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nora_d_tinta_y_papel's review against another edition
2.0
Novela costumbrista. Interesante para ver las diferencias entre clases, pensamientos, emociones, e ideales de la Ingalterra de medidados del siglo XIX.
La historia es plana la primera mitad del libro y empieza a despuntar. Hubo un momento que sí me mantuvo leyendo para saber qué más pasaba. Sin embargo llega un momento en el que pierde su fuerza. Un final forzado y muy rápido. Propio de las novelas por entregas de la época. (Al menos es mi parecer)
La historia es plana la primera mitad del libro y empieza a despuntar. Hubo un momento que sí me mantuvo leyendo para saber qué más pasaba. Sin embargo llega un momento en el que pierde su fuerza. Un final forzado y muy rápido. Propio de las novelas por entregas de la época. (Al menos es mi parecer)
finitha's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! At last Gaskell has succeeded where Dickens failed in 'Hard Times'. A romance novel set in the background of early industrial England is surely a daring achievement. Everything that matters to a superb story is at hand: the void between workers and masters, their lack of mutual trust which leads to strikes and proves fatal to both the parties and above all the presence of a saintly maiden who makes some change with the purity of her heart adds to the emotional appeal (it sounds Utopian, I know, but we need to think only of the reading pleasure).
All in all the story is much similar to 'Pride and Prejudice'; situation is reversed though -- lady here is with pride and her man is prejudiced. Gaskell makes a striking contrast between the calm, beautiful countryside and the fast-moving, polluted city life. But she is not blind to the evils of the country or the much luxurious life of the workers in Milton. What they lack is a little bit understanding and consideration and that is where Margaret Hale bridges the gap with her earnest spirit.
All in all the story is much similar to 'Pride and Prejudice'; situation is reversed though -- lady here is with pride and her man is prejudiced. Gaskell makes a striking contrast between the calm, beautiful countryside and the fast-moving, polluted city life. But she is not blind to the evils of the country or the much luxurious life of the workers in Milton. What they lack is a little bit understanding and consideration and that is where Margaret Hale bridges the gap with her earnest spirit.
erash's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
underwaterlily's review against another edition
5.0
This book is one of my favorites!
Confession: I wish I could be the Margaret Hale to some ever-so-lucky (Ha!) Mr. Thornton.
Confession: I wish I could be the Margaret Hale to some ever-so-lucky (Ha!) Mr. Thornton.
levininja's review against another edition
4.0
"Pride and Prejudice meets Communism!" I've always found that description humorous and descriptive, although not necessarily super fair. Gaskell was a contemporary of Jane Austen and wrote about romance and high society.
As for the communism, it's halfway true. It’s more about the origin of the idea of the capital holding rich having for the first time a relationship with labor unions that isn’t completely antagonistic, that is a little bit more complementary. This makes the books political stance distinctly socialist; not communist, by the definitions set forth by Karl Marx.
The setting is Dickensian, a polluted city full of commerce and soot, with poor downtrodden workers struggling to survive.
Our heroine, Margaret, is unusually empathetic and a strong peacemaker. She’s one of favorite characters from any book I have read in this era. She is a newcomer from the country, new to an industrialized environment. The daughter of a parson, she is used to visiting the poor and doing as much good as she can to help people understand each other. She vaccilates between the world of the poor and the rich, between the workers who are striking for their rights, and the family of John Thornton, one of the mill owners.
Unlike many a book that has been written on social and economic injustice, this one is actually interesting. Gaskell doesn't strawman either side, and in fact explores each quite thoroughly, showing different individuals, factions, and viewpoints inside of each side. Through her heroine Margaret, she seeks to find common ground, an art form all but lost during that time period...
And sadly, it's all but lost today. Would that more people thought like Margaret. It's such a rare gem to find meaningful discourse, seeking to understand, searching for common ground, unifying instead of dividing. To do the work of a peacemaker is really hard work, and often thankless. Many people will say that if you're not for us you're against us. That's where we are in American politics today; the moderates are attacked by both sides, torn apart like a sheep among wolves. But nevertheless...I digress, but the point is, Gaskell is doing something really interesting in this work that is healing to my soul.
The heroine, Margaret, is one of my favorites. She's strong, imperfect with her impetuousness and a touch of (unintentional) haughtiness. But she's strong, a unifying force, someone with a higher perspective.
Her biggest flaw is probably her haughtiness—she thinks of herself as “Someone,” for she comes from minor nobility and there are all sorts of Victorian concepts of what all that entails. Because of that she can be seen as more a product of her environment and when contextualized, she’s ahead of the curve—her maid Dixon actually gets more offended for the family’s sake than her family does, which makes for a comedic twist.
