North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

 Title:  North and South

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrated by:  Juliet Stevenson

Publisher: Audible

Length: Approximately 18 hours and 20 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible. 

 North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell is a November pick for the JASNA Northwoods Book Club.  I watched the miniseries years ago and was excited to finally read this book.

 Margaret Hale has returned home after growing up with her cousin Edith in London.  Edith has recently married, and Margaret has returned to her country home to live with her parents. Her world is upended when her father announces that he has broken with the Church of England, and they are moving to the northern industrial town of Milton.  While Mr. Hale finds new work as a tutor, Margaret and Mrs. Hale have a hard time adjusting to life in such a different place.  When Margaret meets Mr. Thornton, a mill owner tutored by her father, she does not his gruff ways or the way he treats his mill workers.  As Margaret gets to know some of the workers, she feels for their plight.  As tensions come to a head in Milton, will Margaret and Mr. Thornton find their place in the world?

 I really enjoyed this one.  Margaret is a strong character, but I really enjoyed the discussion of the rights of people.  Is someone a better person because they have money?  Because they are educated?  What exactly is a “lady” or a “gentleman?”  If someone is poorer than a laborer, but is educated, why are they still a “gentlemen?  There were a lot of great questions in this novel to ponder. 

 I have always enjoyed stories and the history of the labor movement.  This was a topic of interest when I was in college that I wrote about in my freshman paper and was explored in the Copper Country history class that I also took.  I was intrigued.  This book seemed related to Shirley by Charlotte Bronte, but it has been a while since I read that book.  It almost seemed like Shirley crossed with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

 North and South is a novel that deals with a lot of loss.  (SPOILER ALERT) Poor Margaret Hale loses her home, parents, her godfather, and her brother.  She has to learn now to deal with these loses and move forward in a world where she doesn’t have independence as a woman.  It’s a sad book, but ultimately, I like to see how Margaret is able to deal with her loss.

 I liked that we also go Thornton’s thoughts on things too. The story is told from his point of view in alternating chapters, and I loved it.  I really loved the love story between Margaret and Thornton.  It was a great tale of pride and prejudice.  I think the story was set up perfectly for both of them to make the changes needed to have a happy ending.

 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson and read along in my Norton Critical Edition.  I loved the notes and essays in the Norton Critical Edition.  Juliet Stevenson is an excellent narrator.  I have enjoyed her before and will look for her again with other future audiobooks.

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.

Victorian Challenge Posts - August, September, & October

As you may have noticed, I have been having a hard time keeping up with the Victorian Challenge since I started my new job in May.  I sincerely apologize.  When I made plans for this challenge, I didn't realize that I would be starting a full time job half way through the year and developing an entire new program.  Things will slow down once all of my classes are developed . . . in 2014!!

August, September, and October are celebrations of some of my favorite Victorian authors: 

August: Anthony Trollope

September: Elizabeth Gaskell
October: Mark Twain

Have you been reading these authors?  What are you favorite works by these authors?  If you have any great guest blogs for these authors, I would be more than happy to post them.

Link to your Victorian Challenge reviews below.  As usual, make sure to include your blog name and your entry in the following format:  Laura's Reviews (North and South).  Post all items from these date forward at this post, but you can also repost items you may have already read by Trollope, Gaskell, or Twain.

Thank-you for your patience and your great reviews!

The Classics Circuit: Christmas Storms and Sunshine by Elizabeth Gaskell

I am honored to be a stop on The Classics Circuit today. The Classics Circuit is a wonderful way in which classic authors enjoy the honor of being celebrated on blogs in the way that new authors are when they release a new book.

I was very excited that Elizabeth Gaskell was chosen to be so honored. I first read an Elizabeth Gaskell novel when I was a teenager obsessed with everything Bronte and read her Diary of Charlotte Bronte. At that point she was “Mrs. Gaskell” and I read that she was a famous novelist and wondered what novels she had written. It wasn’t until the wonderful Wives and Daughters mini-series was going to air on Masterpiece Theatre that I finally read that novel and loved it. I then read Cranford and Lady Ludlow and Other Stories in preparation of Cranford also appearing on Masterpiece Theatre. I have enjoyed what I have read of Gaskell and hope to read more.

