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Mar 31, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
"God help 'em! North an' South have each getten their own troubles." Perennial overshadowed by major 19th century English novelists like Austen, Eliot, and Dickens, whose "Household Words" magazine she wrote for, Elizabeth Gaskell's major works include "Cranford," "Mary Barton," a life of her friend Charlotte Bronte, and "North and South," which was serialized and then published in 1854. The title refers to the more refined South of England, where the protagonist and her family are from, and the more industrial North, where they move to after her father quits the church. It is a novel of contrasts and offers a great deal of insight into working conditions of the time and the clash between labor and management (sadly still relevant). Those who have an idealistic, romantic view of the Victorian era will be surprised about how much this (and other books of the period) are about economic and social situations. Like Dickens, Gaskell can be long-winded at times and rushed at others, but this is an absorbing and provocative novel that still resonates today. "But I'm tired of this bustle. Everybody rushing over everybody, in their hurry to get rich."