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siguirimama's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
A real pleasure to read. Cranford had me laughing out loud at the sly humour and deeply moved. Such a great chronicler of life in a small town! "The Cage at Cranford" is a great little follow-on story. "Mr Harrison's Confessions" follows love and pursuit of the new country doctor with humour as narrated by the unfortunate/fortunate Mr Harrison himself. And "My Lady Ludlow" is rather incredible on many levels being at once frustrating and very touching too. Very glad to have read this collection of stories from Elizabeth Gaskell.
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
So you've read Jane Austen. Wouldn't you like to spend some more time, not with an Austen heroine, but with Miss Bates, the comically talkative, poverty-stricken spinster in Emma? Reading The Cranford Chronicles is a lot like that. Cranford is a small town, where somehow men never stick around for long and where the women are self-contained and have developed odd habits.
hksmith's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A collection of story stories centered around the idea of a quiet, country village. 'Mr Harrison's Confessions' was my favourite of the four.
bookzealots's review against another edition
2.0
Thus far, I've only read Cranford. There were parts I enjoyed and a few things that were unsettling. It doesn't hold a candle to Ruth.
hottoddie's review against another edition
3.0
I have read this very slowly, mainly because it is a slowly moving book in which not a great deal happens! The book holds three stories of life among the aristocracy whose life consists of tea parties, talk of fashion, gossip the desirability or not of marriage and little else.They are written with gentle wit and the characters are drawn brilliantly.
It made me aware of what a child of my time I am as the insufferable snobbery of the aristocracy and those from a "good family" really annoyed me,despite the fact I know it was a reflection of the attitudes of the time. It is said that Dickens,writing at a similar time, showed in his books, society as it truly was,warts and all and he in fact challenged the attitudes towards those of a different class. I wonder if Elizabeth Gaskell,in her own style is doing the same thing? She gently pokes fun at the snobs as the story unfolds and she portrays the characters who go against the status quo as rather more agreeable and understandable.Perhaps she was also reflecting a changing time where societies' long held and deeply ingrained structures were being questioned and shaken
Each story is quite different so I will write a short account of each
Cranford
A story of a largely female society in a small northern town. The story is character led and the reader can't help but become interested in these beautifully portrayed characters.Eccentric, overly dramatic but above all kind and loving towards each other, the ladies of Cranford touch our hearts.
Mr Harrison's confessions
This is definitely the funniest of the stories.It tells of a new doctor arriving at another small town.He is a gentlemanly and honourable man although dull and stupid in his failure to see the romantic overtures of just about every young and old lady in the place.This specific blindness leads to a farcical set of events before The good doctor can settle with the lady he truly loved;the Vicars daughter.
My Lady Ludlow
In reading a few reviews before starting the book I found that this one was often described as the least enjoyed and most boring of Gaskell's stories.However I'm not sure if it wasn't my favorite. It is mainly a description of the life and character of one Lady but shows the social history of the time very well and has a very interesting account of an attempted rescue of aristocracy from Paris during the French revolution.
I have given the book 3 stars;not as a reflection of my enjoyment.I liked it but didn't love it.It is well written and I can see why this classic is still popular today but to give it more than 3stars would be a disservice to those books I have given more to. If you enjoy social history I really reccommend it.
It made me aware of what a child of my time I am as the insufferable snobbery of the aristocracy and those from a "good family" really annoyed me,despite the fact I know it was a reflection of the attitudes of the time. It is said that Dickens,writing at a similar time, showed in his books, society as it truly was,warts and all and he in fact challenged the attitudes towards those of a different class. I wonder if Elizabeth Gaskell,in her own style is doing the same thing? She gently pokes fun at the snobs as the story unfolds and she portrays the characters who go against the status quo as rather more agreeable and understandable.Perhaps she was also reflecting a changing time where societies' long held and deeply ingrained structures were being questioned and shaken
Each story is quite different so I will write a short account of each
Cranford
A story of a largely female society in a small northern town. The story is character led and the reader can't help but become interested in these beautifully portrayed characters.Eccentric, overly dramatic but above all kind and loving towards each other, the ladies of Cranford touch our hearts.
Mr Harrison's confessions
This is definitely the funniest of the stories.It tells of a new doctor arriving at another small town.He is a gentlemanly and honourable man although dull and stupid in his failure to see the romantic overtures of just about every young and old lady in the place.This specific blindness leads to a farcical set of events before The good doctor can settle with the lady he truly loved;the Vicars daughter.
My Lady Ludlow
In reading a few reviews before starting the book I found that this one was often described as the least enjoyed and most boring of Gaskell's stories.However I'm not sure if it wasn't my favorite. It is mainly a description of the life and character of one Lady but shows the social history of the time very well and has a very interesting account of an attempted rescue of aristocracy from Paris during the French revolution.
I have given the book 3 stars;not as a reflection of my enjoyment.I liked it but didn't love it.It is well written and I can see why this classic is still popular today but to give it more than 3stars would be a disservice to those books I have given more to. If you enjoy social history I really reccommend it.
chalkletters's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
2.75
Ever since I read Wives and Daughters, I’ve been saying I want to read more Elizabeth Gaskell, so when I spotted this copy of Cranford and Other Storiesat my local free bookshelf, I couldn’t resist. The ‘and other stories’ wasn’t obvious from the cover, so the inclusion of Mr Harrison’s Confessions and My Lady Ludlow came as a pleasant surprise — more Elizabeth Gaskell for me to try! Nickie promised Cranford would be “a proper stocking full of heartwarming tidbits”, perfect for cozy reading on long winter’s nights.
Jenny Uglow’s brief introduction to Cranford and Other Stories whets the appetite without spoiling the story. Female main characters in classic literature are usually either married or dead by the end of the novel, so a whole narrative about middle-aged spinsters is quite an unusual prospect. The village of Cranford is a community, a group of friends who help each other out to the best of their ability and it really is heartwarming to read about.
Miss Matty is reminiscent of Little Women’s Beth March, in that the narrator often points out her goodness, her sweetness of temper and her positive affect on others. These moments are more telling than showing, but fortunately, Miss Matty also gets the opportunity to show her personality in the way she treats others. Her lasting respect for her overbearing sister’s traditions and rules may have seemed worthy to a contemporary reader, but falls slightly flat in an age that values individuality.
This difference of attitude presents even more of a problem in My Lady Ludlow. Even given the background of the French Revolution, it’s hard to sympathise with the title character’s disdain for educating ‘the lower classes’ and her fears around servants becoming unsatisfied with their position. This was the least enjoyable of the four chapters, meandering very slowly with little actual plot.
Overall, Cranford delivered on its promise of a cozy community, Mr Harrison’s Confessions were amusing, but My Lady Ludlow rather let the collection down at the final moment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Death and Death of parent
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
So you've read Jane Austen. Wouldn't you like to spend some more time, not with an Austen heroine, but with Miss Bates, the comically talkative, poverty-stricken spinster in Emma? Reading The Cranford Chronicles is a lot like that. Cranford is a small town, where somehow men never stick around for long and where the women are self-contained and have developed odd habits.