North and South

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Book 38 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 5 for the Classics Challenge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I told myself I had to read this before I watched it. And, although it wasn't the quickest or easiest read on the planet, it was well worth it.

North and South is the story of Margaret Hale, the daughter of a country parson who has a crisis of conscience and decides to give up his profession. Because the scandal of leaving the Church of England is so great, the family moves north to Milton (presumed Manchester) where life in an industrial town contrasts so greatly with their idyllic rural life.

Before leaving the South, Margaret is proposed to by her cousin's brother-in-law, whom she turns down because she only considers him a friend. But on arrival to the smoky North, Margaret meets John Thornton, a wealthy cotton manufacturer, whom she despises because of his supposed inferior station.

In the North, Margaret befriends a poor family with a consumptive daughter. She learns much about the struggle between master and worker and even finds herself involved in a strike. These parts, which were written using the local worker's accent, were a little dry and difficult to read. But the social struggle is real and could even be compared and contrasted to those involving unions today.

There is a nice love triangle in this book and I definitely have a new Victorian male to swoon about in Mr. Thornton. But there is a lot of heartache too, much of it revolving around the social and political commentary of the time. This is a classic I am glad to have read and I look forward to reading more of Gaskell's works.

Also reviewed by:

• Reading and beading
  
• Laura at Musings
• 5-Squared
  
• A Comfy Chair and a Good Book
• ReadingAdventures
• A library is a hospital for the mind
  

Have I missed yours?

Source: Purchased