And if life had no love in it, what else was there for Maggie? Torn between her passion for intellect and a desperate need to win her brother???s love and approval, the rebellious and spirited Maggie Tulliver is in conflict with her family. Her intelligence is considered unnatural, while her incurious brother, Tom, is sent to school. As Maggie goes to visit her brother often, on one of her visits she befriends the cultured and crippled Philip Wakem???the son of her father???s enemy. Pained as they are, by the lack of love in their lives, Maggie and Philip are attracted to each other. What happens when, years later, Maggie goes to stay with her cousin, Lucy, and ends up having a clandestine affair with her polished suitor? The Mill on the Floss is one of George Eliot???s great works. The novel vividly portrays both the oppressive narrowness and the appeal of provincial England, the comedy as well as the tragedy of obscure lives. It is considered autobiographical, drawing details from Eliot???s own childhood. This beautifully crafted nineteenth century classic continues to enchant its readers.