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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Absolutely lovely.
Margaret is a wonderful and powerful character. Probably one of favourite 19th-century female character. She is strong willed and true to herself.
Gaskell’s writing style is as always impeccable. Her wording is fresh and flowing, and only in some parts slower and denser.
Apart from the somewhat boring intercession of pietism and moralism here and there, everything in this book was perfect.
Loved the main characters and descriptions of both people and nature.
Appreciated the characters’ development and description of social issues.
Probably a bit much that so many people in Margaret’s life die within so little time. But these things sadly do happen in real life as well, so it wasn’t particularly unbelievable, just a bit too dramatic perhaps.
For Mr Thornton I only have hearts reaction for he has been true to himself from beginning to end and he is just the most sweetie pie character ever.
Margaret is a wonderful and powerful character. Probably one of favourite 19th-century female character. She is strong willed and true to herself.
Gaskell’s writing style is as always impeccable. Her wording is fresh and flowing, and only in some parts slower and denser.
Apart from the somewhat boring intercession of pietism and moralism here and there, everything in this book was perfect.
Loved the main characters and descriptions of both people and nature.
Appreciated the characters’ development and description of social issues.
Probably a bit much that so many people in Margaret’s life die within so little time. But these things sadly do happen in real life as well, so it wasn’t particularly unbelievable, just a bit too dramatic perhaps.
For Mr Thornton I only have hearts reaction for he has been true to himself from beginning to end and he is just the most sweetie pie character ever.
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me one and a half months to read this book, but not because I didn't like it. The problem was that I went on vacation for three weeks and I didn't read a single page in that time v.v Reading it in English made my progress slower too, but once I got my hands in a Spanish copy, I was able to speed the process.
I am supposed to be an economist (at least, that's what I studied), so in some way I enjoyed the economic explanations in the story much more than the romantic part, which in my opinion it's not that romantic.
My favourite parts are the ones involving Higgings or Thornton or both. I didn't warm to Margaret and I couldn't understand at the end if she really fell in love with Thornton or not, although I wanted to stand up for her every time Mrs. Thornton talked bad about her or her aunt and cousin manipulated her by making her feel guilty. In the end, I just can say that I like better the Margaret in the BBC adaptation than the original Margaret from the book, because when I was getting to the end of the book, I had the impression that the author spent more time describing Thornton's feelings for Margaret that developing and showing Margaret's feelings for him beside her "obsession" to restore his good opinion of her... That is some way handled differently in the series (I think, I don't entirely remember).
Summarizing... I liked the book (and I would have to reread it some time in the future for a better understanding), but I prefer the BBC adaptation for several reasons. The main ones: the first one, already mentioned, is Margaret; the second one is the ending that is also very rush in the TV series, but more emotional (although I like better the setting from the book), and the third one, although I'm not Richard Armitage's fan... He's soooooo god, soooo Mr-Thornton-ish that well, that's my third main reason :P
I am supposed to be an economist (at least, that's what I studied), so in some way I enjoyed the economic explanations in the story much more than the romantic part, which in my opinion it's not that romantic.
My favourite parts are the ones involving Higgings or Thornton or both. I didn't warm to Margaret and I couldn't understand at the end if she really fell in love with Thornton or not, although I wanted to stand up for her every time Mrs. Thornton talked bad about her or her aunt and cousin manipulated her by making her feel guilty. In the end, I just can say that I like better the Margaret in the BBC adaptation than the original Margaret from the book, because when I was getting to the end of the book, I had the impression that the author spent more time describing Thornton's feelings for Margaret that developing and showing Margaret's feelings for him beside her "obsession" to restore his good opinion of her... That is some way handled differently in the series (I think, I don't entirely remember).
Summarizing... I liked the book (and I would have to reread it some time in the future for a better understanding), but I prefer the BBC adaptation for several reasons. The main ones: the first one, already mentioned, is Margaret; the second one is the ending that is also very rush in the TV series, but more emotional (although I like better the setting from the book), and the third one, although I'm not Richard Armitage's fan... He's soooooo god, soooo Mr-Thornton-ish that well, that's my third main reason :P
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Can’t give this anything other than 5 stars. The bbc miniseries helped the pace tremendously though, the book is verrrry slow in comparison. (And will be forever sad that the station kiss is only in the tv series..)
5 ⭐️
5 ⭐️
emotional
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
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting read, not always particularly gripping, and the end is very rushed - apparently this was to make it fit into a serialisation.
The tensions and discrepancies between north and south, rural anc industrial, new and old wealth and status, rich and poor, unions and employers are all addressed without trying to be too simplistic. This sometimes makes the book a bit heavy-going.
I felt that there were some things which didn’t quite add up:
It seems very strange to me that a former draper’s assistant, now a mill-owner, should want to read Latin and Greek. I understand the fact that many men of all classes but without much formal education wanted to better themselves and that there was a thriving lecture circuit, but I still can’t fathom Mr Thornton seeing a value in dead languages.
Margaret is one of those heroines where there is little sign of how they have derived their values. Brought up in a family which is frivolous and superficial, visiting parents annually and with a mother who is, by the time we meet her, dissatisfied with life and inclined to be whingy, and a father who seems very self-centred and distant. How did she come by all her high ideals?
Where has Mr Bell, her godfather, been all her life since she was a small child?
I very much agree with the reviews who find similarities with Pride and Prejudice. But this has none of the humour or wit of Austen - it is much more serious.
I would very much like to read a sequel, of what happens once Margaret and Mr Thornton are married - I imagine it would have been quite a fiery household, especially if it included old Mrs Thornton.
The tensions and discrepancies between north and south, rural anc industrial, new and old wealth and status, rich and poor, unions and employers are all addressed without trying to be too simplistic. This sometimes makes the book a bit heavy-going.
I felt that there were some things which didn’t quite add up:
It seems very strange to me that a former draper’s assistant, now a mill-owner, should want to read Latin and Greek. I understand the fact that many men of all classes but without much formal education wanted to better themselves and that there was a thriving lecture circuit, but I still can’t fathom Mr Thornton seeing a value in dead languages.
Margaret is one of those heroines where there is little sign of how they have derived their values. Brought up in a family which is frivolous and superficial, visiting parents annually and with a mother who is, by the time we meet her, dissatisfied with life and inclined to be whingy, and a father who seems very self-centred and distant. How did she come by all her high ideals?
Where has Mr Bell, her godfather, been all her life since she was a small child?
I very much agree with the reviews who find similarities with Pride and Prejudice. But this has none of the humour or wit of Austen - it is much more serious.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
from what i know from the movie it's a more political pride and prejudice
emotional
slow-paced