Romola by George Eliot (1863)

It's not often that I give up on a book. In fact, I think I could count on one hand the number of times I have not finished a book I started. But I give up on this historical novel about 15th Century Florence. It may have a stellar plot; I can't say because in the 135 pages I read all that happens is that a young Italian-Greek man arrives in Florence and meets Romola, the title character. It is judged by those who know such things to be historically accurate and immersive in the era, which I'm sure is true because it is thick with references to various scholars and politicians of the time and every page contains obscure allusions, unfamiliar phrases. and sentences in Latin, a language then familiar to educated people. The fact that the book needs 50 pages of notes in very small print to make it intelligible to a modern reader would give you a clue that Eliot knew more than most anybody about the time and place.

So after spending four days reading 135 pages (plus 17 pages of notes), I just could not face 541 more pages (plus notes).

Read this one at your own risk. Some say it is very good.