Wives and Daughters is Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel. She began writing it in 1864, and died before finishing it. It was published posthumously, still unfinished, which makes for an abrupt and unsatisfying ending.
The series sticks very close to the book, and the few changes it did make were mostly for the best. I made a bit of a game of spotting the differences. The final total is far lower than I expected. A few minor characters are removed from the series, a few scenes are missing, and some dialogue is changed, but otherwise the series is more or less an exact adaptation of the book. All the characters are exactly what I expected. Molly is as sweet and well-meaning as ever, Osborne as tragic, Squire Hamley as prejudiced against the French, Cynthia as exasperating, Dr. Gibson as sarcastic, and Mrs. Gibson as ridiculous. The one character who's slightly different is Roger, who's more awkward here, and whose infatuation with Cynthia and growing disillusionment with her receives some more attention.
The Cumnors get a bit more screentime (pagetime?) here than in the series. Lady Harriet is as awesome as her book counterpart, especially when she comes to Molly's rescue after the Mr. Preston business. Her father's attempts at match-making Dr. Gibson and Hyacinth were left out of the series, but they provide a comical scene that I wish had been included. I was surprised to learn Lady Harriet has sisters, but they have virtually no effect on the plot, so it makes sense they were left out.
Mr. Preston is as oily and Wickhamy as ever. (Is Wickhamy a word? Oh well, it is now.) I spent most of his scenes wishing I could reach into the book and slap his smug face. What a pity Mrs. Gaskell didn't give him some comeuppance for his behaviour.
The most disappointing part of the book is its ending. Roger is about to leave for Africa, he and Molly aren't engaged yet... and that's it. The reader is left to wonder what happened. Apparently Mrs. Gaskell said how the novel was supposed to end, but she sadly died before writing it, and no one finished it for her. It's a pity that a summary of her intended ending for the novel isn't included as an afterword or something. Charles Dickens died before finishing The Mystery of Edwin Drood, yet I've seen editions that include his notes for the rest of the novel at the end. Maybe some editions of Wives and Daughters do the same, but sadly mine isn't one of them.
Now, excuse me while I rant about something that's annoyed me since I saw another review call Mrs. Gibson "a clichéd wicked stepmother who abuses Molly". What? Did that reviewer even read the book? True, at first it looks like Mrs. Gibson will be a wicked stepmother, but as the story progresses it becomes clear that she really isn't. She goes to an awful lot of trouble to make sure she treats Molly the same way she treats Cynthia, and even Miss Browning acknowledges she does her best as stepmothers go. She's an idiot who never should have married Dr. Gibson, and her attempts at being fair are ill-advised and ignore what Molly actually wants, but she never abuses Molly! I can't stand her character, but the main problem with Mrs. Gibson is that she's foolish, cold and mercenary. She certainly isn't "a clichéd wicked stepmother".
...Yes, I did just finish a review with a rant in defence of a character I don't even like.
Overall the book is excellent, but I'd advise watching the series first. Then you'll be able to fill in the gaps of what happens after the sudden ending.
Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg.
Rating: 8/10.
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