Romola
Author: first_name: George
last_name: Eliot
Language: English
Year: 1863

George Eliot's own favorite among her novels, this novel tells the story of Romola, the intelligent daughter of a blind scholar, who is falling in love with a man who is going to change her life and the politics of Florence in a way she doesn't like. Set in 15th century Florence, it is "a deep study of life in the city of Florence from an intellectual, artistic, religious, and social point of view". 
Summary by Stav Nisser and Wikipedia.