Classics

North and South

North and South

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-11 14:53:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elizabeth Gaskell
  • ISBN：0140434240
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Summary

'How am I to dress up in my finery， and go off and away to smart parties， after the sorrow I have seen today？'

When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience， Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England。 Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton， Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill-workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice。 This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man John Thornton， as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction。 In North and South， Elizabeth Gaskell skillfully fused individual feeling with social concern， and in Margaret Hale created one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature。

In her introduction， Patricia Ingham examines geographical， economic and class differences， and male and female roles in North and South。 This edition also includes a list for further reading， notes and a glossary。

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Reviews

Elaine Cook ，

I think I got this in Plus Catalog or deeply discounted。 I was not sure I was up for another 19th Century novel， but this surprised me。 In large part this was due to the narration by Juliet Stevenson， which was outstanding。 But the book was also less sentimental than I expected， though the ending fell heavily into that territory， and there was more humor than I expected。 I'm not sure I will seek more or Mrs。 Gaskell's novels， but may try her biography of Charlotte Bronte。 I certainly will look f I think I got this in Plus Catalog or deeply discounted。 I was not sure I was up for another 19th Century novel， but this surprised me。 In large part this was due to the narration by Juliet Stevenson， which was outstanding。 But the book was also less sentimental than I expected， though the ending fell heavily into that territory， and there was more humor than I expected。 I'm not sure I will seek more or Mrs。 Gaskell's novels， but may try her biography of Charlotte Bronte。 I certainly will look for the film version。 。。。more

Julie ，

Well， that was lovely！ Gaskell's writing and Juliet Stevenson's superb narration - exquisite！ Already a fan of the BBC miniseries， I expected to enjoy the book and have fun noticing the differences between that and the show。 But almost from the start， the miniseries faded and the setting and characters of the book grabbed my full attention。 I thoroughly enjoyed this fuller fleshing out of Margaret and John， and Mr Hale and Higgins too。 I discovered more depth that I expected and appreciated Gask Well， that was lovely！ Gaskell's writing and Juliet Stevenson's superb narration - exquisite！ Already a fan of the BBC miniseries， I expected to enjoy the book and have fun noticing the differences between that and the show。 But almost from the start， the miniseries faded and the setting and characters of the book grabbed my full attention。 I thoroughly enjoyed this fuller fleshing out of Margaret and John， and Mr Hale and Higgins too。 I discovered more depth that I expected and appreciated Gaskell's social commentary on class and the responsibilities of both master and workmen。 There are similarities to P&P but only in unsurprising ways as pride is the default sin of all people， isn't it？ And the ending。。。much preferred the book to the miniseries。 Truer to the characters I believe。 。。。more

Anda P ，

I really enjoyed this book。 I was hesitant to read it because another reviewer called it “pride and prejudice for socialists”。 That is not what it is。 The author gave great justice to the economic theory of Capitalism。 Socialism is worker owned means of production and that is not what the author advocated for。 She was a proponent of communication and a better relationship between the mill owners and their employees。 I too have worked jobs where the management never understood what the “common wo I really enjoyed this book。 I was hesitant to read it because another reviewer called it “pride and prejudice for socialists”。 That is not what it is。 The author gave great justice to the economic theory of Capitalism。 Socialism is worker owned means of production and that is not what the author advocated for。 She was a proponent of communication and a better relationship between the mill owners and their employees。 I too have worked jobs where the management never understood what the “common worker” did on a daily basis and communicated only in one direction。 I also really enjoyed Margaret’s character， a woman breaking free of Victorian norms yet still very feminine。 A strong graceful woman with moral convictions navigating a changing industrial society。 。。。more

Maddy ，

brilliant romance between two amazing characters， an all-time favourite

Sandra Robinson ，

I first watched the BBC Adaptation with Richard Armitage as Mr Thornton and enjoyed it so much I added the book to my 'to be read' list。 Instead of reading， I listened to it as an audio book （CD） and the narrator was Clare Wille， I loved it。 The experience of watching and listening to it added up to a 5 star experience。 Favourite character in both the screen and book was John Thornton， what a terrific character。 This is a book that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone that is fond of clas I first watched the BBC Adaptation with Richard Armitage as Mr Thornton and enjoyed it so much I added the book to my 'to be read' list。 Instead of reading， I listened to it as an audio book （CD） and the narrator was Clare Wille， I loved it。 The experience of watching and listening to it added up to a 5 star experience。 Favourite character in both the screen and book was John Thornton， what a terrific character。 This is a book that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone that is fond of classic Victorian literature。 。。。more

