What I Read in May 2015 Part V

What I Read in May 2015 Part V ...

Wives and Daughters-by Elizabeth Gaskell- Historical Fiction Classic

It's impossible to summarize the plot of this book. It's not quite a romance and it doesn't have the grand political statement of North and South but it does have some romance, some drama, some comedy and the backdrop of the idyllic English countryside. Sue Birdwhistle, the producer of the mini series sums up the story well : "[It's about] where love comes from, how it grows, how it can break our hearts, how it can bring happiness and fulfillment. It's about the mistakes we make and the secrets we have to keep."

I had a hard time getting into the book at first, having seen the miniseries. It was difficult to go forward knowing what would happen but there were subtle differences and things I didn't remember which made me want to read on. The prose is mostly very modern. The book doesn't read like a typical 19th century domestic novel at all. Some of the language and situations places the book in the 19th century but the overall narrative and the characters exist anywhere. There are some subtle messages here about class consciousness, trying to be someone you're not, the worth of a man, and the downside of having too much pride and extreme (unfounded) prejudices. Gaskell doesn't spell it out and hit you on the head with her messages but allows her characters to slowly change and grow over time to accept changes in their lives. There's a good deal of subtle humor in the story too. The minor characters, the Misses Browning are the types of spinster ladies who populate Gaskell's famous Cranford chronicles. Also Lady Cumnor is (unintentionally on her part) funny. Her husband is intentionally funny, at least he thinks he is. The humor adds a lot to the story and delivers a message without a punch. It's a testament to Gaskell's writing that she could pull it all off. Though she died before she finished the novel completely, she left notes on what happens in the next and final chapter.

Molly Gibson, a country doctor's daughter, is a bit too noble and good for my tastes. Occasionally she shows bursts of temper but she never completely loses her cool. She does deliberately disobey when the occasion requires it. She's sort of like a priest, being the peacemaker and privy to everyone's secrets. Despite her goodness, she is a sympathetic character and I wanted her to be happy.

Molly's father, Gibson, was not my idea of a good father. He was in some ways close to his daughter yet he never really stopped to think about her feelings. He let her be raised in innocence and ignorance by others and continually has his head in the sand when it comes to Molly. He does not want to get involved in domestic relations and he does not want Molly to grow up. He mishandles all his domestic affairs and it all falls on Molly's shoulders to bear the burdens alone.

Osborne and Roger Hamley are about as different as brothers can be. I wasn't crazy about Osborne. He's more of a typical Victorian town gentleman and his manners are too polished. Yet, he's very realistic because he feels the weight of his parents' expectations and the burden of keeping a big secret. Roger is the typical younger son. He better fits the country squire mold than his brother but his parents do not have high hopes for him. He's quiet and kind and too good. He makes one mistake, one most men do and that makes him a bit more human. I found him endearing though, for the most part.

The Kirkpatrick women are complex characters. Hyacinth is horrible and completely unfeeling yet at one point I felt a little sorry for her because she's not too bright and the thought never occurred to her that others don't have the same lack of moral code she does. Her daughter Cynthia is more complicated. On the surface she seems a lot like her mother but fortunately she was shunted off to school at a young age and didn't see her mother very often. She has more depth of feeling and consciousness than her mother. She recognizes her mother's faults and I enjoyed her quick witty barbs directed at her mother. Cynthia wants to be good like Molly but she can't because she wasn't brought up to feel the way Molly does about things. I have mixed feelings about her. I want to like her and I do but I don't fully trust her or embrace her as a loved character.

Besides Hyacinth, the villain of the piece (if there is one) is really a nasty sort of man. Gaskell intended him to be three-dimensional and probably thought we should have sympathy for him but he just is not a nice person.

