & the charismatic but dangerous Stephen Guest. With its poignant portrayal of sibling relationships, ” The Mill on the Floss” is considered George Eliot`s most autobiographical novel; it is also one of her most powerful & moving. In this edition, writer & critic A.S. Byatt, author of ” Possession”, provides full explanatory notes & an introduction relating ” The Mill on the Floss” to George Eliot`s own life & times. Mary Ann Evans (1819-80) began her literary career as a translator, & later editor, of the ” Westminster Review”. In 1857, she published ” Scenes of Clerical Life”, the first of eight novels she would publish under the name of ` George Eliot`, including ” The Mill on the Floss”, ” Middlemarch”, & ” Daniel Deronda”. If you enjoyed ” The Mill on the Floss”, you might like Thomas Hardy`s ” Jude the Obscure”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”.