Ronron08 ，

This story is interesting。 I love the characters。 It would be wonderful if you will write some more。 Also， there is a competition happening this April on the NovelStar app， I hope you can consider joining。 https://author。starlight。inkIf you have more stories like this， you can also publish them there 🙂 This story is interesting。 I love the characters。 It would be wonderful if you will write some more。 Also， there is a competition happening this April on the NovelStar app， I hope you can consider joining。 https://author。starlight。inkIf you have more stories like this， you can also publish them there 🙂 。。。more

Katie ，

About half way through the book I noticed a note inside the front cover indicating that I'd read it in 2016。。。and I don't remember having done so。 That should tell you a little something about my feelings on the book。 😐 I don't hate it。。。even think it's worth reading。。。but I didn't love it。 The differences between the northern and southern perception/lifestyle/geography in England was interesting， changing things up a bit from the other books I've been reading from this time period。 While I thin About half way through the book I noticed a note inside the front cover indicating that I'd read it in 2016。。。and I don't remember having done so。 That should tell you a little something about my feelings on the book。 😐 I don't hate it。。。even think it's worth reading。。。but I didn't love it。 The differences between the northern and southern perception/lifestyle/geography in England was interesting， changing things up a bit from the other books I've been reading from this time period。 While I think the main character - Margaret - is a genuinely good person， I'm not really a fan。 She's a weird combination of loving， caring， giving， dramatic， prejudiced and haughty。 There are some strange moments of unnecessary secrecy and miscommunication （some necessary ones too）。。。and far too many uses of the word languid（ly）， and curling lips and dilating eyes。 😑 On the plus side， Mr。 Thornton is an example of a good man - caring， thoughtful and intelligent with a willingness to learn。 He's also stern， a strong business man and doesn't suffer fools。 He was a nice change from reformed rakes and vengeful vigilantes I've been stuck with of late （literarily speaking， of course）。 。。。more

Maja Peklenik ，

I may be too emotional about this book to review it properly。 For now， suffice it to say I consider it the most unfairly neglected work of English literature。

Amie Jimenez ，

Wow， what a story with a full range of emotions！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Erin Powe ，

It really deserves 5 stars but I gave it 4 bc of the suffering it put me through！ My heart went out to Margaret and also bore her burdens。。 and so I was pretty down for a while。 Great writing and characters though。 Mr。 Bell was wonderful and helped me to finish out the book with his cheerfulness and humor。

Louise ，

Ce livre était cool mais leng ， l'histoire n'est pas assez axée sur l'histoire d'amour ， on ne voit pas les sentiments des deux antagonistes et on sait pas pourquoi mais d'un coup ！ ILUMINATION ！！ Thorton tombe d'un coup amoureux de Margaret ？ et serieux elle a aucun moment elle dit aux lecteur qu'elle aussi en est amoureuse et pourtant à la fin bam ils s'avouent leur amour mdr ？ Ce livre était cool mais leng ， l'histoire n'est pas assez axée sur l'histoire d'amour ， on ne voit pas les sentiments des deux antagonistes et on sait pas pourquoi mais d'un coup ！ ILUMINATION ！！ Thorton tombe d'un coup amoureux de Margaret ？ et serieux elle a aucun moment elle dit aux lecteur qu'elle aussi en est amoureuse et pourtant à la fin bam ils s'avouent leur amour mdr ？ 。。。more

Adri ，

So， so good！！ All of Gaskell’s characters feel so fleshed out and REAL， plus I could psychoanalyze Mrs。 Thornton and John Thornton’s weird relationship for dayyys。 Tea: I might like this book even more than Pride and Prejudice 👀

