North and South (Wordsworth Classics)

If you had to describe "North and South," it would probably be something like "Jane Austen with more sociopolitical content."That sounds painfully dry and unromantic, but Elizabeth Gaskell managed expertly to wind together a tempestuous romance with a story about mills, workers and unions in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. While the beginning is a bit slow, and the ending a bit abrupt, the rich prose and passionate central relationship really make this an arresting piece of work.After a decade living in London, Margaret Hale returns to the idyllic country village of Helstone to live with her parents. But then her father declares that he is leaving the Church of England out of vague religious scruples, and is instead becoming a classical tutor. Unfortunately for Margaret, this means moving to the dirty, hardscrabble northern town of Milton, which contains several mills and manufacturing businesses.Her father's first pupil is Mr. Thornton, who worked his way up out of poverty through brains and hard work, and now owns a cotton mill. Thornton considers Margaret proud and snobby, and she dislikes him because she believes he's unfair and harsh to his workers.And she's not the only one -- the dissatisfied workers of Milton have begun to rebel against their employers, forming a union and going on strike. Thornton finds himself in the middle of the conflict, even as Margaret struggles to help her ailing mother -- and despite being on different sides of the increasingly heated conflict, the two of them begin to fall in love. But misunderstandings, class differences and tragedy stand in their way."North and South" is relatively obscure, compared to works by the Brontes or Jane Austen. That's a shame, because Elizabeth Gaskell's story can be considered as gripping and romantic as theirs -- a love that has to triumph over snobbery, class differences, prejudice and the whole weird situation with Margaret's brother. Like the immortal Lizzie and Darcy, Thornton and Margaret start off disliking each other, but gradually see each other's worth in their actions and passionate debates.What sets this book apart from other period romances is the whole plot about the workers and industrialists. This book was published after the flowering of the Industrial Revolution, when labor in mills and factories was cheap and dangerous, and there were no laws or safety regulations to protect people. It would be easy to just demonize the big nouveau riche guys like Thornton, but Gaskell makes a genuine effort to show both sides of the conflict -- neither side is all nobility or all villainy.And it deepens the relationship between Thornton and Margaret, because their clash is over real societal issues. In Austenian style, both of them must change their attitudes before they can find happiness -- the strong-willed Thornton must learn more compassion and understanding for his workers, and the fiery, romantic Margaret must learn to appreciate people not for what their profession is, but who they truly are.This applies to some of the other characters as well, who are given plenty of dimension -- the bombastic Higgins, a leader of the unions who is softened by Margaret's kindness; Thornton's crusty mother; and Margaret's dying friend who gives her time in Milton some purpose.Gaskell's writing can be a little dense at times, like most Victorian novels where people were paid by the word. But she manages to use them pretty effectively, scattering moments of bleak poetry ("Senseless and purposeless were wood and iron and steam in their endless labours") amidst the dramatic dialogue and intricate descriptions. The only problem is the ending -- while it finishes in a satisfactory way, the final scene is so... abrupt. Boom, it's over. You'd expect a final epilogue to tell you what happens next, but it never happens.Despite the abrupt ending, "North and South" is a rich, layered novel where romantic passions clash with serious societal issues -- think "Pride and Prejudice," but with class issues and lots of factories.

great read

Beautifully written. Better than Jane Austen - I sometimes find Austen a little too wordy and while North and South is certainly not short on words, they come together so elegantly that you don't realize how long the book is. Highly recommended. After reading, be sure to check out the BBC adaption!

The PBS production was excellent! Actors were ALL fine, interest captured and maintained throughout. The series was historical fiction (one of my favorite reading categories), and it was informative in showing the various (strong) differences between northern and southern regions of England, as well as delivering good character studies of the period (mid-19th century). I was surprised to learn that although the original book had been written by Elizabeth Gaskell, a popular writer of the time (born in 1810, died in 1865), the plot was relevant even today.

Bought during the height of CoVid-19 furlough, and before Books-by Mail started up again, I bought this to have something to read because I really like the movie. As usual, the book and movie are different. I've kg yet finished this however I'm glad I purchased it because when the time comes where we can safely go on long trips and taking a library book isn't a good idea for me, I can pack this.

I bought this edition to replace an earlier book, same title, from a different publisher which had all sorts of problem. This is a good version!!! All the words are spelled correctly and they are the correct words! I've also enjoyed the annotated notes. I read a lot of classic novels, so I'm pretty familiar with language, but it was a nice reference for a few colloquialisms that I didn't know. Highly recommend this publisher and printing!

This is a great story. There is much about the culture and time of the industrial revolution in northern England. It gives a clearer view of what it must have been like to live and work for the Masters of the cotton weaving mills. The descriptions of the efforts that the cotton had on the workers were disturbing. The pollution of the water caused by the dyes at the mills was graphic when a disgruntled worker drowned in the polluted waters. But more than that it is a slow moving love story about a young woman from the South and a Master from the North who struggle with their cultures to fine that love can conquer most things.

