Greetings from Brazil. I am reading this book right now.

I loveeee north and south. The image of Bessie coughing up blood is seared in my brain. Also that hot af scene where he watches the bracelet slide down her arm 😂

I actually really liked Margaret and disliked John in the beginning. The situations for the working class were absolutely awful and the masters only cared about profit. So I agree with Margaret's point of view, she's such a strong and caring person, who takes everybody's problem on her own shoulders def not childish

Hi Katie, So happy to see this pop up in my sub box! It's quite a few years ago now since I read the book and like you I had seen the TV miniseries first (and have seen it a couple of times since) so my memories may be a little hazy/mixed up between the two. My main memory of the book is that I really liked the depth that Mr Thornton had as a character - I was definitely reading it with the comparison with P&P in mind, and found it really striking that Gaskell chose to give Thornton a fully rounded point of view and internal monologue in stark contrast to Austen's 'leading males' who you only ever experience through their actions and words (and through the eyes of their female counterparts). It made the clash between his and Margaret's world view much more even handed.I definitely hear you when it comes to finding Margaret unlikeable, although I think I always felt a lot of respect for her independence and (as you have said) lack of inhibition about speaking her mind and acting on her ideals in a time when you wouldn't expect that. I think its quite refreshing to have a heroine who is not always sweetness and light, but stubborn, moody at times, coming across as self-righteous when she thinks she is being principled (I think I am more of a Margaret Hale than a Lizzy Bennett!) It's interesting that you choose the world childish - she does so much parenting of her own parents.I would be really interested to read a good biography of Gaskell - I'm pretty sure from what little I know that she came from a fairly idyllic rural community (a la Cranford) but spent a lot of her adult life as the wife of a vicar in Manchester - so presumably that split perspective is where the central tension of the book comes from and it would be really interesting to know how that played out in her own life.Eeek, sorry this is such a long comment (consider it my homage to the long windedness of the book!) Thanks for the review!

Great video! You know this sone that I've been meaning to read for ages, after falling head over heels for the BBC series. Also, that quote by Charles Dickens that you mentioned is is hilarious!

You might enjoy the 1975 version which adheres to the book more closely. It is on youtube.

The BBC miniseries isn't on you-tube so I'll be watching an older adaptation from 1974. I highly recommend "The Ascent of Money" on you-tube. If I recall correctly, Niall Ferguson discusses in one episode how the wealth was shifting from the landowners to the factory owners during the 1800's, leaving some landowners cash-poor.

Glad someone appreciates my favourite book. I first read it after seeing a mini series on the BBC in the 1970s in which Patrick Stewart played John Thornton. It’s slow paced (as were all the drama series of that period) and the woman playing the heroine isn’t great, but it’s still worth watching and is on KZfaq. Patrick Stewart is perfect as John Thornton.

Great review! I'm actually in the middle of this book and needed this review to get through the rest. Lol I watched the first episode of the mini series.

Wearisome indeed but ok…I tried counting how many times the name of MARGARET was used. Stopped counting at two hundred.

I also love the BBC miniseries

*SPOILER ALERT!* I watched the miniseries after reading the book and, as you, I wasn't satisfied by this adaptation. The recreation of the small industrial town was great, the actors were good, etc. but I was not very happy with the screenplay. Some things on it didn't even make sense, in my opinion. For example, when Margaret first meets Mr. Thornton, he is brutally beating a man who is already on the floor, defenseless. With her acute sense of what is right and what is not, how can she get to like him after this? In the series, it is not explained how they gradually start to understand each other and it makes their relationship look a bit awkard. I think the complex relationship betweenthem is completely underdeveloped in the series, they barely speak to each other! It makes it look almost ridiculous when he suddenly decides to propose to her. The ending was also not very believable, in my opinion. Lots of interesting parts and conversations from the book where cut and others (less important, in my opinion) left. However, I did like how they recreated the relationships between Margaret and Bessie and Mr. and Mrs. Thornton. Besides that, I did LOVE Margaret, I think she is a very uncommon heroine and enjoyed how she spoke her mind out, how independent she was, even if she was quite snobbish and self-righteous on occasions (especially at first). Mr. Thornton also has a very interesting personality and I enjoyed reading from his point of view. To sum up: fantastic book, not that great adaptation.

ı wrote a book on Gaskell and Feminism.This book focuses on the Victorian Era which, seen from a feminist author's perspective in the aforementioned works, is characterized by male domination and oppression of the female sex. The book also illustrates how women in patriarchal Victorian England began to question the oppressive and sexist rules of their society, express their objections to the status quo, and demand change. The way in which women used their will and subtle controls to influence men’s decisions is also explored, as is the concept that the typical masculine attitude can be counter-productive in situations where a feminine approach can be positive. In the three novels under consideration, Gaskell challenges the fixed gender roles which society imposed. By highlighting these cultural nuances, the book will demonstrate that during the Victorian epoch, in spite of a nominal patriarchal system, a rising awareness of femininity began to emerge and developed within social spheres where it had hitherto been absent, this being accompanied by a corresponding decline in masculinity and the dominance of men over women.

Oh my goodness, the BBC miniseries is so fantastic! I think they made it more Jane Austen than Gaskell, but hey, I love both so win win. I love your insight on the social aspects of the book. Those soapboxes that she puts her characters on is definitely challenging to the flow of the story sometimes.

Great review! I've always been intimidated to read this book, I've heard from several people that it's a bit of a slog :) But it sounds like it's worth it, back on my TBR list!

Good review! I also found it a huge slog.