Raymon ，

I am falling in love with some of these old classics。 The characters and the struggles feel so timeless。 The debate regarding economics and politics was particularly timely。 The focus on one’s relationship to God was inspiring。 When played out on film it seems that God is inevitably stripped from the story。 This seems to me to be a major disservice to the authors， including Gaskell， whose intent is clear。 4 stars because the ending felt rushed and the build up seemed to not have a complementary I am falling in love with some of these old classics。 The characters and the struggles feel so timeless。 The debate regarding economics and politics was particularly timely。 The focus on one’s relationship to God was inspiring。 When played out on film it seems that God is inevitably stripped from the story。 This seems to me to be a major disservice to the authors， including Gaskell， whose intent is clear。 4 stars because the ending felt rushed and the build up seemed to not have a complementary ending。 。。。more

Shajie ，

I loved this story！ I loved Margaret。

Beverley Gauld ，

Beautifully written， deep， complex characters with deep inner worlds。 Margaret is a relatable and powerful heroine who you can't help but love， and Mr Thornton is brooding and moody yet as the story goes on you see the emotional and vulnerable side to him which makes you fall in love with him too。 There is much death in the story but it also offers a hint of peace and continuity for the characters who fall into this fatal predicament。 You get emotionally involved with this story and you'll be de Beautifully written， deep， complex characters with deep inner worlds。 Margaret is a relatable and powerful heroine who you can't help but love， and Mr Thornton is brooding and moody yet as the story goes on you see the emotional and vulnerable side to him which makes you fall in love with him too。 There is much death in the story but it also offers a hint of peace and continuity for the characters who fall into this fatal predicament。 You get emotionally involved with this story and you'll be delighted with the twist at the end。 。。。more

Tiffany ，

North and South is billed by some as an "industrial Pride and Prejudice" and yes， that defines it in broad strokes， but Margaret is hardly as endearing as Elizabeth。 There's a lot that's left unsaid in this novel--why exactly does her father leave the church？ what exactly is her mother's ailment？ There are also a lot of unpleasant characters， although the father is perhaps my least favorite。 When he asks his daughter to break unpleasant news to his wife his extreme cowardice is just disgusting。 North and South is billed by some as an "industrial Pride and Prejudice" and yes， that defines it in broad strokes， but Margaret is hardly as endearing as Elizabeth。 There's a lot that's left unsaid in this novel--why exactly does her father leave the church？ what exactly is her mother's ailment？ There are also a lot of unpleasant characters， although the father is perhaps my least favorite。 When he asks his daughter to break unpleasant news to his wife his extreme cowardice is just disgusting。 How can anyone respect him after that？ And the death！ Don't get attached to any peripheral characters because there is an 80% chance they'll die soon。 And yet。。。sometimes you just need a 19th century British novel with a clear plot and a vast cast of characters。 Did I love North and South as much as a Trollope or a Bronte？ I did not。 But it was what I was looking for at the time so it's getting 4 stars。 。。。more

josipa （icarusbooks） ，

3，5 ☆

Miriam Shaw ，

listen to the Audible version narrated by Juliet Stevenson

Laurel ，

A rare truly timeless classic。 The sections dealing with unionism and fighting to improve working conditions remains particularly relevant today。

Laramie ，

I really do love this book。 The characters have such heart， and the romance is， oh， absolutely excellent。 Where it shines， though， is in the discovery of humanity through the eyes of a person who didn’t really know how sheltered she was。 Margaret is as empathetic as she is ignorant， and her journey to understanding is so lovely to read。 I love Thornton’s earnest， tender thoughts and his transformation in the book as well。 So lovely。

Mai （mairaculi） ，

I really liked this novel。 I spent 7 hours today non-stop reading until the end， because I just couldn't put it down。 I'm looking forward to my first re-read， I know that I can enjoy it much more then instead of hastening along just to know how it ends。While it was very different from what I expected （and the first chapter read like some Jane Austen fanfic） I enjoyed the story， characters and discussed topics （old vs。 new， industrialisation， economics， labor disputes， social status and hierarch I really liked this novel。 I spent 7 hours today non-stop reading until the end， because I just couldn't put it down。 I'm looking forward to my first re-read， I know that I can enjoy it much more then instead of hastening along just to know how it ends。While it was very different from what I expected （and the first chapter read like some Jane Austen fanfic） I enjoyed the story， characters and discussed topics （old vs。 new， industrialisation， economics， labor disputes， social status and hierarchy）， but compared to other novels published around this time the writing seemed a bit unpolished， as if it could benefit from some reviewing and editing。 Some passages read like they were written in one go and never looked at again - names were different later， numbers didn't end up and so on。It also didn't have this kind of ending， where all dialogues and everything that happened to the characters was somehow relevant to the story and the outcome。 It definitely did for the main characters （I still disliked Maragret's passivity and resignation with her situation， which she could change with just one conversation - today we would say this novel heavily relied on the miscommunication trope） ， but for me it felt a few side storylines were not very expertly done。 The writing is still good， but I cannot stop myself from comparing it to other 19th century literature I've read。 。。。more

