North and South in Around the World in 80 Books

Feb 24, 2007 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: england, fiction, classics

I'm still not entirely sure if I read this book in college...it felt vaguely familiar. Regardless, the book has a pervasive sweetness to it that makes today's novels seem hopelessly jaded. The main character, Margaret, suffers through a series of difficult circumstances with a courage and patience that could be called old-fashioned--and quite wonderful. She's an interesting mix of dutiful daughter and independent spirit.

Gaskell's thoughtful opinions about industrialization in England are woven ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2010 SarahC rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: spring2010, elizabeth-gaskell

I began this novel as part of our Jane Austen group comparison read, asking “Is Gaskell’s North & South very like Austen?” Both authors changed our world with brilliant fiction for grown ups who really want to read novels which parallel life, emotion, our senses. Putting Austen and Gaskell together in a group beyond this isn’t necessary. In North and South when main character Margaret Hale reaches a maturity and decisiveness -- at that point, North & South is fully Gaskell’s and nobody else's th I began this novel as part of our Jane Austen group comparison read, asking “Is Gaskell’s North & South very like Austen?” Both authors changed our world with brilliant fiction for grown ups who really want to read novels which parallel life, emotion, our senses. Putting Austen and Gaskell together in a group beyond this isn’t necessary. In North and South when main character Margaret Hale reaches a maturity and decisiveness -- at that point, North & South is fully Gaskell’s and nobody else's that I could compare it too.

Would an Austen follower love this novel though? Probably very much.

Gaskell’s characters are created with a talented hand. Each character captures your attention in some way. The characters Margaret Hale and John Thornton made it impossible for me to put this book down. They live, breath, speak and evolve through this story. They allow us into their physical spaces. Their struggles are felt by the reader. You watch a relationship build even though these two characters are actually apart. We are allowed to witness the strong feeling of both people. It is a beautifully balanced novel in this regard. The story’s lesser characters, especially the Thornton women, Nicholas Higgins, Mr. Bell and Henry Lennox, will likely leave an impression on you.

And of Margaret Hale… At the story’s beginning, we have some belief that this woman will not remain static, but there is still enough mystery of her future movements to make us wonder. So we get to watch her growing knowledge -- enjoying the after-dinner conversation of the men at the dinner party, rather than that of the women. We find a Margaret who is brave and bold and moves to protect the men in her life. And at a point in her life, she knows that “she must one day answer for her own life, and what she has done with it…”

The plot is pure craftsmanship. Gaskell wrote of the difficulties of the format of a serialized story where she was restricted in length. Perhaps some events occur in the story with abruptness. Even so, I seldom read a novel with such a strong plot. Most of the turning points, the characters' actions, and revealing of emotion are perfectly placed.

This novel’s scenes are unsurpassed. North and South could define the perfect execution of scenes within a story. Some of the richest include the first meeting of the Hale and Thornton women, the strikers' riot, the touching interaction between Margaret and brother Frederick upon his rare visit home, and the novel's very beautiful final scene. And without Gaskell’s powers of presenting her story so visually, she could not have made the reader understand the world of the northern English manufacturing community.

Please give this novel a try. It is a rich classic that offers so much I can’t even describe. And it is also a strongly romantic story of a young woman's experiences of struggle, loyalty and a moving connection with a man of noble spirit.

Highly recommended. Surely one of the best of Victorian fiction.
...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2015 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance, era-victorian, classic, gutenberg, 1001-books

on NPR's list of 100 best romance books http://www.npr.org/2015/07/29/4267318...

Oh, the melodrama! This is very much social-justice = yay! and union yes! and I admire that. But, oh! the melodrama!

"...Yo're not of this country, I reckon?"

"No!" said Margaret, half sighing. "I come from the South -- from Hampshire," she continued, a little afraid of wounding his consciousness of ignorance, if she used a name which he did not understand.

"That's beyond London, I reckon? And I come fro' Burnley-way

...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 01, 2013 Suvi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: _great-britain, 1800s, novels

When the Masterpiece Theatre's production (Richard Armitage!) was first shown on Finnish tv, I fell in love with it (including the haunting theme music). I haven't seen it in a couple of years now, because I've been afraid that the enchantment will be broken or something, but after finally getting around to reading this, I'm probably going to hunt it down.

