Title: Mary Barton Author: Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865)
First Published: 1848
My Edition: Penguin Classic (seen at right)
Pages: 417
Other Works Include: Cranford (1853), Ruth (1853), North and South (1854), The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857) and Wives and Daughters (1865)
I am fairly familiar with Elizabeth Gaskell. One of the first readalongs I hosted here was on Cranford (posts are linked below). In college, I had a friend introduce me to the wonders of the BBC adaptation of North and South, which I promptly purchased to watch over and over again. I eventually read the novel (which I LOVE), so I would say that I am definitely a fan of her work.
It was a recent re-watch of the BBC miniseries that inspired me to pick up another of her novels. I was feeling all needy for some Gaskell-inspired England, so this was the only choice left to me off my list (When I made my list, I originally excluded Gaskell, but eventually put in three of her titles. Since I had already read North and South, I decided to add in three titles I was unfamiliar with: Cranford, Mary Barton, and Wives and Daughters, which may be a readalong in September). Whew. Anyway, I am excited to read some of earlier work. This one seems promising and I am excited to dive in.
Have you read anything by Gaskell? I would love to read her biography on Charlotte Bronte, but I need to find a copy first. :)
If interested, here are the links to my posts on Cranford (Book 48):
Oooh, I have Elizabeth Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Bronte (you literally just reminded me!) I haven't read it yet though, I think mainly because it looks kind of sad and not too pretty (apparently I've been judging it by its cover...)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything by her yet but I have a lovely Penguin clothbound of Cranford just waiting. Hoping to read a biography of her first, not sure if I can resist.
ReplyDeleteI love Wives & Daughters. Sigh. It's like the love child of Jane Austen and George Eliot, with the best parts of both.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I totally need to buy Wives and Daughters and North and South. I own the bigraphy on Bronte...
ReplyDeleteI've read North and South, but not any of Gaskell's other works, although I own both Cranford and Mary Barton. I don't know why I haven't picked them up to read yet, as I really enjoyed North and South. Can't wait to hear what you have to say about this one--maybe it will prompt me to finally pick it up!
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