Manon R ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Livre #4 de ma pile de bouquins qu’on m’a prêté et que je me suis donné comme défi de lire cette année。 J’ai lu quelqu’un dire sur Goodreads que c’était un « Pride and prejudice for socialists »， et je me rappelais que la personne me l’ayant prêté me l’avait vraiment vendu comme un truc ouf， du coup évidement j’avais des attentes un peu hautes et j’ai été bien déçue。 J’ai trouvé les personnages très peu attachants （Margaret trop parfaite et vertueuse à l’excès， Mr Thornton trop patron d’entrepri Livre #4 de ma pile de bouquins qu’on m’a prêté et que je me suis donné comme défi de lire cette année。 J’ai lu quelqu’un dire sur Goodreads que c’était un « Pride and prejudice for socialists »， et je me rappelais que la personne me l’ayant prêté me l’avait vraiment vendu comme un truc ouf， du coup évidement j’avais des attentes un peu hautes et j’ai été bien déçue。 J’ai trouvé les personnages très peu attachants （Margaret trop parfaite et vertueuse à l’excès， Mr Thornton trop patron d’entreprise paternaliste et méprisant， should I say more）， l’intrigue banale et parfois invraisemblable （Pourquoi Thornton se trouve toujours au bon endroit au bon moment pour faire avancer l’intrigue， mystère）。 Le tout saupoudrée d’une bonne dose de misogynie intériorisée et de classisme。 Je me suis obstinée pour mettre une mauvaise note ici， et finalement j’ai bien fait car il y a quand même un passage que je sauve : Le retour de Margaret à Helstone， sa maison d’enfance， l’endroit qu’elle aime le plus au monde et qu’elle a perdu pour toujours。 Une phrase m’a particulièrement marquée : « Tout paraissait réel， sauf l’espace et le temps。 » Je l’ai trouvé particulièrement belle et juste pour décrire ces lieux dans lesquels on a été heureux enfants et qui restent à jamais gravés dans nos mémoires。 All in all， je ne recommande pas : mieux vaut lire Jane Austen ou les sœurs Brontë je crois。 。。。more

