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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.
andrewspink's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-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
I heard about this book on the brilliant podcast "Backlisted". It is set is South-east Yorkshire (not South Yorkshire as you might think), roughly the area which used to be North Humberside. My father, and several generations before him, came from that region (Goole, just a bit up river from Hull - or Kingsport, as it is called in the book).
The book has a strong woman as a central character (which I guess was quite unusual for its age, it was published in 1936) and a whole set of other interesting and complex people. The setting is local government, specifically the county council, which you might think would be unutterably boring, but actually that means it is all about power and relationships and poverty and pride and a whole lot else. To get an idea of how important that all is, you only have to take a look at the grand town halls in the big cities of Northern England from the 19th century.
A lot of the characters speak to each other in local dialect. That is difficult to do well. If the dialogue is written too literally, then it becomes incomprehensible and if just the odd word is thrown in to standard English, then it is not convincing. Winifred Holtby manages to capture the rhythm of the speech with judicious use of a few words like 'nobbut' (understandable to everyone, I suppose) added, and that is very well done.
Several of the councillors are local preachers or otherwise active in the Wesleyan church. Round about when this book was published, various branches of the UK Methodist church, principally the Wesleyans and the Primitive Methodist were united into one church. The Wesleyans were the closes to Anglicans; less identified with the trade unions and similar than the 'prims' and more concerned with status and power. They come across very negatively in the book, with large amounts of hypocrisy, pomposity and self-interest and are contrasted with the positive mind-set of the non-religious (at least in the sense of organised religion) main character, the headmistress. Despite the negative gloss on the Methodist, I still enjoyed reading those passages. It was the Wesleyanism of my grandfather that was clearly portrayed here.
I am so happy that I discovered this book through Backlisted. It really is a gem.
The book has a strong woman as a central character (which I guess was quite unusual for its age, it was published in 1936) and a whole set of other interesting and complex people. The setting is local government, specifically the county council, which you might think would be unutterably boring, but actually that means it is all about power and relationships and poverty and pride and a whole lot else. To get an idea of how important that all is, you only have to take a look at the grand town halls in the big cities of Northern England from the 19th century.
A lot of the characters speak to each other in local dialect. That is difficult to do well. If the dialogue is written too literally, then it becomes incomprehensible and if just the odd word is thrown in to standard English, then it is not convincing. Winifred Holtby manages to capture the rhythm of the speech with judicious use of a few words like 'nobbut' (understandable to everyone, I suppose) added, and that is very well done.
Several of the councillors are local preachers or otherwise active in the Wesleyan church. Round about when this book was published, various branches of the UK Methodist church, principally the Wesleyans and the Primitive Methodist were united into one church. The Wesleyans were the closes to Anglicans; less identified with the trade unions and similar than the 'prims' and more concerned with status and power. They come across very negatively in the book, with large amounts of hypocrisy, pomposity and self-interest and are contrasted with the positive mind-set of the non-religious (at least in the sense of organised religion) main character, the headmistress. Despite the negative gloss on the Methodist, I still enjoyed reading those passages. It was the Wesleyanism of my grandfather that was clearly portrayed here.
I am so happy that I discovered this book through Backlisted. It really is a gem.
nae1226's review
4.0
The plot follows the lives and the politics of South Riding. It deals with the conflict of old gentry versus those who oppose it's ideals. The diversity between the haves and the have nots is developed the most by the politicians.
Sarah, the public school mistress is a newcomer to the community.
Sarah, the public school mistress is a newcomer to the community.
andrew61's review
4.0
What a fascinating piece of Social history this book was as it portrayed a small town in the fictional South Riding of Yorkshire in 1932 which highlights the massive social changes taking place within an England still in the shadow of the first war but looking to the future.
the book centres on Sarah Burton a young woman who applies for job as Headmistress in the girls school at Maythorpe. At her interview she meets the great and good of local politics including the formidable Aldermen Mrs Beddows and Robert Carne the local estate owner and it is local politics that also forms a major thread in the books plot. Sarah, although from the area brings her radical London ideas about women's independence and the education of girls and quickly clashes with carne whose daughter is sent to the school but also intervenes to encourage the education of another girl from impoverished background whose talents are obvious.
Add into the plot a woman locked in an asylum because she is a bit wild, the redevelopment of a road straight through the poor area of town, death in childbirth, appalling health education and sanitary standards, corruption, socialism and post war trauma and this is a book that seems ahead of its time and was totally absorbing with characters I enjoyed . Definitely a highlight of this years reading.
the book centres on Sarah Burton a young woman who applies for job as Headmistress in the girls school at Maythorpe. At her interview she meets the great and good of local politics including the formidable Aldermen Mrs Beddows and Robert Carne the local estate owner and it is local politics that also forms a major thread in the books plot. Sarah, although from the area brings her radical London ideas about women's independence and the education of girls and quickly clashes with carne whose daughter is sent to the school but also intervenes to encourage the education of another girl from impoverished background whose talents are obvious.
Add into the plot a woman locked in an asylum because she is a bit wild, the redevelopment of a road straight through the poor area of town, death in childbirth, appalling health education and sanitary standards, corruption, socialism and post war trauma and this is a book that seems ahead of its time and was totally absorbing with characters I enjoyed . Definitely a highlight of this years reading.
mazza57's review
3.0
I am a lover of the classics and was interested in reading something set in the Yorkshire that I live in. There were parts of this that i thoroughly enjoyed but there were also parts that did not keep my attention. Holtby creates a great cast of characters but simply doesn't create the situations in which they can truly shine
hannicogood's review
4.0
I find it odd that the introduction of this book claims it’s about local government (at least the edition I read). Such a disservice to this great book, which spans the interactions of a rural 1930s community with a long and varied cast of characters. Sure, local government is sort of the backbone of the plot, but it’s really about the trials and triumphs of a community.
I would have liked to get to know some of the characters better, but I still think this book was excellent!
I would have liked to get to know some of the characters better, but I still think this book was excellent!
lucyblack's review
2.0
Sorry Mizzo I got a third of the way through and I wasn't hooked. I liked Midge and the teacher and Lydia but the male characters bored me. I liked some of the descriptions of events but the longwinded back stories and conversations were overwhelming. Maybe would have been better if I could have read bigger chunks at a time. I will try again one day.