The comparison with Jane Austen is inescapable, and in many ways this is similar; these are rich nobility during the same time period having some of the same dinner parties and concerns. But here we have a lot of the poor’s perspective too. And where Austen's novels are really only about romance with only a dash of other topics, Gaskell's novel is about romance but is also truly about at least two other things. One is the coming of age story which is quite strong here; I won’t say more than that for fear of spoiling things for you. The other is a searching for resolution to war between those with capital and those without. And this is far from the demonizing, revolutionary talk of the Communist Manifesto. The tone is more similar to Charles Dickens (fitting since he was a mentor of Gaskell’s). It’s more a perspective of really seeing the plight of the working poor with great pathos, really seeing it.
And Gaskell also seeks for us to really understand Thornton. Far from falling into the pit of "all rich people are scumbags," she explores his psyche in insightful detail. She shows what many people overlook, which is that someone like Thornton came to be where he was precisely because of admirable traits: because of how capable, determined, hardworking, creative, and industrious he was, precisely because he could see and understand things that few do. It also shows his examples of charity and kindliness, much of which Margaret draws out, but which was quite latent before she entered his life.
She also doesn't deify the rich as I have seen some books do. In fact, Thornton and especially his mother have become a bit monomaniacal, and it's love for Margaret that helps free John from his crusty shell and connect with his heart again.
I also loved reading this for the characterizations. Everyone seems to be basically a caricature...but a well-done caricature. I feel like they are epitomized representations of certain archetypes; distilled forms. They make me feel things. Mostly palm-to-forehead things. But things nonetheless, because they feel like Gaskell is making fun of things that need to be made fun of.
I like how Gaskell sets up a pretty huge hurdle for the love story to overcome. The Thorntons basically think Margaret is a complete snob. And that misunderstanding makes sense in context; it illuminates the suspicion that the new money has for being looked down upon by old money, which is another major theme. You see what you expect to see. Well done.
Quibbles? Well, as in all Victorian romances, it ends immediately with engagement. The two lovers haven’t spent any time really getting to know each other in depth. That’s always puzzled me about these books.
I also have other quibbles with the ending feeling a bit rushed, and it taking is a bit too long in the middle to get there. The pacing could have been a bit better.
Overall? I strongly liked this book. I liked it even more than the Jane Austen I have read so far…with that said I haven’t read the great P&P or Emma yet so that could change…but I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m looking forward to reading more of Gaskell.
As for the communism, it's halfway true. It’s more about the origin of the idea of the capital holding rich having for the first time a relationship with labor unions that isn’t completely antagonistic, that is a little bit more complementary. This makes the books political stance distinctly socialist; not communist, by the definitions set forth by Karl Marx.
The setting is Dickensian, a polluted city full of commerce and soot, with poor downtrodden workers struggling to survive.
Our heroine, Margaret, is unusually empathetic and a strong peacemaker. She’s one of favorite characters from any book I have read in this era. She is a newcomer from the country, new to an industrialized environment. The daughter of a parson, she is used to visiting the poor and doing as much good as she can to help people understand each other. She vaccilates between the world of the poor and the rich, between the workers who are striking for their rights, and the family of John Thornton, one of the mill owners.
Unlike many a book that has been written on social and economic injustice, this one is actually interesting. Gaskell doesn't strawman either side, and in fact explores each quite thoroughly, showing different individuals, factions, and viewpoints inside of each side. Through her heroine Margaret, she seeks to find common ground, an art form all but lost during that time period...
And sadly, it's all but lost today. Would that more people thought like Margaret. It's such a rare gem to find meaningful discourse, seeking to understand, searching for common ground, unifying instead of dividing. To do the work of a peacemaker is really hard work, and often thankless. Many people will say that if you're not for us you're against us. That's where we are in American politics today; the moderates are attacked by both sides, torn apart like a sheep among wolves. But nevertheless...I digress, but the point is, Gaskell is doing something really interesting in this work that is healing to my soul.
The heroine, Margaret, is one of my favorites. She's strong, imperfect with her impetuousness and a touch of (unintentional) haughtiness. But she's strong, a unifying force, someone with a higher perspective.
Her biggest flaw is probably her haughtiness—she thinks of herself as “Someone,” for she comes from minor nobility and there are all sorts of Victorian concepts of what all that entails. Because of that she can be seen as more a product of her environment and when contextualized, she’s ahead of the curve—her maid Dixon actually gets more offended for the family’s sake than her family does, which makes for a comedic twist.
The comparison with Jane Austen is inescapable, and in many ways this is similar; these are rich nobility during the same time period having some of the same dinner parties and concerns. But here we have a lot of the poor’s perspective too. And where Austen's novels are really only about romance with only a dash of other topics, Gaskell's novel is about romance but is also truly about at least two other things. One is the coming of age story which is quite strong here; I won’t say more than that for fear of spoiling things for you. The other is a searching for resolution to war between those with capital and those without. And this is far from the demonizing, revolutionary talk of the Communist Manifesto. The tone is more similar to Charles Dickens (fitting since he was a mentor of Gaskell’s). It’s more a perspective of really seeing the plight of the working poor with great pathos, really seeing it.
