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kellyrenea's review against another edition
5.0
When I first began this novel, I am sorry to say that I didn’t like it. It didn’t grab my attention and I almost pushed it aside and didn’t finish it. I’m so glad that I pushed through though!
Although it has a slow beginning, the novel opens up and very beautifully paints a picture of these characters that is as subtle as a brush stroke, yet profound and boldly colorful.
Molly is impossible not to love. She has all the character flaws many struggle with: not preferring to be in large crowds, awkward in conversations, yet fiercely loyal and loving to a fault. Her unmanageable curly hair (which I myself have) that refuses to be tamed, makes me feel a kindred spirit with her.
Mrs. Gibson, Molly’s new step mom, is overbearing, highly critical of people who think differently than her, and she always focuses on how everything effects her personally. She is very difficult to like, although she has a few moments when you almost catch glimpses of her trying to be a better person, but it is only moments that never last long.
Cynthia, Molly’s new step sister, is by far the most complex character of the story. Some of my fellow book club readers have posed questions about whether she is a sociopath! I think after some debating we came to the possible conclusion that she might be suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder or Reactive Attachment Disorder. So fascinating how Gaskell was able to create such a complex character!
Definitely would recommend this book!
Although it has a slow beginning, the novel opens up and very beautifully paints a picture of these characters that is as subtle as a brush stroke, yet profound and boldly colorful.
Molly is impossible not to love. She has all the character flaws many struggle with: not preferring to be in large crowds, awkward in conversations, yet fiercely loyal and loving to a fault. Her unmanageable curly hair (which I myself have) that refuses to be tamed, makes me feel a kindred spirit with her.
Mrs. Gibson, Molly’s new step mom, is overbearing, highly critical of people who think differently than her, and she always focuses on how everything effects her personally. She is very difficult to like, although she has a few moments when you almost catch glimpses of her trying to be a better person, but it is only moments that never last long.
Cynthia, Molly’s new step sister, is by far the most complex character of the story. Some of my fellow book club readers have posed questions about whether she is a sociopath! I think after some debating we came to the possible conclusion that she might be suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder or Reactive Attachment Disorder. So fascinating how Gaskell was able to create such a complex character!
Definitely would recommend this book!
sophieroseobooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
laurabrown31's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this one. Feels very much like a cousin to Jane Austen's novels. That being said, I was sad to get to the end and see how it was left unfinished because of Gaskell's death. There was a nice concluding chapter describing how it would have ended if she was able to finish the novel but I found myself longing for a clean ending. I must find a copy of the miniseries!
swethasunkara's review against another edition
3.0
The same Jane Austen stuff... with a little more drag
delgremmyaward's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I present to you a funny little novel wherein the secondary characters are more interesting and better-drawn than the protagonist. Still, it's worth a read, if only for Mrs. Gibson; annoying as she is, she's quite amusing.
I present to you a funny little novel wherein the secondary characters are more interesting and better-drawn than the protagonist. Still, it's worth a read, if only for Mrs. Gibson; annoying as she is, she's quite amusing.
leah_alexandra's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
What a delight! I’ve had this on my shelves for ages, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. So fun and engaging—surprising for a book from this period. A few parts dragged a bit, but that’s not surprising for a novel of this length, and they’re mostly in the beginning.
caffeineauthor's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
evieintheshire's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Racism
jay_sy's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell is about Molly Gibson, her father, the local doctor, and her new stepmother and stepsister.
Thoughts while reading:
-The beginning of the book is meandering, but it’s also rather charming and quite enjoyable. I really like Molly and her relationship with her father, Mr. Gibson, even if his views on how to raise a daughter cause me to raise my eyebrows.