Package was found by doorman - the book is in terrific shape, nice font, and I look forward to reading it:)

When we 21st century readers try to read Victorian classics, we often find the pace too laborious for our shrunken-by-social-media attention spans. This is coupled with the facts that these tomes are often incredibly lengthy - North and South weighs in at 448 pages of small type in the Wordsworth edition, and takes over 18 hours to listen to in the Audible edition, beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson. It doesn’t come as a shock to hear that the original novel was serialised over 20 weekly episodes in ‘Household Words’, the Dickens-edited journal. Victorian serialisation, I think, led to a bit of indiscipline on the part of the writers, as they were paid per instalment and therefore had every inducement to spin out their yarns (in the authorial cotton mills, as it were!). Apparently, Dickens of all people called upon Gaskell to be more concise and said that he found the story “wearisome to the last degree”.So, my first criticism of the book is the same that many have levelled as ‘The Last Jedi’ - it’s at least 25% too long. There are many sluggish passages which involve the heroine reflecting with some melancholy on the increasingly miserable events taking place in her life. These could have been comfortably edited or even excised altogether, because the events themselves create a sufficient impression on the reader.The other problem with the book is that it is just a little sub-par when compared with the dazzling comedies of manners produced by Austen who was so skilled at creating un-self-aware characters, blocking plot points, and the long-suffering, well-meaning, blundering and pining heroines who had to negotiate their way through them. Dickens, as well, totally trumps Gaskell when it comes sentiment, pathos and truly endearing comic characters. They both have mots justes and memorable turns of phrase that Gaskell never seems to touch.Nevertheless, the protagonist of North and South, Margaret Hale, is better drawn than many. You always root for her and are drawn to her cause, even though she has her weaknesses and doesn’t always get things right. Her humility and desire to do the right thing by people around her are genuinely touching and you come away from the book with a great desire to love your neighbours and those less fortunate than yourself.Margaret’s suitors, Henry Lennox and John Thornton, are well-drawn, awkward individuals who are a little bit too similar in my view, because they both have this choleric, sardonic kind of mindset - it’s like having, sort of, two Darcies in one novel. I also didn’t like the fact that you hardly ever get any scenes where the two men can duke it out (in some way) over Margaret - that would have been genuinely thrilling and would have given us an idea of which was the better match. You don’t get anything like the clear Wickham/Darcy duality seen in Pride and Prejudice, or the switch in perceptions that is so common in Austen.People kind of remain as they are throughout the novel - nobody really surprises or changes that much. There aren’t any significant twists, so the drama and plot propulsion has to come from (mostly negative) ex machina incidents, and a flurry of deaths which I suppose is justifiable in a Victorian context, but just feels a bit too contrived.So, on my second time of reading, I’m actually downgrading the novel to 3 stars, because I really think it does fall short in several glaring areas. Still, I was actually fist-pumping towards the end as - FINALLY - things start to come to a satisfying denouement, and I was left with a desire for a sequel. A shorter, wittier, less contrived, more surprising and equally character-led follow-up - but I don’t think there is one, sadly.

If you liked Pride and Prejudice, you might well like this story which was published 42 years later (in 1855) and which considers many of the same themes, although it is set in the cotton mill town of Milton (based on Manchester). Once we get over the rather slow start, we become fond of the heroine - the amiable, high-spirited, energetic Margaret. Accepting her role as a relatively poor member of society, she does what she can to help her old parents (in their 50s) and to act as companion to her wealthy and empty-headed cousin, Edith. She ends up leaving London and the south to live in Milton, in the north, when her father's conscience no longer permits him to earn a living in the church. In Milton she meets cotton mill owners and workers, and finds herself torn when they oppose each other in a strike. She finds it difficult to like John Thornton, the young mill owner, who is quickly drawn to her. I won't tell you anymore about what happens there. Elizabeth Gaskell is marvellous at depicting difficult characters - such as Mr Bell, the well-meaning but irritating academic and John Thornton's overbearing mother. Mrs Gaskell also excels in drawing those embarrassing moments when decent people misunderstand each other and get on each other's nerves. There is much that is entertaining; and there are many insights which put Mrs G centuries ahead of her time. She shows what happens when owners and workers get to know each other and collaborate. And she says: "God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent...The most proudly independent man depends on those around him for their insensible influence on his character - his life."

This is a very well-written book, which holds your interest from page to page. The characters are well thought out, and you can't help but like them (most of them). It's a good story, & well worth reading, not just once, but like 'an old friend'. I read it last year, & it surprised me. I will read it again this summer, & no doubt it will surprise me again. I would recommend this book, yes.

I can only add my recommendation of this book. I'm ashamed to say that I only read it after seeing the miniseries, not being aware of it before. It is a much underrated gem of a book. As someone who lives near Manchester, and is descended from cotton mill workers, I can really appreciate the story. As for the romance between John and Margaret, I loved it and much prefer their characters to Darcy and Elizabeth in "Price and Prejudice".In fact I think the main reason I personally love this book so much is actually down to the character of John Thornton himself who, for me, is simply the most wonderful period drama hero of all time. For me he definitely beats Darcy hands down. He is passionate, honest, kind, loyal and hard-working. Who wouldn't want to be loved by a man like that, and his steadfast love for Margaret is just wonderful and heart-warming.

It's a paperback and even after the first read the cover shows some signs of wear (the cover's black coating wears off to reveal white card beneath). But still a great and cost effective way to enjoy a good story.The story itself was really great. Saw the BBC TV series first before readingthis but the plot is the same and you get a bit more detail on the characters in the book.