And Gaskell also seeks for us to really understand Thornton. Far from falling into the pit of "all rich people are scumbags," she explores his psyche in insightful detail. She shows what many people overlook, which is that someone like Thornton came to be where he was precisely because of admirable traits: because of how capable, determined, hardworking, creative, and industrious he was, precisely because he could see and understand things that few do. It also shows his examples of charity and kindliness, much of which Margaret draws out, but which was quite latent before she entered his life.
She also doesn't deify the rich as I have seen some books do. In fact, Thornton and especially his mother have become a bit monomaniacal, and it's love for Margaret that helps free John from his crusty shell and connect with his heart again.
I also loved reading this for the characterizations. Everyone seems to be basically a caricature...but a well-done caricature. I feel like they are epitomized representations of certain archetypes; distilled forms. They make me feel things. Mostly palm-to-forehead things. But things nonetheless, because they feel like Gaskell is making fun of things that need to be made fun of.
I like how Gaskell sets up a pretty huge hurdle for the love story to overcome. The Thorntons basically think Margaret is a complete snob. And that misunderstanding makes sense in context; it illuminates the suspicion that the new money has for being looked down upon by old money, which is another major theme. You see what you expect to see. Well done.
Quibbles? Well, as in all Victorian romances, it ends immediately with engagement. The two lovers haven’t spent any time really getting to know each other in depth. That’s always puzzled me about these books.
I also have other quibbles with the ending feeling a bit rushed, and it taking is a bit too long in the middle to get there. The pacing could have been a bit better.
Overall? I strongly liked this book. I liked it even more than the Jane Austen I have read so far…with that said I haven’t read the great P&P or Emma yet so that could change…but I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m looking forward to reading more of Gaskell.
nkrebeka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
2.5
sincerelyalioth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Came for the romance, stayed for the education - I feel so smart and educated now, my brain is buzzing.
North and South offers a very detailed look into the life lived in England mid 19th century. I enjoyed how the themes were all intertwined to make up the conflicts of Margaret's life, who is probably one of the most well written protagonists in literature. Although the story is set 170 years ago, her thoughts, feelings and struggles still seem so relevant for how human and fleshed out they are that I couldn't help but copy some of the expressions used in the novel.
This is another aspect that I really admired in Gaskell's writing. Not only does she manage to explain social and economic themes in a way that furthers the plot without undermining it, but she also has a way of explaining characters that makes them come to life and therefore plot all the more intriguing.
I enjoyed North and South for all its witty descriptions and heartfelt emotions of different kinds, I'd love to read it again just to get an even deeper understanding of everything it discusses.
Another thing I loved were the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter!
The only theme that did not resonate with me was all that religious talk, which, obviously, was inevitable, since Margaret's father was a vicar xD Then again, through this theme the question of tolerance was raised which is interesting enough to make me forget how annoying this theme could sometimes be (that's just my personal oponion as an atheist though and I obviously respect, though I don't always understand, religion itself)
North and South offers a very detailed look into the life lived in England mid 19th century. I enjoyed how the themes were all intertwined to make up the conflicts of Margaret's life, who is probably one of the most well written protagonists in literature. Although the story is set 170 years ago, her thoughts, feelings and struggles still seem so relevant for how human and fleshed out they are that I couldn't help but copy some of the expressions used in the novel.
This is another aspect that I really admired in Gaskell's writing. Not only does she manage to explain social and economic themes in a way that furthers the plot without undermining it, but she also has a way of explaining characters that makes them come to life and therefore plot all the more intriguing.
I enjoyed North and South for all its witty descriptions and heartfelt emotions of different kinds, I'd love to read it again just to get an even deeper understanding of everything it discusses.
Another thing I loved were the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter!
The only theme that did not resonate with me was all that religious talk, which, obviously, was inevitable, since Margaret's father was a vicar xD Then again, through this theme the question of tolerance was raised which is interesting enough to make me forget how annoying this theme could sometimes be (that's just my personal oponion as an atheist though and I obviously respect, though I don't always understand, religion itself)
floatinthevoid's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
FINALLY!!! What a long journey it had been! Oh, Margaret. What an incredible character. There's so much packed into this book. About contrast, about change, class, past-present-future, and more.
I'm glad I decided to keep going with this one.
Anyway, if nobody's going to have Henry Lennox, then I'll have him. Thank you very much.
I'm glad I decided to keep going with this one.
Anyway, if nobody's going to have Henry Lennox, then I'll have him. Thank you very much.
hiba45's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
katarym's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25