From the Bookshelf of Classics for Beginners…

Mary Barton

Elizabeth Gaskell,

Shirley Foster (Editor)

Start date: November 1, 2017

Finish date: November 30, 2017

Discussion: Current Group Read

Why we're reading this: November's winner…more
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Current Group Read

The Prince
By ☯Emily , moderator · 3 posts · 32 views

last updated Jun 08, 2019 03:47PM

April 2019: The Crucible
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last updated May 09, 2019 05:21AM

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What Members Thought

Jul 26, 2011 ☯Emily Ginder rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics

I have never understood why Elizabeth Gaskell is not better known. She was a contemporary of Dickens and a much better writer. Both HARD TIMES by Dickens and MARY BARTON by Gaskell deal with the terrible plight of the working poor during the 1840s and 1850s. Gaskell's characters are realistically drawn as opposed to Dicken's exaggerated comical characters. Mrs. Gaskell shows how factory workers lived in terribly squalid conditions and the affect this had on Mary Barton's father. There is a murde ...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Marla marked it as to-read-someday

Shelves: romance, adult, historical-fiction, classics

North and South is sequel to this book. ...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Orla Walker marked it as to-read

Feb 06, 2010 Cynthia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007, 1001-books, guardian-1000

Mar 23, 2010 Debbie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics

Apr 29, 2010 Meghan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: english-literature

Feb 08, 2012 MjerrieT marked it as to-read

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Apr 23, 2012 Meagan marked it as owned-but-not-yet-read · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 1305-book-list

Jun 29, 2012 Jordan marked it as to-read

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Shelves: 1305

Feb 15, 2013 nawir nawir marked it as to-read

Jan 02, 2014 Lisa marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Jun 28, 2014 KOMET marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: hist-fiction-uk-19th-century, elizabeth-gaskell

Jul 13, 2014 Janice marked it as to-read

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Oct 27, 2015 Xrusanthi marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-literature-challenge

Jan 02, 2016 Xrusanthi rated it really liked it

Mar 16, 2016 Xrusanthi added it · review of another edition

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1 like · Like

Sep 30, 2017 ☯Emily Ginder rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, classics, read-in-2009, 2017-classics-for-beginners-challe

Several years ago, I read this for a class at NYU. I enjoyed it immensely and read it quickly (probably because I had a due date). I was touched by the wide gulf between rich and poor and was thankful that I did not live in England during the 1840's. I was thrilled with the suspenseful search for a witness who could give an alibi in a murder trial.

This time, the story seemed to drag in places, but I have much on my mind, so perhaps it was harder to get into another place and time.

Today, the gap ...more

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