North and South

A wonderful book which sparked a wonderful BBC miniseries. Overall very engaging, and I was invested in all the characters; however, on a couple rare occasions the dialogue became cheesy. Also, the ending suffered from the novel's serial publication -- the love story's culmination was unsatisfyingly rushed. Altoghether, though, an underappreciated gem of 19th-century literature.

Probably the best known of Elizabeth Gaskell's books, but I feel it was dreary compared to her others. I had a harder time bonding with her characters.

I finished reading N S last night and the book was superb!....But the endingwas not...enough! I needed to know how the others responded to their engagements,how their love for each other quelled the judgments and disapprobation of theirfriends and family. And how truly happy each was in finding the person to whomthey both received and gave pleasure by merely being in their presence.Anyway, i...more

I finished reading N S last night and the book was superb!....But the endingwas not...enough! I needed to know how the others responded to their engagements,how their love for each other quelled the judgments and disapprobation of theirfriends and family. And how truly happy each was in finding the person to whomthey both received and gave pleasure by merely being in their presence.Anyway, i suppose the ending of "That Man!" and "That Woman!" gave me a deeperappreciation and longing of that perfect simultaneous moment when two loversare awakened to the knowledge of each others preference.In that breathless anticipation of hope and happiness or yet utter rejectionand dejection of heart and soul, a persons future is thus decided in theunuttered words that are the overflow of the others heart and to which their ownheart beats.   hide

this book is amasing