You're not supposed to quickly scan through the pages. In order to truly enjoy Eliot's work, you need to savor every single sentence. The author carefully crafted her work and this is the only true way that it can be appreciated. You can't treat this like a regular novel. You can't get away with skipping phrases. Take the time to read it and you will be greatly rewarded. Trust me. With other novels you experience a type of infatuation, with Middlemarch you end up falling in love.