Welcome back, Middlemarchers. We finished Book 4 and are over halfway through the book. This book ended on a kind of sad note. I think the way Elliot wrote about the downfall of a marriage is superb. I think Casaubon is gearing up to do something big, probably to get rid of Will, but that's just my theory. Here's where the main characters are at by the end of this book:

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• Lydgate and Rosamond Vincy are married.
• Fred Vincy didn’t inherit anything from Featherstone. Instead, Featherstone’s secret son – Joshua Riggs – inherited the land and most of the money. Fred has decided to return to university ahead of term, to finish his degree.
• Mr. Brooke has bought a local newspaper and has hired Will Ladislaw to write for it. Ladislaw has continued to stay in the area and is even looking into places to rent or buy. Mr. Brooke is seriously considering entering politics by running in the next elections. He has been cautioned by those close to him – Sir Chettam and the reverend and Mrs. Cadwallader – that this is a risky move, especially for a man with a bad reputation as a landlord in the local area. Mr. Brooke initially ignores this advice but, after visiting one of his tenant's farms, he decides to re-hire Caleb Garth, who he fell out with over a decade ago, to improve the look of the properties.
• The Garths receive news of this offer of employment. Mary decides to stay in the area. It looks like Mr. Farebrother is quite attracted to her.
• The Casaubon’s marriage is in a bad place. Mr. Casaubon treats Dorothea poorly. He doesn’t like hearing her thoughts or opinions and by the end of the book he doesn’t trust her judgement, especially were he to die before her and inherit his property and money. He suspects she has a soft spot for Will Ladislaw, because she tried to intervene and get Casaubon to alter his will in Ladislaw’s favour. Furthermore, Casaubon believes that Ladislaw is waiting around to abuse Dorothea’s trust once Casaubon is dead. For her part, Dorothea has tried to be a good wife, isolating herself and taming down her desire to learn or share her opinions. By the end of the book, she is tired and growing angry at the way he treats her.

I hope you are all enjoying Middlemarch as much as I am. Some questions have been left in the comments section.