sarahandika 's review for:

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

4.25

funny 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

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This book is absolutely delightful. It feels like reading Desperate Housewives in an alternate universe, where the characters are actually much older spinsters, living in a sleepy English town, no husbands in tow, but maintaining all the humor, the heart, the wittiness, and charm that made the series so entertaining 

Gaskell has this gift of making the mundane seem so funny, intriguing and witty. Small things like Miss Betty Barker’s cow wearing flannel pajamas, Miss Matty refusing to light candles to save money, the way everyone conspires to pretend they aren’t poor, or Martha and her dramatic “followers” and so on. There is so much irony and charm infused into the book that it had me literally laughing out loud so often. And these moments are perfect in bringing balance to a book that also has its heavy moments, hardships that also remind you of the vulnerability and fragility of life. I love that the book doesn’t become to heavy but focuses on the importance of community and friendship, the everyday, small acts of kindness and solidarity, everything that makes Cranford feel like a wonderful and idyllic place to live in - despite it being described as out of the way and with little to do. It’s not about the place, it’s about the people in it. All of the characters are drawn with so much warmth that it is impossible not to fall in love with them. Honestly, I could have read another twenty chapters of their daily dramas, misadventures, and small triumphs without complaint. It’s not always about grand plots and epic sagas, sometimes is about the tiny details and the ordinary.