How did Mary Ann Evans transform from a provincial intellectual into the celebrated novelist known as George Eliot? Gordon S. Haight, a preeminent scholar of Victorian literature, utilizes extensive archival research and personal correspondence to reconstruct the life of one of the 19th century's most significant writers. The biography examines the intersection of her private moral struggles, her unconventional partnership with George Henry Lewes, and the intellectual climate that informed her major works.

This work is widely regarded as the definitive biographical account of George Eliot, praised for its meticulous attention to primary source material. Scholars and students frequently cite this text as the foundational reference for understanding the author's personal history and the context of her literary output.