Milena Zucchetti ，

Scritto in epoca vittoriana， questo romanzo racconta le differenze tra Nord e Sud dell'Inghilterra nel periodo della rivoluzione industriale， epoca che mi ha sempre affascinata。 La storia è ambientata tra Londra， Helstone - un idilliaco villaggio - e Milton città di fantasia che si identifica con Manchester， dove l'autrice si era trasferita una volta sposata， proveniente dalla campagna。 Margaret， la protagonista， farà il suo stesso percorso e rimarrà stupita dalle differenze culturali e di stile Scritto in epoca vittoriana， questo romanzo racconta le differenze tra Nord e Sud dell'Inghilterra nel periodo della rivoluzione industriale， epoca che mi ha sempre affascinata。 La storia è ambientata tra Londra， Helstone - un idilliaco villaggio - e Milton città di fantasia che si identifica con Manchester， dove l'autrice si era trasferita una volta sposata， proveniente dalla campagna。 Margaret， la protagonista， farà il suo stesso percorso e rimarrà stupita dalle differenze culturali e di stile di vita， faticando ad adattarsi。Ci sono diversi riferimenti autobiografici nel romanzo oltre questo。 Il più interessante è la visione politica della Gaskell， sposata a reverendo unitario， pioniere dell'educazione della classe operaia （che probabilmente ha ispirato il personaggio del padre di Margaret） e vicina alle teorie del socialismo utopistico。 L'aspetto sociale è molto approfondito e mi ha trasportato nella realtà dei primi scioperi， nella vita di privazioni degli operai e in quella dei "padroni"， imprenditori che， da un giorno all'altro， potevano perdere ogni cosa per un investimento sbagliato。 All'interno di questo scenario， si inserisce la storia dei protagonisti。Margaret è una ragazza piuttosto scostante。 Le sue convinzioni sono granitiche e il suo snobbismo non conosce pietà。 Incarna l'animo della piccola nobiltà del Sud e considera inetti i commercianti。 Di contro， John Thornton， metafora dell'operosità del Nord， è un uomo umile e consapevole delle proprie mancanze， leale e fiero。 Il loro rapporto è sbilanciato fin dall'inizio: innamorato uno e troppo concentrata su se stessa l'altra， non potranno fare altro che scontrarsi。 Spesso Nord e Sud viene paragonato a Orgoglio e Pregiudizio della Austen proprio per il rapporto tra i due protagonisti。 Personalmente non ho trovato analogie tra le due storie e neppure nello stile di scrittura。 Laddove il primo pone al centro del racconto la storia d'amore， il secondo la usa come pretesto per evidenziare le vicende sociali。 Laddove la Austen scriveva con ironia e una certa dose di sarcasmo， la Gaskell scrive in modo diretto e privo di fronzoli， a volte quasi brutale e， per questo， molto moderno。La trama è piuttosto articolata e ben strutturata: ogni espediente letterario svolge egregiamente il suo compito， ogni personaggio incarna una personalità diversa che si incastra perfettamente con gli avvenimenti。 Alcune sfumature però rendono il libro imperfetto， ad esempio la scansione temporale che non è molto chiara e l'evoluzione del personaggio di Margaret， molto lenta。 La sua trasformazione è evidente solo negli ultimi capitoli。 Parimenti la storia d'amore è gestita con una certa freddezza e trova il suo culmine solo alla fine， in modo frettoloso e， a mio parere， poco approfondito。 Non c'è mai un momento in cui Margaret ammetta di amare il povero Thornton， le sembra strano pensarci， non vuole essere mal。giudixata da lui ma non comprende davvero i suoi sentimenti， salvo poi crollare nelle ultime righe。 Bellissima la dichiarazione finale di lui， divertente e davvero moderno lo scambio di battute che la segue。Una curiosità: la Gaskell aveva intitolato il romanzo "Margaret Hale"， il titolo è stato poi cambiato da Dickens， che lo pubblicò sulla sua rivista。 Nord e Sud è certamente più aderente alla trama ma quello originario rendeva più evidente il ruolo di mediatrice della protagonista。 È infatti proprio lei a fare in modo che operai e padroni， borghesi e rappresentanti della gentry si avvicino。 。。。more

Hinda ，

Quelques longueurs sur la fin。 Le choix de l'auteur de sauter du point de vue d'un personnage à un autre sans indication graphique est assez agaçant。Malgré tout certains passages sont troublants surtout concernant la mondialisation， les délocalisations et l'avènement des machines。 Quelques longueurs sur la fin。 Le choix de l'auteur de sauter du point de vue d'un personnage à un autre sans indication graphique est assez agaçant。Malgré tout certains passages sont troublants surtout concernant la mondialisation， les délocalisations et l'avènement des machines。 。。。more

Iman ，

DNF at 30%。 TV series was an excellent adaptation。 This had very long-winded conversations about the mill workers and their conditions。

Natalie ，

Finally finished a Gaskell novel！ Don’t know why I took so long。

Sylvia J。 ，

Not Trollope but still darn good！

Linda Joan Booth ，

WonderfulSorry that it has taken me so long to discover Mrs Gaskell。 I had an idea of her as a sentimental typically Victorian vwriter。 So happy to be shown to be wrong！

Sauerkirsche ，

Die BBC-Verfilmung hat mir wirklich gut gefallen， während das Buch für mich nicht ganz so gut funktioniert hat。 Es handelt weniger von den sozialen Verhältnissen der Menschen， als von Margaret selbst und ihrem Gefühlsleben。 Was im Film schön anzusehen war， hat sich im Buch ziemlich hingezogen。 Daher war ich am Ende doch froh endlich durch zu sein。 Eine nette Unterhaltung für Zwischendurch， ähnlich wie Jane Austen aber mehr auch nicht。

EmmaPorzee ，

Great story; I love how it was given。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=North and South

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=North and South&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,North and South&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0