Middlemarch - why is it the greatest English novel in history?

By Stone_Brown1977

I’ve gone through Middlemarch just once, and I really liked it. But people keep calling it the top English novel, and I’m kind of lost on that part. The way it gets into people’s heads is definitely there, and I do like how nobody is just plain good or bad, plus all the mix-ups and wrong impressions are handled really well. Still, I’m not sure what pushes it into that “best ever” spot. With War and Peace, it clicked for me right away why it gets that kind of praise. Middlemarch, not so much. Anyone want to explain what I’m missing?