Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Title: Cranford
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Read by: Wanda MacCaddon
Publisher: Tantor Media

Length:  Approximately 6 hours and 25 minutes (Unabridged)
Source: MP3 Audio through Wisconsin Public Library Consortium – Overdrive on my Droid

I read Cranford several years ago when the mini-series was first broadcast on PBS.  I enjoyed Elizabeth Gaskell’s series of vignettes of a small 19^th century village dominated mostly be older ladies.  In particular Miss Deborah Jenkyns and her sister, Miss Matty and their group of friends are all wonderful characters.  Miss Mary Smith is the narrator of the novel and her narration makes it transfer wonderfully to an audiobook version. I downloaded this audiobook from my library and enjoyed listening to it as I went about my daily chores.  It is a great novel for that, comforting, yet enjoyable.

Wanda MacCaddon was a wonderful narrator and I enjoyed her British accent.  I only wish that the story of Cranford was longer!  Overall, Cranford is a great introduction to Gaskell and to live in a small English village during the Victorian era.  I highly recommend it.