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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
lighthearted
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:
No
slow-paced
This is probably my favorite 19th century novel, though Middlemarch is up there too. Young Molly Gibson loves living with her widowed father, the village physician - they have all sorts of fun rituals and obviously are very close. As she grows older, however, one of Gibson's apprentices develops a crush on her, and since the doctor can't supervise properly, he first sends Molly to live with the squire and his wife (she is ailing and needs a companion), and then realizes that the real solution is for him to give Molly a mother. The new Mrs Gibson, although pretty, is exceedingly shallow and self-centered. She does, however, have a beautiful daughter to be Molly's new sister. Romantic complications ensue for both young women. The BBC made a wonderful dramatization of it a while back, with Michael Gambon as the squire, my favorite character.
I did not expect to like this book very much and was skeptical until about the last 1/4. Now it's one of my favorite books!
The story can pretty much be summed up in a sentence: The tale of two girls-Cynthia who loves herself so much that she is incapable of loving others and doesn't realize how she hurts them, and Molly who loves herself so little that she can watch the man she loves falling in love with others and sit by in patience. Molly was so selfless and caring, it was the perfect picture of what real love should look like.
And Roger was an amazing character. Even before he loved
he still care for her as a sister and made sure her needs were met.
oh and don't even get me started on the step mother! While not evil, she is insufferable! Think Mrs. Bennet but worse
The ending was quite abrupt because Elizabeth Gaskell died before finishing it. But I think it actually helped the book in showing that you can have a sweet love story without any of the emotionalism.
The story can pretty much be summed up in a sentence: The tale of two girls-Cynthia who loves herself so much that she is incapable of loving others and doesn't realize how she hurts them, and Molly who loves herself so little that she can watch the man she loves falling in love with others and sit by in patience. Molly was so selfless and caring, it was the perfect picture of what real love should look like.
And Roger was an amazing character. Even before he loved
Spoiler
Mollyoh and don't even get me started on the step mother! While not evil, she is insufferable! Think Mrs. Bennet but worse
The ending was quite abrupt because Elizabeth Gaskell died before finishing it. But I think it actually helped the book in showing that you can have a sweet love story without any of the emotionalism.
Okay this book is great until ELIZABETH GASKELL DIES!! There is no satisfying ending, even though you know how it will end.
"We like you as you are; we don't want you different."
My first of Elizabeth Gaskell (besides her [b:biography of Charlotte Bronte|31171|The Life of Charlotte Brontë|Elizabeth Gaskell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1168239259s/31171.jpg|2698367]), and I loved it. The mastery in this work lies in the characters; each and every one of them, from Molly down to the Miss Brownings, are dynamic, distinct, and involved. There were so many moments in this novel where I thought I could predict where things were going, but the characters proved me wrong.
Cynthia, for example, I thought was going to be the trope of an evil stepsister, but she was so much more, and, in my opinion, acts as the most complex character of the book.
The only disappointment I had was at the very end, when I realized Gaskell never actually finished this novel; I was totally unaware until the abrupt last chapter and a set of "concluding remarks" from the publisher summarizing the ending Gaskell had intended. This novel could have been so much more, but wasn't given the chance due to Gaskell's death, a deep loss for English literature as a whole.
I'm looking forward to picking up more Gaskell soon; her skill with the English novel thoroughly has me hooked.
Saw the BBC 4-part miniseries - ravishing photography, great storytelling, good editing down to make it fit in time allotted. Elizabeth Gaskell is better than Jane Austen. There. I said it.
Oh how sad I am the Elizabeth Gaskell did not get to finish this book! Loved the audiobook read by Nadia May, and appreciated the “note from Cornhill Publishers” at the end that described Gaskell’s intentions for the end of the book. A new favorite.
I love this book because it is written with such a level of complexity, depth and sensitivity that you begin to really feel for the characters. There are some very touching scenes in this book that were just amazingly written. By and large, this book has to do with older teenage girls and the same basic conflicts that they have today with their parents around opening their big mouths in public, behaving appropriately and dating. The book also addresses the class system in England - trades, landed gentry, titled gentry - and, of course - the "help" or laborers who have virtually no voice in the world of the other three classes. There's also a real sense of the striving to belong and concern with perceptions and image/appearance. And of course - there's a whole level of being "real" and being "good" being more the same thing than in the world of striving. I really quite enjoyed the BBC production of the book and I like the way the edited the story to fit it to format, really keeping very close to the most important parts of the story.
I'm laughing at my first review because I had it backwards this time. I watched the BBC miniseries and wasn't pleased with the ending so I decided to reread the book. Here is the info I found from Wikipedia, so I remember when I reread this in a few years:
"At this point, Gaskell's novel stops, unfinished at her death. She related to a friend that she had intended Roger to return and present Molly with a dried flower (a gift Molly gave him before his departure), as proof of his enduring love. This scene was never realised and the novel remains unfinished."
Gaskell's idea was better than the BBC version, although I can see why they changed it. It's too bad Gaskell never finished!
First read (September 2012): I enjoyed this, but a very important scene was left off the ending! I will have to watch the movie because I'm sure they couldn't have left it off.
"At this point, Gaskell's novel stops, unfinished at her death. She related to a friend that she had intended Roger to return and present Molly with a dried flower (a gift Molly gave him before his departure), as proof of his enduring love. This scene was never realised and the novel remains unfinished."
Gaskell's idea was better than the BBC version, although I can see why they changed it. It's too bad Gaskell never finished!
First read (September 2012): I enjoyed this, but a very important scene was left off the ending! I will have to watch the movie because I'm sure they couldn't have left it off.