North and South (Wordsworth Classics)

If you had to describe "North and South," it would probably be something like "Jane Austen with more sociopolitical content."That sounds painfully dry and unromantic, but Elizabeth Gaskell managed expertly to wind together a tempestuous romance with a story about mills, workers and unions in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. While the beginning is a bit slow, and the ending a bit abrupt, the rich prose and passionate central relationship really make this an arresting piece of work.After a decade living in London, Margaret Hale returns to the idyllic country village of Helstone to live with her parents. But then her father declares that he is leaving the Church of England out of vague religious scruples, and is instead becoming a classical tutor. Unfortunately for Margaret, this means moving to the dirty, hardscrabble northern town of Milton, which contains several mills and manufacturing businesses.Her father's first pupil is Mr. Thornton, who worked his way up out of poverty through brains and hard work, and now owns a cotton mill. Thornton considers Margaret proud and snobby, and she dislikes him because she believes he's unfair and harsh to his workers.And she's not the only one -- the dissatisfied workers of Milton have begun to rebel against their employers, forming a union and going on strike. Thornton finds himself in the middle of the conflict, even as Margaret struggles to help her ailing mother -- and despite being on different sides of the increasingly heated conflict, the two of them begin to fall in love. But misunderstandings, class differences and tragedy stand in their way."North and South" is relatively obscure, compared to works by the Brontes or Jane Austen. That's a shame, because Elizabeth Gaskell's story can be considered as gripping and romantic as theirs -- a love that has to triumph over snobbery, class differences, prejudice and the whole weird situation with Margaret's brother. Like the immortal Lizzie and Darcy, Thornton and Margaret start off disliking each other, but gradually see each other's worth in their actions and passionate debates.What sets this book apart from other period romances is the whole plot about the workers and industrialists. This book was published after the flowering of the Industrial Revolution, when labor in mills and factories was cheap and dangerous, and there were no laws or safety regulations to protect people. It would be easy to just demonize the big nouveau riche guys like Thornton, but Gaskell makes a genuine effort to show both sides of the conflict -- neither side is all nobility or all villainy.And it deepens the relationship between Thornton and Margaret, because their clash is over real societal issues. In Austenian style, both of them must change their attitudes before they can find happiness -- the strong-willed Thornton must learn more compassion and understanding for his workers, and the fiery, romantic Margaret must learn to appreciate people not for what their profession is, but who they truly are.This applies to some of the other characters as well, who are given plenty of dimension -- the bombastic Higgins, a leader of the unions who is softened by Margaret's kindness; Thornton's crusty mother; and Margaret's dying friend who gives her time in Milton some purpose.Gaskell's writing can be a little dense at times, like most Victorian novels where people were paid by the word. But she manages to use them pretty effectively, scattering moments of bleak poetry ("Senseless and purposeless were wood and iron and steam in their endless labours") amidst the dramatic dialogue and intricate descriptions. The only problem is the ending -- while it finishes in a satisfactory way, the final scene is so... abrupt. Boom, it's over. You'd expect a final epilogue to tell you what happens next, but it never happens.Despite the abrupt ending, "North and South" is a rich, layered novel where romantic passions clash with serious societal issues -- think "Pride and Prejudice," but with class issues and lots of factories.

This is a very underrated book. The author was brilliant.

The PBS production was excellent! Actors were ALL fine, interest captured and maintained throughout. The series was historical fiction (one of my favorite reading categories), and it was informative in showing the various (strong) differences between northern and southern regions of England, as well as delivering good character studies of the period (mid-19th century). I was surprised to learn that although the original book had been written by Elizabeth Gaskell, a popular writer of the time (born in 1810, died in 1865), the plot was relevant even today.

I finally caved and read this after seeing multiple accounts on Twitter that are dedicated to posting about this book and its 2004 movie adaptation every day. It reminds me of a Victorian version of "Pride and Prejudice" set in an industrial town in northern England. The main characters definitely had the Elizabeth and Darcy thing going from their first meeting, and he falls first just like in P & P. Margaret, the main character, is prejudiced against Mr. Thornton's being in trade, and he comes across as gruff and prideful sometimes. I learned a lot about working conditions in England during this time period. I like reading novels written during those times because they always get the historical details correct. The narration style is very wordy...but then again, ALL literature was like that back then. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Bought during the height of CoVid-19 furlough, and before Books-by Mail started up again, I bought this to have something to read because I really like the movie. As usual, the book and movie are different. I've kg yet finished this however I'm glad I purchased it because when the time comes where we can safely go on long trips and taking a library book isn't a good idea for me, I can pack this.

Beautifully written. Better than Jane Austen - I sometimes find Austen a little too wordy and while North and South is certainly not short on words, they come together so elegantly that you don't realize how long the book is. Highly recommended. After reading, be sure to check out the BBC adaption!

This is a great story. There is much about the culture and time of the industrial revolution in northern England. It gives a clearer view of what it must have been like to live and work for the Masters of the cotton weaving mills. The descriptions of the efforts that the cotton had on the workers were disturbing. The pollution of the water caused by the dyes at the mills was graphic when a disgruntled worker drowned in the polluted waters. But more than that it is a slow moving love story about a young woman from the South and a Master from the North who struggle with their cultures to fine that love can conquer most things.

I bought this edition to replace an earlier book, same title, from a different publisher which had all sorts of problem. This is a good version!!! All the words are spelled correctly and they are the correct words! I've also enjoyed the annotated notes. I read a lot of classic novels, so I'm pretty familiar with language, but it was a nice reference for a few colloquialisms that I didn't know. Highly recommend this publisher and printing!