The one character I loved the most was Squire Hamley. My heart went out to him and broke with his. I loved his relationship with Molly. Their friendship is so beautiful and loving. He's sort of a second father to Molly and she feels comfortable with the Hamleys. I also loved how he has to experience a lot of negative change in order to grow as a person. He's gruff yet loving, proud yet kind. His limited life experiences fill him with negative prejudices. He has the biggest change to go through and the most at stake. It helps that he was played so amazingly by Michael Gambon (who I did NOT like as Dumbledore but loved in Wives and Daughters and Cranford).

My other favorite character is Lady Harriet. The daughter of Lord and Lady Cumnor, she enjoys a hearty horseback ride and isn't snobbish in visiting with the locals. She recognizes the faults of others with a self-satisfied smugness but I enjoyed her wit. I also loved that she was Molly's friend and champion.

The secondary characters are the best. Gaskell truly excels at creating quirky village inhabitants.

This is a classic novel that's not well known but if you love Jane Austen, you should definitely read this book.

North and South (Elizabeth Gaskell)

North and South

by Elizabeth Gaskell

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell -- Historical Fiction/Romance

This is a long book but well worth it. It's a classic Victorian novel that every woman should read. Our heroine, Margaret Hale, the daughter of a county clergyman, grew up in London with her wealthy relatives. She was a sort of companion to her cousin Edith who is now getting married. Margaret looks forward to returning to her parents in the country, enjoying long walks in the forest and become reacquainted with the locals. She returns to find her mother in poor spirits and her father on the verge of something that will change all their lives forever. When Rev. Hale finds he can no longer in good faith be a clergyman in the Church of England, he moves his family to Milton, a northern manufacturing town, where he will teach the classics to willing pupils. Milton is full of smoke, "shoppy" people and one rude mill owner, a Mr. Thornton who believes commerce and progress equal success and success makes the man. Over the course of the next three years Margaret's life will change in ways she can hardly imagine as she deals with adjusting to life in a manufacturing town and the tragedies she finds there. This story has often been called Pride and Prejudice with a social conscience. It's also a love story for the ages. Margaret and _____ are right up there with Lizzy and Darcy in the romantic literary canon.

How do I love this book? Let me count the ways... First, there's the amazing heroine Margaret. She's a proto-feminist character. She speaks her mind no matter what and she desires above all else, independence. I found her a bit hard to like at first. I seem to be in the minority in that but she's alternately very good and alternately snobby. She can't help but have absorbed some London views but she's so kind to the poor of the South and such a clergyman's daughter that I think she should have a little bit more kindness for shop people. The people she meets in Milton help her understand much more about reality and help her form her own opinions. By the end of the book, she is one amazing woman!

All of the characters have their good and bad points, with the exception of one or two. John Thornton is an especially complex character. He's a mill master who pulled himself up from poverty. He has definite opinions and like Margaret, is very stubborn in changing those opinions. Yet, unlike most men of his time and class, he's willing to listen to Margaret and consider her viewpoint. He also longs for comfort, compassion and love. He is a very loveable man! His mother, on the other hand, is hard. She doesn't show her emotions easily but she is a lot like Margaret. She's strong and capable and proud. Her daughter Fanny and Margaret's cousin Edith exemplify what was typical of women of their social class at that time. Neither really come off very well by modern standards.

The workers are portrayed sympathetically, with one particular family taking center stage. Bessy Higgins is a young woman Margaret's own age who is dying of cotton lung (tuberculosis). She is a fairly typical Victorian martyr but she and Margaret are able to draw off each other and learn new things. Bessy's father is a firebrand who speaks his mind and gets into trouble for it. I really like him and he adds a lot of interesting depth to the story. Without him, you pretty much have an industrial Pride and Prejudice but Higgins shows Margaret first hand what the workers are like and what they're thinking and feeling. This allows her to form opinions and share them with anyone who will listen.

I can't really say a lot more without giving away more of the plot, but this book is among my favorite Victorian novels of all times. When you're done reading, watch or rewatch the miniseries featuring Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage. :Swoon:!