Ultimately Jane Austen outsold ( )

Gaskell shines when it comes to the supporting characters in this novel of Molly Gilbert. Molly is probably the weakest character in my mind, since she is so "good" that she actually loses any interest in the reader compared to all the other supporting characters. Her father Dr Gilbert, and especially Cynthia are characters that you will come to enjoy throughout the book, not to mention Miss Browning, her sister Phoebe, and Lady Harriet. There are layers and layers to their stories. Hyacinth "Clare" doesn't have much depth, but she is always a sense of interest in counter foible to Molly.
Warning. Elizabeth Gaskell died before finishing this serial book. That being said, you can easily tell where it was heading. I imagine there were only two or three more chapters to finish the story. ( )

I really enjoyed every minute of this wonderful book. I was startled and shocked to find that Elizabeth Gaskell died before finishing it. The notes at the end provided some hints of how she might have concluded, but I was heartbroken not to have her words. Well worth reading despite this problem. I will go searching for Cranford which is also narrated by Prunella Scales. It should be great! ( )

So much real emotion in this one. I loved it and was happy to let the (long) story slowly unfold. There is a plot but if you need things to move along, this is probably not the book for you. #Victober2019 ( )

When 17-year-old Molly Gibson's long-widowed father remarries, she gains a step-mother and step-sister, the latter of which is near her age. However, she now has to share her father and defer to her new mother, both things that are completely foreign to her. There are some clashes beyond that, though, as step-sister Cynthia, who becomes Molly's dear friend, is keeping secrets that will shock the entire town of Hollingford. As Molly matures into a woman, she befriends the Hamley family with their two young, eligible sons, and Lady Harriet, much to the chagrin of Molly's new mother.

This book is long, originally written as a serial of shorter parts for publication in a magazine, and it does tend to meander a bit, without seeming like there's much of a central plot at first. However, once things pick up a few chapters in, I found almost every bit of it interesting, even if it didn't seem to add to a main plot. There are so many things happening, probably because the story was meant to be more of a snapshot of everyday life at the time, rather than a single, solid novel. Yet with all of that, I was never bored (well, maybe when someone's style of dress was described or when Molly's step-mother Hyacinth's thoughts about someone or something was explained). I think that is mostly because the characters were so well written, I enjoyed following them through this life they were living. I really liked Molly, but also loved her father, the town doctor who was an incredibly wise and caring man. And Squire Hamley, for all his blustering and cultural prejudices, found his way into my heart.

Cynthia is probably the most complex character--I'm not sure she knew her own mind for more than a moment at a time. The exploration of what a child who was raised by a single mother who showed no love or affection would grow into was fascinating, even as she drove me crazy. But I felt for her. While she did make her own choices, and as she grows older will be held more and more accountable for them, she didn't enter into womanhood with a very good example. Hyacinth was a selfish, uncaring individual, bordering on sociopathy, really. Her utter lack of empathy and penchant for manipulation were very well written, though, and are a large part of the reason it seems, in a way, that Cynthia never had a chance to be normal.

I know that if I had been reading the text, rather than listening the audiobook, it would have taken me a lot longer to finish this book. However, of all of the audiobooks I've listened to in the last several months that I've started opening myself up to them more, this was the first one that I felt a strong desire to come back to whenever I could, rather than simply putting it on when doing the activities that allow me the chance to listen. This is mostly because of the story itself, of course, but I also want to be clear that Nadia May did a superb job with the narration. The way she differentiated all of the larger characters was astounding, and I especially loved her voice for Mr. Gibson (Molly's dad). There were times that I'd get so caught up in it that I'd completely forget this was one person doing all of the voices. This is my second read by Elizabeth Gaskell, and I think I liked it a little more than North and South, which really surprised me. Though I do still prefer the North and South mini-series to the one based on this novel, but I'm probably biased there for reasons I won't get in to right now. ( )