North and South

I read this book after watching the mini-tv series with Richard Armitage. I loved the series and was blown away at his performance as a romantic character (as opposed to the characters Thorin and Guy of Gisbourne). I found the main plot of the book to be similar to Pride and Prejudice, but it also covered characters from the working class and provides insight on how the Industrial Revolution changed relationships between masters and workers. The book was written just after the Industrial Revolution, and though the story-line is fictional, Gaskell's knowledge of industrial towns and of the working class were real. She goes into detail about the sociology behind the interdependent relationship of workers and masters by using Mr Thornton (master), Nicholas Higgins (worker) and Margaret Hale (the outsider) as conduits to discuss the philosophical essays of John Locke and Henry Stuart Mill. The social status of the characters is also interesting with Mr. Thornton as part of the nouveau rich, Higgins part of the working class and Margaret as part the upper class (by blood if not by money). I imagine if Gaskell had been born in our time, she would have been a successful anthropologist or sociologist. The romantic stuff made me giggle like a little girl and I was always looking forward to the next encounter between Margaret and Mr. Thornton. I wish there could have been a chapter which took place a couple years after the end of the book to show how the characters are getting on. It ended too soon! The book is a 19th century romantic classic and it reads like one too. If you're unfamiliar with that style of writing, the Industrial Revolution or the famous philosophers who contributed to discussion on the working class, you might want to touch up on some history a bit before reading this. You only need the basics, but it really helps to understand the context. It's well worth it though, and I think this had become one of my favorite books!

"North and South" is a sweeping Victorian novel published serially in 1854 and in book form a year later. It tells the story of Margaret Hale, a young lady who endures change, hardship, and the sting of death as her family moves from the countryside of Southern England to an industrial town in Northern England. Miss Hale is a strong female character who breaks away from the traditional subservient role. She finds herself in an interesting setting where she has ties to the poor, the everyday working man, as well as the upper crust of society in the industrial town of Milton. Some might brush this novel aside as a mere love story between Miss Hale and her two suitors Henry Lennox and John Thornton, but it also tackles social issues regarding the life and relationships of "men and masters" as the two classes struggle against each other at times in the common interest of manufacturing. Religion also plays a minor role in the novel as some characters struggle with doubts, some have no faith, and others draw hope and guidance from their faith in God. Overall, I found this an enjoyable read following Miss Hale's growth over a couple years, and seeing how her perception changes - her perception of the tranquility and even hardships found in the South, and her perception of the industrial North. A comment by her godfather Mr. Bell really summarized what Margaret learned firsthand in this novel, "It is the first changes among familiar things that make such a mystery of time to the young; afterwards we lose the sense of the mysterious. I take changes in all I see as a matter of course. The instability of all human things is familiar to me, to you it is new and oppressive."

After reading all the works of Austen and the Brönte sisters, I turn to Elizabeth Gaskell. Years ago I watched the BBC mini-series “North and South” and while I enjoyed it, I remembered it as being very tragic and dreary. I’m glad that I was determined to read the actual novel. I found it absorbing and beautiful. I loved the struggles and resolutions abundant in this rich story. Thornton and Higgins, Lennox, Hale, and Bell were all strong characters. Even Frederick, Boucher, and Leonards added vital parts to the whole. The female characters were equally strong: Dixon, Mrs. Thornton, Bessy Higgins, and the minor ones, Mary, Edith, Mrs. Shaw, and Mrs. Hale. Clashes between social classes, internal religious reconciliations, and the classic romantic misunderstandings twined together to make this amazing classic.

If you like Pride and Prejudice, you’ll like this book. Elizabeth Gaskell writes similarly but easier to read. I enjoyed it.