-The humour really resonates with me. It was cute that Mr. Gibson thought his daughter should somehow instinctively recognize plaid patterns because he was from Scotland
-it's kind of fascinating how quickly Mr Gibson and Mrs Kirkpatrick decided to get married. I certainly don't trust Mrs kirkpatrick's motives so far, and I worry for Molly since Mrs Kirkpatrick doesn't particularly like young girls and even send her own daughter away for schooling
-some more she is involved in their lives, the less I like the now Mrs Gibson. She puts on pretty sounding voices and manners but she is so selfish
-because of how Mrs Gibson behaves, I was concerned about Molly's meeting with Cynthia. However, Cynthia is quite a fascinating character, openly admitting that she isn't good and freely speaking her mind
-it's sad how the expectations of the Hamleys has caused so much conflict within the family, with everyone expecting Osborne to do great things while expecting next to nothing from Roger. And once the Lady Hanley dies, there's so much misunderstanding between the Squire and Osborne
-I love how multifaceted the characters are. It would be so easy to fall into the evil stepmother trope, but while Mrs Gibson is still not very likable, neither is she a complete villain, and she at least tries to treat Molly and her own daughter fairly
-it's interesting when Mr Gibson starts to see the cracks in Mrs Gibson's facade, and that her morals don't exactly align with his, and I'm very interested to see how that develops
-I feel so bad for the trouble that Cynthia has got to Molly into. I don't dislike Cynthia. All through the story, she's honest about the sort of person she is. But I hate to see Molly coming into harm, and I have to admit that when her father confronted her, it was a painful scene and I'm so glad that he believed her and that their love prevailed
-The pacing of the beginning of the book is quite relaxed. I loved getting lost in the world that the author has immersed us in. But by the 70% mark, I couldn’t put it down and read it through until the end. I was aware that Gaskell died before the novel was finished but I really wish I could have seen the final chapter. Nevertheless, I loved the book, I loved the characters, I was swept away by it.
This was a wonderful read. Even during the beginning of the book when it had a slower pace, I was absorbed by the surroundings and the characters. Furthermore, I loved reading about the characters' relationships to each other and all the complexities it entailed. As long as it was, I felt as if I could have read another 50 chapters and enjoyed them just as much. I would give this a 4.5 out of 5 for being an absolutely lovely read with deep and fascinating characters
Thoughts while reading:
-The beginning of the book is meandering, but it’s also rather charming and quite enjoyable. I really like Molly and her relationship with her father, Mr. Gibson, even if his views on how to raise a daughter cause me to raise my eyebrows.
-The humour really resonates with me. It was cute that Mr. Gibson thought his daughter should somehow instinctively recognize plaid patterns because he was from Scotland
-it's kind of fascinating how quickly Mr Gibson and Mrs Kirkpatrick decided to get married. I certainly don't trust Mrs kirkpatrick's motives so far, and I worry for Molly since Mrs Kirkpatrick doesn't particularly like young girls and even send her own daughter away for schooling
-some more she is involved in their lives, the less I like the now Mrs Gibson. She puts on pretty sounding voices and manners but she is so selfish
-because of how Mrs Gibson behaves, I was concerned about Molly's meeting with Cynthia. However, Cynthia is quite a fascinating character, openly admitting that she isn't good and freely speaking her mind
-it's sad how the expectations of the Hamleys has caused so much conflict within the family, with everyone expecting Osborne to do great things while expecting next to nothing from Roger. And once the Lady Hanley dies, there's so much misunderstanding between the Squire and Osborne
-I love how multifaceted the characters are. It would be so easy to fall into the evil stepmother trope, but while Mrs Gibson is still not very likable, neither is she a complete villain, and she at least tries to treat Molly and her own daughter fairly
-it's interesting when Mr Gibson starts to see the cracks in Mrs Gibson's facade, and that her morals don't exactly align with his, and I'm very interested to see how that develops
-I feel so bad for the trouble that Cynthia has got to Molly into. I don't dislike Cynthia. All through the story, she's honest about the sort of person she is. But I hate to see Molly coming into harm, and I have to admit that when her father confronted her, it was a painful scene and I'm so glad that he believed her and that their love prevailed
-The pacing of the beginning of the book is quite relaxed. I loved getting lost in the world that the author has immersed us in. But by the 70% mark, I couldn’t put it down and read it through until the end. I was aware that Gaskell died before the novel was finished but I really wish I could have seen the final chapter. Nevertheless, I loved the book, I loved the characters, I was swept away by it.
This was a wonderful read. Even during the beginning of the book when it had a slower pace, I was absorbed by the surroundings and the characters. Furthermore, I loved reading about the characters' relationships to each other and all the complexities it entailed. As long as it was, I felt as if I could have read another 50 chapters and enjoyed them just as much. I would give this a 4.5 out of 5 for being an absolutely lovely read with deep and fascinating characters