The opposites that are Margaret Hale and John Thornton are a part of the dynamics of the novel. Thornton seems a very hard man with an unpenet When the Masterpiece Theatre's production (Richard Armitage!) was first shown on Finnish tv, I fell in love with it (including the haunting theme music). I haven't seen it in a couple of years now, because I've been afraid that the enchantment will be broken or something, but after finally getting around to reading this, I'm probably going to hunt it down.

The opposites that are Margaret Hale and John Thornton are a part of the dynamics of the novel. Thornton seems a very hard man with an unpenetrable exterior, and someone who's not too keen on showing his emotions. When this break through the barrier happens, it's touching. Margaret on the other hand dislikes the superficial company of women, admires calm behavior, and her character is often misunderstood as arrogant. Both are stubborn, and despite all the misunderstandings, prejudices, and cold behavior, both understand each other in a certain way and see behind faked facial expressions.

Although I haven't read Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813), based on the reviews and the miniseries I've seen, the relationship between Thornton and Margaret seems very similar than the one between Darcy and Elizabeth. North and South however isn't just about wallowing in love and relationships, but also a story about loss and justice, and where the meaning of death is great in the development of the characters. This isn't dark though, because on the background there are always new possibilities and hope.

Most of all this is a study of human nature, the conflicts of industrialisation, and injustices of the society. A humane story about a city, where the collisions of different people might even be dangerous. The reader is allowed the space to make own conclusions. Both the factory masters and workers have reasonable thoughts, and Gaskell shows that both sides are able to make mistakes.

There were a few times in the dialogue where the speaker wasn't identified, but luckily just a few so it didn't bother as much as it could have. At first the workers' way of talking was kind of cryptic, but when I figured out the logic behind it, it became easier to read. Reading aloud helped, although my speech kind of verged on the Irish side. The ending might seem abrupt to some, but I didn't mind. If I could have, I would have held my breath the whole time, and at the end I could finally sigh for a relief (won't admit any tears), even though we all know how these books end. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2011 Erica rated it really liked it

Greatly enjoyed reading little bits of the this 521 pg tome before bed for the past few months. Gaskell takes on class in a way I hadn't thought possible for a mid-19th century romance novel (1855). It definitely has its quirks, and like Traci complained, the ending wraps up FAR too quickly--after so much death and strife and depression, there's very little balanced pleasure in seeing Thornton and Margaret finally get together. One of the little gifts of this novel was the descriptions of Thornt ...more

Like · see review

Jan 03, 2012 KC rated it liked it · review of another edition

Read this for A-Levels ... might have poisoned it for me, I liked it, but spent way too much time thinking about it to really love the book.

Like · see review

Jun 26, 2018 Anie rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018, library, female-author, fiction, female-protagonist, classics

Much in the line of Austen - not as sharp or quite as beautifully crafted as much of Austen's work, but still witty and charming and worth the time, especially for any fans of 18th and 19th century Britlit. ...more

Like · see review

Jan 29, 2011 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, classic-fiction, british-literature

After watching the BBC mini-series, I had to read this. Even though I basically knew the entire story I was still riveted and I'm so glad I read it. Not only is it a love story that is somewhat reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice but it also given an insight into industrial England in the mid 1800s (it's more interesting than it sounds). Now of course I have to watch the miniseries again. ...more

Like · see review

Sep 26, 2011 superawesomekt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, book-club, to-be-continued, class-and-caste, british-literature, england

I had seen the BBC / A&E series, but loved the book!

Like · see review

Jun 14, 2009 Isabel added it · review of another edition

Like

Jul 11, 2009 Ching-In marked it as to-read

Like

Jul 25, 2009 Jennifer Eklund marked it as to-read

Like

Aug 20, 2009 Vesra (When She Reads) added it · review of another edition

Like

Nov 11, 2009 Doina marked it as to-read

Like

Jun 24, 2010 Deedee marked it as to-read

Shelves: e3, three-word-title, classics, world-europe-england, rws-canon-bonus-points, 1850-1859, tv-movie-bbc, underclass, srcs-fall-members-choices, n2

Like