Reviews

South Riding by Winifred Holtby

oliviasbookshop's review

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kchessrice's review

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The main storyline follows Sarah Burton, the headmistress of South Riding's high school for girls. Sarah is intelligent, clever and full of ambition for "her girls". She faces many battles to win the hearts and minds of the townspeople - and her own School Board! One of her strongest opponents is Robert Carne, owner of 'the big house' with a mentally ill wife being looked after in a nursing home which is using up all his money (shades of Jane Eyre here!). 

Holtby's work has been compared as similar in theme and scope (and length!) as George Eliot and Charles Dickens - and I can see why! The fictionalised parish of South Riding in Yorkshire is the setting for a story about the people who live in the town and surrounding villages, and the people who sit on the Council making decisions that will impact all their lives. The most contemporary novel I can think of that is similar is The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. 

For me, the most interesting theme is the importance of a good education for young girls. I loved the character of 15 year old Lydia Holly, who has ambitions of getting herself out of the drudgery of the life she lives with her parents and multiple younger siblings. Unfortunately, she is forced to leave school to help look after their run down shack of a home and bring up the children. How keenly I felt that disappointment with Lydia! 

I must say that I rather trudged through the trials and tribulations of South Riding (I think I understand the term "hate reading" a bit better now!). The group chat with the other #QuietClassics2023 readers definitely pulled me through! I appreciate there is much to enjoy in the writing, however there were too many characters with their own side plots for me and I didn't feel I had enough time with the ones I liked. It was also very bleak! Don't hang about too long in South Riding or you'll come to a sudden end... Man, child or horse, none were safe!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Animal death, Mental illness, and Child abuse

reading_at_the_zoo's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

these_thats_and_prose's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

#quietclassics2023 choice for July, South Riding by Winifred Holtby is a sweeping novel depicting rural life in England.  Set in the inter-war period it is a story about the passions, the bitterness and the tragedies of a Yorkshire district who are poised at the edge of change.  Centred around the going’s on of the South Riding County Council, it is more than just a story of the politics of local government, it is a boundless novel that captures the life of the whole community.  

 

At the beginning, I must admit I found South Riding a bit “twee” for my tastes, but the talent of the author to capture the vividness of the characters soon changed my mind and as it progressed, and their cheery veneers started to chip away I was addicted to that almost imperceptible change in the mood of the writing to something darker.  

 

It has a bit of a meandering pace and quite long at almost 500 pages, however, the characterisation is so exquisite that I almost forgave how the length diluted the slow-moving plot even further.  There is a romantic element to the story which unfortunately didn’t work for me, but because the stories of all the characters put together is so vast and pleasing, I also let this one slide.  

susannelucyluisa's review against another edition

slow-paced

4.0

sophronisba's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 I really loved this portrait of a town in the 1930s. It's a political/social novel so not all the characters are as developed as I would have liked them to be, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. 

asuitablereader's review

informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

hardcoverhearts's review

hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

adrienne_g's review

reflective slow-paced

3.5

traceyyoung's review

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was an interesting story centred around a local council in the fictional South Riding. It was easy to read in a plot where not much happened. There were a lot of main characters and at times this was confusing when people were returned to who had not been featured for several chapters. The characters were complex and most characters had good aspects and flaws, which felt a bit much at times but did make me stop and think. Overall it was OK but not amazing.