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This book contained, Round the Sofa (Mrs. Gaskell’s introduction to the evening that prompted the stories being told in the book), My Lady Ludlow, An Accursed Race, The Doom of the Griffiths (Which I read before), Half a lifetime ago, The Poor Clare, The Half Brothers, Mr. Harrison’s Confessions (Which I’ve also read) and The Manchester Marriage.
My Lady Ludlow I was really looking forward to as I really enjoyed her parts in the BBC adaptation of Cranford. The tale itself was the most different from the dramatisation, but I really liked it, at one part there was a tale, within a tale within a tale but still very enjoyable. I know I should not have liked the main character as she was full of snobbery, elitism and old fashioned ideas but I just couldn’t help it. She was interesting and intelligent and sad. I enjoyed the story about the doomed lovers in the French Revolution and liked to see how everything progressed and ended. It was an interesting tale full of a lot of tragedy and honesty.
The Accursed Race was an odd little piece about a race of people hideously persecuted in Europe until they all had died out.
Half a lifetime ago was quite sweet but the characters didn’t appeal to me as much as in some stories. I felt sorry for the main character whose fiancé was unable to put up with her disabled brother, and ended up abandoning her. She seemed to show a lot of strength, but apart from looking after her brother saw much of the personality drained out of her. I thought the ending was very sweet and totally unexpected.
The Poor Clare was fantastic, without a doubt my favourite after Lady Ludlow. Here was a story of great tragedy, love, sorcery, witchcraft and was downright creepy in places. Even though it was told from the male perspective it was still very well done and the plight of everyone involved was most touching. It also ended up going to a different place in the ending which made it walk an interesting line between reality and fantasy.
The Half Brothers was not able to follow on quite so well. It was fairly sweet, and it probably most remarkable in that there was a Collie dog named Lassie who rescued the main character when he was stuck in the snow and saved his life by getting help!
The Manchester Marriage was also tragic and sweet. The characters themselves were not as lovable as some of the others but came across as just as real.
I am really enjoying the books of Elizabeth Gaskell that I’ve read so far. I’m definitely going to be adding her to my favourite authors discovered this year and am planning on reading some more of her longer novels very shortly.
My Lady Ludlow I was really looking forward to as I really enjoyed her parts in the BBC adaptation of Cranford. The tale itself was the most different from the dramatisation, but I really liked it, at one part there was a tale, within a tale within a tale but still very enjoyable. I know I should not have liked the main character as she was full of snobbery, elitism and old fashioned ideas but I just couldn’t help it. She was interesting and intelligent and sad. I enjoyed the story about the doomed lovers in the French Revolution and liked to see how everything progressed and ended. It was an interesting tale full of a lot of tragedy and honesty.
The Accursed Race was an odd little piece about a race of people hideously persecuted in Europe until they all had died out.
Half a lifetime ago was quite sweet but the characters didn’t appeal to me as much as in some stories. I felt sorry for the main character whose fiancé was unable to put up with her disabled brother, and ended up abandoning her. She seemed to show a lot of strength, but apart from looking after her brother saw much of the personality drained out of her. I thought the ending was very sweet and totally unexpected.
The Poor Clare was fantastic, without a doubt my favourite after Lady Ludlow. Here was a story of great tragedy, love, sorcery, witchcraft and was downright creepy in places. Even though it was told from the male perspective it was still very well done and the plight of everyone involved was most touching. It also ended up going to a different place in the ending which made it walk an interesting line between reality and fantasy.
The Half Brothers was not able to follow on quite so well. It was fairly sweet, and it probably most remarkable in that there was a Collie dog named Lassie who rescued the main character when he was stuck in the snow and saved his life by getting help!
The Manchester Marriage was also tragic and sweet. The characters themselves were not as lovable as some of the others but came across as just as real.
I am really enjoying the books of Elizabeth Gaskell that I’ve read so far. I’m definitely going to be adding her to my favourite authors discovered this year and am planning on reading some more of her longer novels very shortly.