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I came back to this book several times. It had a slow start with Molly the main character and her trials and tribulations from childhood to being a young woman. Her father Mr Gibson the village doctor remarries and her stepmother Clare is not a horrible woman but someone who likes to embellish the truth and a social climber. Molly is straight as an arrow and it troubles her a lot the lack of truth and pretentiousness of her stepmother.
I liked the last part of the novel the best with the charact ...more
I liked the last part of the novel the best with the charact ...more
This is one of my comfort reads. This time around I decided to listen to it rather than read, and it's a whole new book. Prunella Scales's rendering is marvelous, she finds just the right voice for each character and sustains it throughout, without being obvious or too clever about it. Her Mr Gibson is perfect.
The great thing about listening is that you discover so many passages you may have skated over when reading, where I at least tend to focus on plot and dialogue. This time it really struck ...more
The great thing about listening is that you discover so many passages you may have skated over when reading, where I at least tend to focus on plot and dialogue. This time it really struck ...more
Wonderful book with interesting characters and settings. I listened to this on audio read by Prunella Scales. Did not realise it was unfinished but very satisfactory just the same.
In spite of myself, Mrs. Gibson is my favourite character. Not the moral Molly, the flawed Cynthia, the solid Roger -- no, the vain and petty wife. Even in dislike, Gaskell makes me feel pity for her. I spent more time than I care to admit pondering Clare's first marriage.
I didn't realize until 400 pages in that this novel was unfinished.
Comparing Gaskell to other female writers, I put her most closely with Jane Austen. Her strength is not in the dramatic, but in the quiet daily moments. I enjoy ...more
I didn't realize until 400 pages in that this novel was unfinished.
Comparing Gaskell to other female writers, I put her most closely with Jane Austen. Her strength is not in the dramatic, but in the quiet daily moments. I enjoy ...more
Nothing like a rotten stepmother and a rotten boyfriend!
9 discs in and it's picked up a lot. Nothing like a rotten step-mother to move a story along!!
My current audio, but at 15+ discs I may get tired of it if it doesn't pickup. I loved "North and South" but this one is slower than I expected. We'll see. ...more
9 discs in and it's picked up a lot. Nothing like a rotten step-mother to move a story along!!
My current audio, but at 15+ discs I may get tired of it if it doesn't pickup. I loved "North and South" but this one is slower than I expected. We'll see. ...more
Oct 31, 2021
Tom
marked it as to-read
Jul 09, 2019
Linda Morgan
added it
Aug 29, 2020
Heather
marked it as to-read
