North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

I don't know if it's because I watched this movie a few years back and loved it or whether it's because I'm so in love with Victorian novels, but I couldn't put this down.  Literally.  At 11:30 one evening Seth turned to me (he was watching the news while I was sitting by him, engrossed in the romance between Mr. Thornton and Margaret . . .) and he said, "Honey, I just need you to really be with me for a minute.  Do you think you could put the book away?"

What Seth failed to appreciate is that in contrast with the Jane Austen books (I am NOT dissing them, by the way--they are my favorites!), the hero has an actual job (Seth's biggest issue with my "British movies").  John Thornton, a working-class, self-made man falls in love with Margaret Hale--not your typical beauty, but a strong personality and very interesting character from Southern England.

What makes this book so beautiful and intriguing is the Elizabeth Bennett/Mr. Darcy nature of their relationship.  I enjoyed watching the characters unfold and grew to like them more as I read.  It's not quite a Jane Austen, but on the whole I think you'll enjoy it if you like her romances.  Elizabeth Gaskell has such an approachable style to her writing--it's not intimidating or overly verbose, and she paints only the picture she needs to without leaving out details, but also without cramming them down your throat.

And if you don't get around to reading the book, you ought to at least give the BBC movie version a try.  It is absolutely beautifully done--almost better than the book--and the casting couldn't be better.  And I love the theme music!  I think I've just talked myself into watching it again . . . anyone up for a girls' night?

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Being a huge fan of Charles Dickens, it follows that I would like anyone he was a fan of. Elizabeth Gaskell was a contemporary and friend of Dickens, and even published her stories in his magazine, Household Words. He called her, "my dear Scheherezade," and what a fitting name! Gaskell draws you in: I have to quote this website because Jenny someone-or-other completely sums it up:

"At 688 pages, it was an investment of time, one of those really long Victorian novels you have to get stuck into before it gets rolling, and at first, the minutiae of Molly Gibson’s 'everyday story' did seem a bit dull.

"But about a quarter of the way into the book, I realized I was hooked. In a way, this novel reminded me of Middlemarch. This was not so much a book about will-he-or-won’t-he-marry-her. This was more a book about he-married-her-and-now-what? Dr. Gibson makes his ill-matched marriage, and both families must live with the choice, emotionally, socially, and financially. It’s the ins and outs of those relationships, subtle and true as they are, that make this novel hum with life. I was interested in the themes of health, of class, and of foreignness . . . but it’s the family ties that make the book."

A small disclaimer: Gaskell died before the book was finished, so it's missing a few chapters. But you pretty much guess what the ending would be, and if you, like myself, can't stand to be left hanging, I highly recommend watching the beautiful BBC version of this lovely Victorian novel.
Gaskell lived a very tame life compared to some of her contemporaries, and I can't help but wonder if that's why her books are sometimes left in the dust of authors like Dickens, Austen, Eliot, Trollope, and Thackery (no offence meant to any of those greats!). She married a pastor, bore several children, lost one, published several books, and died without any great scandal. And in the next life I think we are going to be friends.