Gaskell is a master at writing the minutia of small town life in Victorian England. “Christmas Storms and Sunshine” is a short story from 1848 that is an excellent example of this. Mr. Hodgson is the chief compositor of the democratic Examiner paper in town while Mr. Jenkins holds the same position at the Tory Flying Post paper. Both are married men and both happen to reside in the same house in different apartments.

The political argument of the men is taken up by the wives. Although they live in the same house, they are determined to not get along. One Christmas Eve both are preparing for their Christmas celebration the next day. Mrs. Hodgson has an 18-month old son, while Mrs. Jenkins would like a baby, but only has a beloved cat. Mrs. Hodgson is discovered by Mrs. Jenkins to be beating her beloved cat over eating some leftover mutton that he found in her open cupboard. She is not pleased.

Shortly thereafter, Baby Hodgson is discovered to not be breathing properly and to be stricken with the croup. Time is of the essence and Mrs. Hodgson has to bug Mrs. Jenkins for help (after having just beaten her cat). Will Mrs. Jenkins forgive Mrs. Hodgson? Will Baby Hodgson be okay? You will have to read the story to find out.

I love one of the last lines of the story, “If any of you have any quarrels, or misunderstandings, or coolnesses, or cold shoulders, or shynesses, or tiffs, or miffs, or huffs, with any one else, just make friends before Christmas, - you will be so much merrier if you do.” What a great thought for the holidays.

Overall, I loved this short story. It had a great theme for the holidays and it also showed Gaskell’s skills at capturing not only small town life, but the emotions of the two main characters.

Quick Book Review Update

As with movies, I've read a lot of books in the last month during baby feedings. I'm a month behind on reviews with the new baby so I'm going to do a quick summary of what I've read in the past month to catch up! I'm going to list the books I've read from the most recent to the one I had finished right before the baby was born!

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I loved the Masterpiece Theatre mini-series and also read the book over the past few days. The book does not include any stories about Doctor Harrison or Lady Ludlow - they are separate novellas, which I didn't realize at first! The book is a charming picture of life in a small village during the Victorian era. I enjoyed it.

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier. This book was recommended and borrowed from my good friend Elina (she has been recommending books to me since 4th grade!). This book was about a woman who has relocated to modern day France and becomes obsessed with tracing the story of her ancestors. Her ancestors were Hugenots that had to flee France to Switzerland to avoid prosecution in the 16th century. Half of the story is about her ancestor Isabelle and the dark secret hidden in the family. It was a good book and very interesting to learn about the era.

Princess by Jean P. Sasson. Princess was also loaned and recommended to me by Elina. The book was a first person account of a Saudi Arabian Princess named Sultana for the book's purposes. It was a vivid account of life under the veil and rule of men. It gave good brief background to the history of the region and of Islam. It was a good book to read to understand women's issues in the Middle east althought it was written directly after Desert Storm so it is a bit dated. It's hard to believe that women live such restricted lives in our modern age.

The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier. This is another book borrowed from Elina. I enjoyed this novel a lot! It tells the tale of a beautiful unicorn tapistry and how it was designed and woven. The lives it intersects are fascinating. I highly recommend this novel to fellow lovers of historical fiction.

Time and Again by Nora Roberts. This novel is actually a combination of two older novels by Nora Roberts. They both involve handsome men traveling back in time from the 24th century and meeting the love of their lives. They were entertaining novels, but not among Roberts best.

The Perfect Summer by Luanne Rice. This book was a Mom's Club book club pick. The story is a romance/mystery involving a woman, Bay McCabe, who's unfaithful husband has disappeared, and who's teenage crush has reappeared. I enjoyed this light read, except for the excessive mention of the "boardwalk" that Bay and Danny worked on in their youth.

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I thought this novel was riveting and thought provoking (although I figured out the "surprise" ending right away. It involved a murderer who was on death row and wanted to donate his heart to his victim's family. The murderer may also be performing miracles in jail.

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner. I enjoyed this book although it's surprise ending was a tear jerker, especially after you've just given birth. I think Ben thought someone had died when he saw my tears! This novel is a follow up to Good in Bed. I thought it was a good sequel and enjoyed getting back into Cannie's story.

The Strongbow Saga Book Three: The Road to Vengeance by Judson Roberts. This novel was another first look review from Harper Collins so the novel actually comes out in June. I enjoyed the novel. Although I hadn't read the first two in the series, I was able to grasp the story quickly and go with it. If you enjoy Viking adventure tales, this book is for you.