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Romola by Mary Ann Evans

In the shadow of Florence’s crumbling palazzos and the flicker of candlelit sermons, George Eliot’s *Romola* unfolds as a sweeping testament to the…

Romola by Mary Ann Evans
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Runtime: 23 hr 11 min · Watch the full audiobook on YouTube · Subscribe to Ion Books

In the shadow of Florence’s crumbling palazzos and the flicker of candlelit sermons, George Eliot’s *Romola* unfolds as a sweeping testament to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the tempests of faith, power, and ambition. Set against the vivid backdrop of Renaissance Italy in the 1490s—a time when the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici, the fervor of Savonarola’s prophetic tirades, and the looming specter of foreign invasion reshape the city’s soul—this novel plunges readers into a world where art and piety collide, and where every choice ripples through the fabric of society. At its heart is Romola, a woman of fierce intellect and unwavering moral conviction, whose life becomes a crucible for the age’s most urgent questions: How does one uphold virtue in a world seduced by hypocrisy? Can faith coexist with reason, or are they destined to war? Daughter of a blind scholar whose devotion to classical wisdom stands in stark contrast to the chaos of Florence’s streets, Romola is both sheltered and sharpened by her father’s legacy. Her journey—from the quiet study of ancient texts to the heart of political and spiritual upheaval—mirrors the Renaissance itself: a collision of humanism and dogma, of personal yearning and public duty. As she navigates a marriage fraught with hidden desires, a city teetering between reform and fanaticism, and a love that tests the limits of loyalty, Romola emerges not just as a witness to history, but as its conscience. Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, weaves this narrative with the precision of a historian and the soul of a poet. Her Florence breathes—its markets thrum with intrigue, its churches echo with the fervor of Savonarola’s sermons, and its alleys hide secrets that could topple dynasties. Drawing on years of immersive research, Eliot crafts a world so richly detailed that the past feels startlingly present, its moral dilemmas as urgent as our own.

Summary generated by AI model Qwen 3

Public domain & narration

The edition shown here comes from Project Gutenberg, which publishes only books that are in the US public domain.

The narration is the LibriVox recording read by 16 volunteer readers, including David Goldfarb, Sandra G and Terry Goodyer. LibriVox volunteers dedicate their recordings to the public domain.

Ion Books adds the synchronized scrolling text and video, so you can read along while you listen, for free.

