Elizabeth Gaskell
Wordsworth Classic
A tale of misunderstandings, assumptions and personal prejudices clouding over judgement. No I'm not confusing this with 'Pride and Prejudice', although one could easily recognise elements of it throughout North and South. Combining Austen's wit (although not enough of it) and Dicken's depiction of the poor (thankfully sans his incessant dribble), Gaskell weaves a novel about life's struggles and conflicts.
The protagonist Margaret Hale, is resilient and confident -a characteristic which is often mistaken for haughtiness- and shows none of the 'delicate' qualities expected of women in her day. Whether its shouldering the responsibility of informing her mother of her father's decision to resign from his Parish and move the family to Milton, or putting herself between angry strikers and their employer John Thornton, Margaret draws on this inner strength with grace and propriety. Similarly, when the need arises for her to take the role of nurse, carer and organiser, she resumes her role with little fuss or fanfare.
Aside from Margaret's character, I enjoyed the passages relating to the events that lead to her brother's exile and Mrs. Thornton's cutting views added a spice to otherwise dreary narrative.
In truth I'm not a real fan of Victorian novels. Their middle-class concerns with marrying well and point scoring - whilst sipping copious cups of tea - is tedious. As much as I loved 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Oliver', I cannot say the same for North and South. 2.5 stars
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