I have see the BBC movie series at least 3 times and enjoyed it more with each time I watched it. In reading the afterward/notes of Hard Times by Charles Dickens, I found that Dickens had asked Gaskell to write a book on industrialization (North & South), so I thought I had better read the book (since Dickens is now one of my favorite authors, if he thought Gaskell could write a book, then surely she could). I always thought that Gaskell was not up to par with Austen (read all of her books), even after watching the movie series. But Gaskell is certainly up to par with Austen. Gaskell's book is in-between Dickens and Austen, not quite as wordy or character driven as Dickens, but with more depth and darkness than Austen. On to North and South, Margaret Hale's character is way more developed in the book. I felt that Margaret was always mature and strong throughout the movie, but not so in the book. The book really shows Margaret's faults - she is a snob! But it shows how she grows and changes throughout the book. And it is the same for most characters, Mrs. Hale, Mr. Thornton, Mrs. Thornton (although very well done in the movie), etc. Also, some characters were much less in the book than in the movie like Mr. Bell. Gaskell's character development is as good, if not even better than Austen, as Gaskell's main characters are 3-dimensional. Margaret reminded me a lot of Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice, but Margaret is much more opinionated and haughty than Lizzy, and Margaret's change is much greater in my opinion. I was disappointed that the movie added parts that were not in the book and that certain things happened at different times, and I have no idea why things like Fanny's wedding were put at different times. One of my favorite parts of the movie is not in the book at all, but I guess that shows that the movie was done very well. I always thought that the ending of the movie was rather abrupt, but I got used to it the more I saw it. But the ending of the book is very abrupt! I wanted more, so much more, but it is still very satisfying. In fact the last lines are great. If you haven't read it or watched the movie, then read the book first. A lot of how people feel toward each other is internal (much like Hunger Games), so it is hard for this to come out in the movie, but it makes all of the relationships in the movie make so much more sense.

I wanted to write a review on the specific version I bought but the reviews seem to be all mixed together. I downloaded a free kindle version with no pictures (if that helps) and the editing was pretty bad. Sometimes unreadable. It didn't bother me as much because the writing style was just so dull and boring for me that the bad editing was an excuse to skim over a page, something I rarely do. I noticed that the one and two star reviews of this book are being attacked by other reviewers and I just wanted to put in my two cents. I actually would probably have given it one or two starts myself except I liked the story. Here goes, hope it helps if you are trying to decide to read or not. If you are just mad that I didn't give this book a mindless raving five star review ... sorry, fully expect the "unhelpful" votes based on whiny anger. First: Stop comparing this to Jane Austen, or specifically Pride and Prejudice. For those of you who say if you love one you will love the other: Have you read either book??? First Pride and Prejudice is not the end all be all of Jane Austen and while this was an attempt to write a story based on Austen's popular book it is no more like P&P than the movie Clueless is like Austen's Emma (at least CLueless went as far as to keep character names.) I am an actual Jane Austen fan (love P&P, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, S&S, & Emma) and found North and South to be a good story but had a very difficult time with the writing. It was so boring and bland. While appropriate for the time, N&S characters, specifically Margaret, prided themselves on not showing emotion - EVER. Makes for a very dull read. Austen is famed for the life and emotion she gives her characters and she was extremely satirical in pointing out the absurdity in the manners and civilities of the time. -end rant- I admit, I read this because I saw the BBC movie with Armitage and the Daniela something-or-other woman. I generally liked the movie but was so extremely annoyed with Daniela's blank stare, her face didn't change for the entire 4 hours of the movie!! I will say reading the book made me less annoyed at her and realize she actually brought a lot more life to the character Margaret than was actually written. Which is a big blow to the book. I found Margaret completely unlikeable and could not for the life of me understand why Thornton (or anyone else) was so madly in love with her. He was a decent guy and Margaret was always rude (which he noticed) and looked down her nose at him and everyone else. She was supposed to be intelligent yet she always said, "I don't know about" this and that and would wait to be told how to think or speak. It took her until the last 20 pages of the book to decide to live her life for herself and not how others told her -- which she did not do until she had permission and even then she just had the lawyer her family allowed near her (since they didn't allow anyone else) to do whatever he wanted with her money and property. She didn't even pick her own flowers with her dress (also last few pages -- after her new found independence). I fully understood that women had a far different role at the time but to call this book ahead of its time and groundbreaking is silly. Margaret was weak and whiny in her mind and literally prided herself on blankly staring at her "work" every time someone was in the room talking about pretty much anything. I suppose she occasionally had thoughts about what was going on, so that was a step up from her cousin that would actually just say, "I am too stupid to understand so let me go pick out fabric" anytime someone tried to talk to her. Ugh It was wretched. A few other points: I agree with other reviewers that Higgins was next to impossible to understand, I would have to just get basic ideas of what he was getting at and move on. Other things that would hard to follow were the entire pages of French! Common for works in the period (the Brontes come to mind) but annoying when there isn't a translation. Bessy wasn't as likable (as she was in the movie)and the relationship between her and Margaret was said to be great but I didn't get the feeling from stone-cold-Margaret that she cared any more for Bessy than a rat. Again, I agree with other reviewers that the end was abrupt and unsatisfying. She is looking through paperwork since her family-approved-lawyer-watch-guard was late and trying to cover her face (for whatever reason) so Thornton, full of passion, says, "Margaret" to which she replies, "What will I tell my Aunt?" Yeah, that is pretty much it.

