Wives and Daughters Elizabeth Gaskell 9781494489717 Books
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One of the best books of all time, Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. If you haven't read this classic already, then you're missing out - read Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell today!
Wives and Daughters Elizabeth Gaskell 9781494489717 Books
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Gaskell had a tremendous understanding of human nature and the psychology of various personality types. Some of her descriptions and the characters' dialogue reminded me of people I know. My favorite character was Lady Harriet, who seemed the most astute figure in my opinion. This book isn't for everyone. At over 600 pages, it is a commitment to read. Also the author died before finishing it, so some people feel it leaves them with an incomplete feeling. However, I was not disappointed by its ending. You can imagine the rest. Life isn't tidy and the lack of a neat bow on things did not matter to me. I particularly loved considering how the English language has evolved this this book was written. So much has stayed the same, yet the differences are quite intriguing. There is no problem understanding the content, thankfully.Product details
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Tags : Wives and Daughters [Elizabeth Gaskell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. One of the best books of all time, <b>Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters</b>. If you haven't read this classic already,Elizabeth Gaskell,Wives and Daughters,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1494489716,FICTION Classics
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Wives and Daughters Elizabeth Gaskell 9781494489717 Books Reviews
Wives and Daughters has been a wonderful read. Elizabeth Gaskell, the biographer and friend of Charlotte Bronte, wrote this novel over 150 years ago. Yet, it is a true testament to the study of human character.
Molly Gibson, the doctor’s only daughter is thrown into a new home order when her father remarries and brings along her own teen daughter. The girls get along well but Molly closely observes Cynthia who is beautiful and enjoys the attention of many suitors. However, Cynthia is underhanded and always seems to be surrounded by secrets and mysteries. Molly is pulled in as a messenger on the mishaps and her reputation is almost at stake in the small town. This is an interesting comparison and contrast of the two girls as they make life choices.
Molly strives to understand her new stepmother and sister and she pines for the days when it was simply, she and her father. But over time, Molly’s purity shines forth, her popularity increases, her station is elevated and it looks like she will end up with Roger Hamley, the man she has always understood and loved.
Note The author died before writing the ending, but much can be assumed from this memorable piece. As in life, there are no pat answers and as the saying goes, “Stories must end somewhere.”
Gaskell's last novel is charmingly true to the conventions of its genre. That is, "It's the kind of thing you'd like if you liked that kind of thing." I do, and for me 19th century novels are escapism. I am always aware, though, of their whiteness and prejudices; their support and glamorization of the class system that is only tangentially critiqued; and the unapologetic insistence on a maidenly reputation as women's chief valuation. All that said, imagining oneself to be a pampered lady of leisure in a gorgeous, unspoiled countryside -- well, there are worse ways to spent your free time. And Gaskell is one of the best purveyors of that very old-school reading experience.
As I expected, this book is written in the style and language of the 19th century. The author takes her time telling her tale and enjoys her characters, writing about each one at some length until you cannot help but get to know them well. Her descriptions of nature and the beauties of the small village in England paint pictures as lovely as a watercolor by a fine artist. Molly, the main character, is introduced in the first chapter and appears in almost every chapter thereafter. She is a sweet, innocent girl who loves and is loved by her physician father, a widower. In his love for his daughter and his desire to protect her innocence and good name, he takes it upon himself to marry a second wife who appears to have the qualities his motherless child needs. Unfortunately, he does not recognize that his new spouse, while not an unkind person, is a self-centered woman who thinks mostly of herself. Previously she has done her best to attach herself to a noble family as a governess and has neglected her own daughter who is about the same age as Molly. By the time we meet her, daughter Cynthia has become a charming beauty who brings a great number of complications to Molly's life, even though the two girls become loving friends. Cynthia also attracts many of the eligible men who are sought after for their noble lineage or prospects of inheritance. Molly falls in love with one of Cynthia's suitors. I expected to read this book slowly and savor the descriptions, but the plot soon had me rapidly turning page after page. It takes artistry to write about these very usual people and make their day-to-day activities engrossing. Elizabeth Gaskell had that skill. I would recommend this to people who like to read of gentle times among the upper and lower middle classes in the social stratum of the 19th century.
Like all Victorian novels that began as magazine fiction, WIVES AND DAUGHTERS starts out slowly, introducing the large cast of characters, unraveling their duties and wonts, trading page-turner excitement for the drawn-out episodes that kept the monthly readers in high anticipation issue after issue for two years or more. Stick with it, and after a few hundred pages or so, the modern reader will become as enmeshed in the lives of Molly Gibson and Cynthia Kirkpatrick as she was in the lives of Downton Abbey's Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary Grantham.
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, referred to in her day as "Mrs. Gaskell," was a keen observer of human nature which, after all, hasn't changed much in the last century or two. Jealousy and pride are still the main villainous traits; sweetness and humility the heroic. Consequently, her writing radiates the empathy and compassion that drive her characters to behave like people everywhere. Despite the restrictions of the Victorian era, the human condition as captured by Mrs. Gaskell is timeless. Not a single character, no matter how minor, is superfluous, as each has his or her role to play, and each one plays it precisely, with no exaggeration or unnecessary sentimentality. We recognize these people as easily as if they existed today "Doesn't Mrs. Gibson remind you of..." and so on.
It works. And it's fun. And, as you will see, it definitely leaves you begging for more.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Gaskell had a tremendous understanding of human nature and the psychology of various personality types. Some of her descriptions and the characters' dialogue reminded me of people I know. My favorite character was Lady Harriet, who seemed the most astute figure in my opinion. This book isn't for everyone. At over 600 pages, it is a commitment to read. Also the author died before finishing it, so some people feel it leaves them with an incomplete feeling. However, I was not disappointed by its ending. You can imagine the rest. Life isn't tidy and the lack of a neat bow on things did not matter to me. I particularly loved considering how the English language has evolved this this book was written. So much has stayed the same, yet the differences are quite intriguing. There is no problem understanding the content, thankfully.
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