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ifyouhappentoremember 's review for:
Wives and Daughters
by Elizabeth Gaskell
When I started this book, I was worried I was in for a dry, dull Classic. Wives and Daughters starts out slow. There was a moment when I thought there wasn't going to be a plot; just bland characters living in the country. But, Gaskell builds the plot and dramatic tension, piece by piece. As you are introduced to the characters and the world in which they inhabit, you become an observer of their lives, gradually becoming invested in their story.
Elizabeth Gaskell excels in creating nuanced characters. While she may rely on well-worn tropes, such as the innocent ingenue and the flighty mother-figure, to establish her characters, Gaskell writes with such sympathy and understanding for her characters. They are ultimately people, with their failings and small triumphs. Her memorable characters are the strength of this work.
The only negative is that due to Elizabeth Gaskell's sudden death, Wives and Daughters ends on an unresolved, ambiguous note (a moment of silence to the readers in 1865 who were reading this story by installments in a literary magazine because I would have been PISSED). But overall, this is a wonderful work and truly shows Elizabeth Gaskell's skill as a writer.
Elizabeth Gaskell excels in creating nuanced characters. While she may rely on well-worn tropes, such as the innocent ingenue and the flighty mother-figure, to establish her characters, Gaskell writes with such sympathy and understanding for her characters. They are ultimately people, with their failings and small triumphs. Her memorable characters are the strength of this work.
The only negative is that due to Elizabeth Gaskell's sudden death, Wives and Daughters ends on an unresolved, ambiguous note (a moment of silence to the readers in 1865 who were reading this story by installments in a literary magazine because I would have been PISSED). But overall, this is a wonderful work and truly shows Elizabeth Gaskell's skill as a writer.