I just finished reading “The Honeymoon,” a novel by Dinitia Smith. I was drawn to it by reading a review of it in the NY Times, and knowing it took place in Venice. I love Venice, one of the most romantic spots in the world, and I have been blessed to travel there with Keith.

The story is about George Eliot, who was a  famous, eighteen century English author.  Her real name was Marian Evans.  She was a private and shy woman, and due to her fame, took the name of George Eliot.

The book explores her two romantic relationships, one of them, out of wedlock,  with George Lewes, a love that Marian knew she would never experience again.  A love that was so strong between two people that it was almost like a dream.  Throughout the book, Marian is aware that it could not go on forever, and she is devastated when he dies. She takes to her bed for months, and refuses to have any visitors.

The second relationship was to a very strange man, who was twenty years younger than she. Her role was as his caretaker, as he had a serious drinking problem and they had separate boudoir’s.  It was deeply troubling to her, nothing like that one love she had experienced.

George Eliot was an incredible writer, the author of seven novels; one that resonated with me was “Middlemarch.”  I highly recommend this fictionalized account of her life. So beautifully written, and I learned many interesting tidbits!