In this edition of Things You Might Not Have Seen, I highlight the book North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.
Despite having a happy ending, this book has an air of melancholy surrounding it. Death and disease hover the characters, like a cloud. This book highlights the highs and the lows of the Industrial Revolution, in England. The rich saw it as a time of marvel and creation, while the poor faced more hunger, longer working hours, poorer social conditions.
The novel took a hard look at the disparity during that period, and our heroine, Margaret Hale, who had a presence in both worlds, was able to see and compare it first hand. I liked her empathy and her selfless nature, despite facing very hard point in her life.
The role and fortune reversal of the main protagonists, Margaret and Mr. Thornton, was interesting. The contrast of life in the countryside, idyllic, carefree, and lush, compared to the bleaker, industrial, city, where newly built cotton factories, were adding to the pollution and grim atmosphere, were captured well in the book.
North and South is a good book to read, if you are in the mood for something a bit more serious. I hope that you liked today’s blog post, and discovered something new today 😊
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