"North and South" is a well written novel by iconic Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell. It is her third novel. It is of medium length, and, allowing for the fact that Victorian Literature is not the same as modern conversational American English, is mostly highly readable. I liked the novel very much. I have only read one other major novel by Elizabeth Gaskell prior to this one. It is her first novel, "Mary Barton". I liked this novel much more. Both of these novels are stories about different social and economic classes in Victorian England. Both novels include episodes of economic strife and extreme hardship among the urban poor. Both involve the examples of the rich being indifferent at times and virtuous at other times. I was ambivalent about "Mary Barton". There were times that I felt it was preachy and unrealistic. Sort of Charles Dickens without the wry humor and dimension of entertainment. Having now read this novel I am concerned that I was unfair in my assessment of "Mary Barton". This novel, "North and South" seems to have more wry humor and also a gentle romantic dimension that was pleasant and interesting to contemplate, while at the same time addressing very dreadful issues of poverty and hunger among the urban poor. I did not like it as much as many Charles Dickens novels but that is a fairly high bar for me. Of the Charles Dickens novels that I have read, this novel reminds me most of "Hard Times". I actually liked this novel better than "Hard Times" but I have liked every other novel by Charles Dickens that I have ever read better than this one. As for George Eliot, my favorite author, while Victorian, she stands alone in my personal literary universe. I find her work so nuanced, intellectually sophisticated, and multifaceted that I cannot easily compare her works to other authors, Victorian or otherwise. I suppose this novel most reminds of "Felix Holt The Radical". But to me the novels are at two different levels, as if one is comparing Christopher Marlowe to Shakespeare. If one is a Jane Austen fan, in the event that it matters, I have read every work that has been published authored by Jane Austen, including incomplete works published after her death. I still prefer Jane Austen to Elizabeth Gaskell. Jane Austen is, of course, pre Victorian. While humorous and romantic, Jane Austen's work does not focus on the extreme poverty of Industrial Age England. In summary, I am very glad to have had the opportunity to read "North and South". My opinion is that this novel has more warmth, gentle humor, and a romantic aspect that "Mary Barton" did not have. I am anxious that I am now being unfair in my recollections of "Mary Barton". It does all of this while still addressing the same important social and economic issues of the author's first novel. After a short respite from this author I believe I will next read "Cranford". Thank You...

North and South is a powerful, passionate, beautiful love story that revolves around the antagonistic relationship between these two characters and it is hard not to make comparisons with Austin's Pride and Prejudice. Though John is a hardworking industrialist rather than an idol and landed gentleman, it is certainly very similar to Darcy as much as for his surly, stern, proud, strong willed nature as for his integrity and strength of character. Also like Darcy he falls desperately in love despite itself and is rejected. Margaret is similar to Elizabeth in that after rejecting John she realizes just what sort of man she had just rejected. All of the characters from Margaret, John, M&M Hale, Fred, Betsy, Nicolas, Mr Bell, the Shaw family and Thornton family are all so eloquently done you feel like your in touch with each one. N&S is also dealing with the working and living conditions of the mill workers and the beginnings of the labor unions of that time. We see the unions from the perspective of both masters and workers and the strength of both sides. In addition to also showing the stark contrast of industrial city living to the easy London lifestyle and country living. This story is a spellbinding, mesmerizing book that is so hard to put down, I highly highly recommend it for anybody that loves a truly wonderful classic love story that has all the elements of real life during a very trying time in England.