North and South (Wordsworth Classics)
With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Patsy Stoneman, University of Hull.
Set in the mid-19th century, and written from the author's first-hand experience, North and South follows the story of the heroine's movement from the tranquil but moribund ways of southern England to the vital but turbulent north. Elizabeth Gaskell's skilful narrative uses an unusual love story to show how personal and public lives were woven together in a newly industrial society.
This is a tale of hard-won triumphs - of rational thought over prejudice and of humane care over blind deference to the market. Readers in the twenty-first century will find themselves absorbed as this Victorian novel traces the origins of problems and possibilities which are still challenging a hundred and fifty years later: the complex relationships, public and private, between men and women of different classes.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Margaret, like almost everyone of her social station in England at that time, has prejudices about people involved in "trade," yet finds herself in an environment where everyone is either a tradesman or a worker. When she discovers the suffering of the oppressed workers in her town of Milton, she develops a passionate sense of social justice, while also learning to understand the struggles of the businesses owners. Margaret's new-found social conscience is tried by a love interest, a local business owner. It's a wonderful story, told intelligently and wryly by the wonderful Gaskell.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.