Silas Marner

Falsely accused of a crime and betrayed by his closet friend, the weaver Silas Marner has been hoarding his earnings for fifteen years. Distanced from his religious community, he has devoted himself to his work and taken pleasure only in counting his coins. Then, on the same day, his gold is stolen and a lovely child appears on his doorstep. As he changes his life to meet the irresistible needs of the child, Marner accepts the loss of the gold as a necessary to what he gains. A living, shining treasure replaces his hollow material wealth, reawakening his humanity and helping him to rediscover a place among his fellow man. Many years later, when circumstances reveal the now-grown child's true identity, the strength of the bond that has flourished between her and the old man proves stronger that the attractions of wealth. A novel of simple, unsentimental charm, Silas Marner is a model of humane and artistic integrity, illuminated by a clear, economical prose style-a classic beloved by readers and scholars alike.