Review: North and South (novel)

Apparently I'm on a book-reviewing spree lately 🤷

North and South was Elizabeth Gaskell's fourth novel, published in 1855. It shares many themes with her first (but lesser-known) novel, Mary Barton.

The main plot revolves around Margaret Hale, a newcomer to the manufacturing town of Milton, her attempts to adjust to life in the north after growing up in the south, and how she meets (and initially dislikes) the mill-owner John Thornton.

I watched the 2004 miniseries before reading the book, so I already knew the plot. I was a bit disappointed, though, to find that the book moves much more slowly than the series. The first few chapters are devoted to Margaret's cousin's wedding and its aftermath, and the move to Milton comes later. But once the Hales arrive in Milton, the story moves faster.

Margaret meets a collection of fascinating characters -- Bessy Higgins, who's slowly dying of a lung disease caused by working in the mills; Nicholas Higgins, who organises a strike and sees it go badly wrong; and of course John Thornton, the apparently cold and arrogant owner of Marlborough Mills. All of the characters in this novel are incredibly well-written, and there are times when you could forget you're reading a novel instead of a book about real people.

The story starts out relatively cheerful, with the excitement about the wedding, but it very quickly becomes much more depressing, with events like the strike, the deaths of Margaret's parents, the danger Frederick is in, and Thornton losing his mill. But thankfully it has a happy ending that makes up for all the tragedy!

North and South is often compared to Pride and Prejudice. Both of them are about a romance between two people who initially hate each other, but North and South is decidedly less comical or light-hearted. It's an excellent novel, though, and well worth reading!

Is it available online? Yes, on Gutenberg.

Rating: 8/10.