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.North and South

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

January 13, 1994
I like this book but have to say i thought it would be alot better...it is the tale of the contrast between the country and the city and two characters caught up in that...and it is very good, but quite stretched for such a big book and i just found it a bit of a tug sometimes to get through...and the "I don't love you"..oh hang on..."i love you lots now" thing was a bit vexing
Very good but there are better books in my opinion..but i would recommend it, just not as highly as others
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.Mary Barton (Oxford World's Classics)

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

March 09, 2006
Mary Barton is one of those books that sometimes makes for uncomfortable reading, because it is so sad and the era so bleak...however...it is also heart warming, full of characters that you truly get to know and love and necessary as an evocative history of that period. I would totally recommend it, however , not as a holiday book - it's heavy and needs to be viewed as such or it'll really get to you! superb
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.Wives and Daughters (Wordsworth Classics)

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

November 01, 1999
If you've seen the adaptation of this neglected classic, then you'll already know the storyline. Suffice to say that the book is even better, because it fleshes out more of the secondary characters, such as Lady Harriet, the Squire and Lady Hamley. What makes the book such a delight to read is Gaskell's knowledge of human nature. One feels that Gaskell is a little like Roger, putting each character under the microscope, but analysing each fault kindly. The only character who doesn't get much sympathy is Mr. Preston, which is not surprising after what he does.

The relationships between family are what really power this book, especially that between Cynthia and Molly, the two opposites. Cynthia is inconstant and immoral, but she ... Read More:
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.Ruth (Penguin Classics)

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

July 31, 1997
i have read this a couple of times now and it's beautiful. Combines the nasty realities of life with touching sentiment and beautifully crafted characters. Story follows a familiar theme with the lovely kind poor girl and rich cad....i don't want to spoil it...but it follows her through, the christian motif through it v strong and poignant with a heart breaking ending. Excellent
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.Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

October 31, 1996
There are two strong messages in the book, both of which made me very uncomfortable. Firstly, the working classes should put their faith in God rather than trying to bring about social change - particularly through trade unionism. Secondly, whilst the 'masters' should look towards helping their workers and building a relationship of trust, they shouldn't try too hard to feed them if times were bad.

With the exception of Mary and her father John, the characters in the book are pretty much black and white - Jem is good and decent who is allowed a moment's dark thoughts before quickly becoming good and decent again and Henry Carson is a wrong 'un from the start - vain, silly and happy to destroy Mary's honour and character without thinking of the consequences ... Read More:
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.Cranford and Selected Short Stories (Wordsworth Classics)

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

July 10, 2006
There are two strong messages in the book, both of which made me very uncomfortable. Firstly, the working classes should put their faith in God rather than trying to bring about social change - particularly through trade unionism. Secondly, whilst the 'masters' should look towards helping their workers and building a relationship of trust, they shouldn't try too hard to feed them if times were bad.

With the exception of Mary and her father John, the characters in the book are pretty much black and white - Jem is good and decent who is allowed a moment's dark thoughts before quickly becoming good and decent again and Henry Carson is a wrong 'un from the start - vain, silly and happy to destroy Mary's honour and character without thinking of the consequences ... Read More:
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.North and South (Oxford World's Classics)

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

September 10, 1998
I like this book but have to say i thought it would be alot better...it is the tale of the contrast between the country and the city and two characters caught up in that...and it is very good, but quite stretched for such a big book and i just found it a bit of a tug sometimes to get through...and the "I don't love you"..oh hang on..."i love you lots now" thing was a bit vexing
Very good but there are better books in my opinion..but i would recommend it, just not as highly as others
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.North and South

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

April 06, 2006
I have to admit that I saw the BBC mini-series before reading the book, I know, shame on me for not reading more, but the thing is that I decided to read it to check how good was the adaptation and found in the first place a good book to read, nice characters, some great literary moments and interesting use of dialogue, slang, northern accent that makes it an amazing novel, and secondly, the adaptation in this case has been great, fantastic, probably due to the fact that Gaskell creates characters, dotes on them, offering us a complete view into their core, sometimes we get too much information but, I am not complaining. Thornton is one of those characters that will go with you for the rest of your life.
Hope you like it too.
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.The Life of Charlotte Bronte

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

January 29, 1998
As per the other reviews on here, this book is an essential read if you want to know the full life and times of the Bronte's.

However, one thing i will say, i found it annoying that some of the names of people mentioned in the book had their names blanked out to protect them as they might still be living, which after this amount of time is very doubtful.

And totally my ignorance is that I don’t speak French, so it meant skipping a few pages every now and then as some of the letters Charlotte had written were in French.

The pace of the book is a little uneven but this may be down to the events, still Definatly a good read.
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.Gothic Tales

by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

August 14, 2000
As per the other reviews on here, this book is an essential read if you want to know the full life and times of the Bronte's.

However, one thing i will say, i found it annoying that some of the names of people mentioned in the book had their names blanked out to protect them as they might still be living, which after this amount of time is very doubtful.

And totally my ignorance is that I don’t speak French, so it meant skipping a few pages every now and then as some of the letters Charlotte had written were in French.

The pace of the book is a little uneven but this may be down to the events, still Definatly a good read.
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Used Price: £2.95