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parkinglotbirds 's review for:
North & South
by Elizabeth Gaskell
Overall, I really enjoyed this book — I recommend it if you’re up for a denser Victorian novel that’s part socio-economic commentary, part romance/coming of age story. A lot of is struck me for its sincere engagement with the political situation of the day, and a lot of the observations on life and death and grief really got me emotionally. There is a lot of death, a lot of difficulty and loss that Margaret goes through as a protagonist. Part of that is in the sense of losing not just people, but her home and her idealized memories. I liked that the book, while it portrayed Margaret’s time in Milton as harsh and full of traumatizing experiences, acknowledged that living there changed her, that anywhere you live and where time passes will change you as the world changes around you, and Margaret had to embrace that. Something about her “growing up” and having been just 18 to 20 years during the events of the books…it gets me emotional! I think Gaskell wrote those feelings really well, with really astute observations.
It’s so thorough up until the very end, which does feel rushed. I was very interested in the relationship between Mr. Thornton and Margaret (and I have to say I loved Gaskell’s commitment to this guy just pining away for her and wishing she would step on him etc), but when they finally got together I was suddenly unsatisfied with it all. But this might be something I reconsider after digesting the book, and overall I enjoyed how their relationship was written—not just the aspect of tension between them, but also the way that their relationship arc connected to the larger issues of the novel.
I really enjoyed this version’s commentary conversation between Morgan Spector and Adrienne Garcia-Specht! I referred back to it several times while I read the book, especially when considering the nuances of the economic issues.
I have many many more thoughts—the way this engaged my brain is worth five stars alone!
It’s so thorough up until the very end, which does feel rushed. I was very interested in the relationship between Mr. Thornton and Margaret (and I have to say I loved Gaskell’s commitment to this guy just pining away for her and wishing she would step on him etc), but when they finally got together I was suddenly unsatisfied with it all. But this might be something I reconsider after digesting the book, and overall I enjoyed how their relationship was written—not just the aspect of tension between them, but also the way that their relationship arc connected to the larger issues of the novel.
I really enjoyed this version’s commentary conversation between Morgan Spector and Adrienne Garcia-Specht! I referred back to it several times while I read the book, especially when considering the nuances of the economic issues.
I have many many more thoughts—the way this engaged my brain is worth five stars alone!