Rating  - "A Story of Manchester Life"
Although this is not Gaskell's best novel, it is still well done and contains quite a bit of drama and romance. Much of the book concentrates on life in a manufacturing town, however, the love story has a prominent place. The characters in this book are lovable and fallable, as usual in Gaskell's work, and overall very realistic. This novel is set up much like "North and South" yet not as well put together, and with quite different characters. There is the struggle between masters and men and a love affair unrequitted on the female end with family and friends dropping like flies on account of mental or physical anxiety. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes Gaskell, Dickens, and the time period of early industrialization in England.
As to the edition, Everyman's Library always makes a nice hard copy. It includes a biography and timeline of work as well as the author's preface and an introduction by Jenny Uglow.
Rating - Mary Barton
Set in the industrial city of Manchester in northern England, this is one of Mrs. Gaskell's "social novels" (NORTH AND SOUTH was another), in which she attacked the harsh treatment of factory workers by the owners. It being a novel, there is also a love story. Mary Barton, daughter of a soured mill-hand, attracts the attention of two men: Henry Carson, son of one of the mill owners, and Jem Wilson, a worker. She chooses Carson (a big mistake, of course). Later Carson is killed and Wilson is suspected of the crime with jealousy as his motive. But Mary learns that her father, John, is actually the murderer, and she spends a good portion of the second half of the book trying to prove Wilson's innocence (she now realizes her mistake in picking Carson over her true feelings of love for Wilson) without implicating her father. John Barton is wracked with guilt, however, and makes a deathbed confession to Carson's father that redeems him. It's an energetic book, and the story moves forward swiftly. The trial scenes are especially stirring. MARY BARTON was one of the first novels set exclusively among the working classes, and the book was highly regarded by the public and critics alike (though the Manchester mill owners protested against it).
Rating  - Charlotte Bronte's Friend & Fellow Author Writes Great!
This book is a true classic along with all the books of the early to mid-1800's. The setting, the characters, the plot, and the intricate weaving of inspiration, spirituality, and passion is unforgettable in this classic work called "Mary Barton." A beautiful, touching account of life in England in the 1800's.
Rating - Rich in Substance and Sadness
This is a fine book, full of beautifully rendered characters. I love the painful and powerful picture Gaskell paints of life among the English working classes-- the struggles for physical and spiritual survival against horrific odds is rendered with compassion and depth. Her writing is emotionally rich and I found myself truly moved by the all the characters. The friendship between Mary and Margaret, the gentle, but rock solid faith of Alice, the passion of Jem, etc. This book is certainly worth reading.
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Customer Reviews for Penguin Classics,014043464X,9780140434644,014043464X,823.8 |
