Wives and Daughters in Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)

Dec 04, 2023 Julie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fin-2023, classic-novels

I was in the mood for a big ol' Victorian novel and Gaskell delivered in spades. Loved it almost as much as Gaskell's Cranford, which is another must read. My only quibble/sadness about this book is that Gaskell died before she finished it. Waaahh! Luckily she was almost done and the editor knew how the story was to conclude. Still, reading the editor's note at the end is a bit of a let down. But don't let that dissuade you from reading the book! It's still worth the read.

I loved that even the " I was in the mood for a big ol' Victorian novel and Gaskell delivered in spades. Loved it almost as much as Gaskell's Cranford, which is another must read. My only quibble/sadness about this book is that Gaskell died before she finished it. Waaahh! Luckily she was almost done and the editor knew how the story was to conclude. Still, reading the editor's note at the end is a bit of a let down. But don't let that dissuade you from reading the book! It's still worth the read.

I loved that even the "wicked" characters aren't too awful. Gaskell humanizes them and shows the reader why they act as they do. I love that. I mean, is anyone 100% wicked? I don't think so. Even a serial killer might love his dog and treat him well. Clare, Molly's stepmother, is such a beautifully depicted flawed character. And Mr. Preston, arguably the villain of the story, is treated with sympathy and the reader understands why he acts the way he does.

I can't decide if Lady Harriet or Cynthia is my favorite character. Gaskell paints such compelling portraits of both. I lean towards Cynthia, since she gets more "air time" and the reader sees so many different facets of her. Molly, the heroine of the story is my least favorite character. Molly is the virginal sweet innocent girl that every single Victorian novel feels compelled to have. I guess authors of the era knew what their audience wanted and so delivered. The beautiful kind young girl tends to be rather flat and dull. There is only so much an author can do with a limited character like that. Gaskell is better than Dickens and Trollope in humanizing that stock character, probably because she is a woman and understands what a young innocent girl is like. The male authors put them too much on a pedestal.

I loved being immersed in village life and spending years with a large cast of characters. Such a pleasure! All storylines are wrapped up neatly and happily. Well, almost! She was on track to do so and had concluded some before her untimely death. Her editor lets the reader know the final delightful wrap up intended.

Trollope is funnier than Gaskell and Dickens writes more beautiful sentences than she, but I still found lots of quotes for my commonplace book.

They were very polite to each other during the meal; and it was not a little tiresome to both.

She had the leisure to be an invalid but was too energetic to allow herself this indulgence constantly.

I was well versed in tender passion, thanks to novels.

Lady Cumnor's character was perhaps a little too ponderous for him in reality, but he was always full of admiration for all her words and deeds.

She was very pretty and very graceful and that goes a great way towards carrying off shabby clothes.

She made exactly the remarks which are expected from an agreeable listener; and she had sense enough to confine herself to those short expressions of wonder, admiration and astonishment when more recondite things were talked about.

Miss Phoebe tried to make peace after the fashion of weak-minded people, who would cover over the unpleasant sight of a sore, instead of trying to heal it.

What was the good of having a lovely daughter if there were none but old women to admire her?

Her words were like ready made clothes and never fitted individual thoughts.

This constant brilliancy was a little tiresome when brought into everyday life, it was not the sunshiney rest of a placid lake, it was rather the glitter of the pieces of a broken mirror.

She had the trick of producing the first sketch of any new plan before an outsider to the family circle, so that if they disapproved of her project, they had to repress the emotion. ...more

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Dec 10, 2015 Lindy-Lane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: listopia-treasured, listopia-wives, 5stars, aclassics-galsjourn, lindy-lanes-rca2015, asrcwstyle-ctdwn

finished Wives and Daughters. 5 stars for me...found it enchanting, splendid, and endearing!
one of my favorite quotes from the book was mr. gibson's "come, i like that. give me a wise man of science in love! no one beats him in folly."

so many smiles and chuckles in this work. and though i dislike the reason behind it not being quite complete (the death of Elizabeth Gaskell); it does provide the reader with the opportunity to direct the ending they perceive for the family of characters within it' ...more

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Dec 16, 2010 Allison rated it liked it

I enjoyed this book for all the things I love about classic lit: language, internal struggle, manners, etc. But, I find it frustrating when the love story progresses like this one. Girl meets boy. Girl likes him for all the wonderful reasons of his character. Boy falls for girl's hot cousin. Eventually boy figures out cousin is shallow (or in this case cousin dumps him). Boy suddenly has the wool lifted from his eyes and sees Girl for the wonderful person she is.
I know love is not perfection and ...more

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May 03, 2012 Tracy rated it really liked it

"Author Dies Before the Ending"
I SOOO wish I had known this before the end. I just about screamed when at the last chapter it stopped! That being said, I did enjoy the story. I spent almost 24 hours listening, and did not regret it until the very end. Even then, I think if I would have been prepared for the authors death, I would have been fine with it. She had already tied up the loose ends and the writing really was on the wall for the ending. After finishing the book, I immediately watched th ...more

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