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Chapters

  1. Chapter 1: 00 - Introduction (20:34) · watch
  2. Chapter 2: 01 - The Shipwrecked Stranger (35:05) · watch
  3. Chapter 3: 02 - Breakfast for Love (10:39) · watch
  4. Chapter 4: 03 - The Barber's Shop (24:38) · watch
  5. Chapter 5: 04 - First Impressions (7:26) · watch
  6. Chapter 6: 05 - The Blind Scholar and his Daughter (39:36) · watch
  7. Chapter 7: 06 - Dawning Hopes (33:29) · watch
  8. Chapter 8: 07 - A Learned Squabble (12:52) · watch
  9. Chapter 9: 08 - A Face in the Crowd (30:50) · watch
  10. Chapter 10: 09 - A Man's Ransom (17:44) · watch
  11. Chapter 11: 10 - Under the Plane-Tree (32:37) · watch
  12. Chapter 12: 11 - Tito's Dilemma (10:50) · watch
  13. Chapter 13: 12 - The Prize is nearly grasped (33:59) · watch
  14. Chapter 14: 13 - The Shadow of Nemesis (16:48) · watch
  15. Chapter 15: 14 - The Peasants' Fair (42:12) · watch
  16. Chapter 16: 15 - The Dying Message (30:11) · watch
  17. Chapter 17: 16 - A Florentine Joke (32:38) · watch
  18. Chapter 18: 17 - Under the Loggia (13:30) · watch
  19. Chapter 19: 18 - The Portrait (13:12) · watch
  20. Chapter 20: 19 - The Old Man's Hope (9:05) · watch
  21. Chapter 21: 20 - The Day of the Betrothal (20:15) · watch
  22. Chapter 22: 21 - Florence expects a Guest (21:42) · watch
  23. Chapter 23: 22 - The Prisoners (15:53) · watch
  24. Chapter 24: 23 - After-Thoughts (6:58) · watch
  25. Chapter 25: 24 - Inside the Duomo (15:14) · watch
  26. Chapter 26: 25 - Outside the Duomo (10:04) · watch
  27. Chapter 27: 26 - The Garment of Fear (10:44) · watch
  28. Chapter 28: 27 - The Young Wife (21:07) · watch
  29. Chapter 29: 28 - The Painted Record (10:22) · watch
  30. Chapter 30: 29 - A Moment of Triumph (15:34) · watch
  31. Chapter 31: 30 - The Avenger's Secret (22:08) · watch
  32. Chapter 32: 31 - Fruit is Seed (11:39) · watch
  33. Chapter 33: 32 - A Revelation (26:22) · watch
  34. Chapter 34: 33 - Baldassarre makes an Acquaintance (16:13) · watch
  35. Chapter 35: 34 - No Place for Repentance (23:17) · watch
  36. Chapter 36: 35 - What Florence was thinking of (9:08) · watch
  37. Chapter 37: 36 - Ariadne discrowns herself (27:42) · watch
  38. Chapter 38: 37 - The Tabernacle Unlocked (13:42) · watch
  39. Chapter 39: 38 - The Black Marks become Magical (20:50) · watch
  40. Chapter 40: 39 - A Supper in the Rucellai Gardens (51:39) · watch
  41. Chapter 41: 40 - An Arresting Voice (24:02) · watch
  42. Chapter 42: 41 - Coming Back (8:56) · watch
  43. Chapter 43: 42 - Romola in her Place (20:25) · watch
  44. Chapter 44: 43 - The Unseen Madonna (18:01) · watch
  45. Chapter 45: 44 - The Visible Madonna (15:54) · watch
  46. Chapter 46: 45 - At the Barber's Shop (23:03) · watch
  47. Chapter 47: 46 - By a Street Lamp (22:13) · watch
  48. Chapter 48: 47 - Check (8:01) · watch
  49. Chapter 49: 48 - Counter-Check (15:38) · watch
  50. Chapter 50: 49 - The Pyramid of Vanities (16:51) · watch
  51. Chapter 51: 50 - Tessa Abroad and at Home (26:04) · watch
  52. Chapter 52: 51 - Monna Brigida's Conversion (12:22) · watch
  53. Chapter 53: 52 - A Prophetess (15:28) · watch
  54. Chapter 54: 53 - On San Miniato (14:56) · watch
  55. Chapter 55: 54 - The Evening and the Morning (9:37) · watch
  56. Chapter 56: 55 - Waiting (9:30) · watch
  57. Chapter 57: 56 - The Other Wife (30:43) · watch
  58. Chapter 58: 57 - Why Tito was Safe (14:17) · watch
  59. Chapter 59: 58 - A Final Understanding (15:18) · watch
  60. Chapter 60: 59 - Pleading (21:35) · watch
  61. Chapter 61: 60 - The Scaffold (14:58) · watch
  62. Chapter 62: 61 - Drifting Away (12:35) · watch
  63. Chapter 63: 62 - The Benediction (11:36) · watch
  64. Chapter 64: 63 - Ripening Schemes (30:47) · watch
  65. Chapter 65: 64 - The Prophet in his Cell (22:30) · watch
  66. Chapter 66: 65 - The Trial by Fire (18:16) · watch
  67. Chapter 67: 66 - A Masque of the Furies (10:09) · watch
  68. Chapter 68: 67 - Waiting by the River (15:45) · watch
  69. Chapter 69: 68 - Romola's waking (21:43) · watch
  70. Chapter 70: 69 - Homeward (7:29) · watch
  71. Chapter 71: 70 - Meeting Again (11:18) · watch
  72. Chapter 72: 71 - The Confession (15:40) · watch
  73. Chapter 73: 72 - The Last Silence (7:46) · watch
  74. Chapter 74: 73 - Epilogue (9:33) · watch

Full text

This work is too long to show on one page. Read it on Project Gutenberg · download ebook.txt

Sources

Raw pipeline data (admin)