Which George Eliot Novel Is Based On Her Own Childhood?

Eliot's second novel, "The Mill on the Floss," published in 1860, draws heavily on her own memories, especially in its portrayal of the heroine, Maggie Tulliver. Maggie is a deeply affectionate but awkward girl, desperate for the affection of her father and, even more, of her arrogant and critical brother, Tom. Like her creator, Maggie struggles to get herself an education, and alternately rebels against and embraces the restrictions that Victorian society places on women. Maggie goes through a devoutly religious phase, takes up good works, and in adult life has a relationship with a young man, Stephen Guest, who is already engaged to her cousin Lucy. as a result she is ostracised by the community, especially Tom, who never speaks to her again until a dramatic encounter near the end. Similarly, Eliot's brother Isaac broke off all contact with her because of her relationship with the married George Lewes; the novel poignantly shows how this continued to affect her.