
“I know you despise me; allow me to say, it is because you do not understand me.”― Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South
Elizabeth Gaskell’s social novel, North and South is set during the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Margaret Hale, from the rural southern part of the country, is uprooted with her family to a northern manufacturing town. Margaret initially despises the ugly mill town but as she looks closer, she sees the poverty and suffering of mill workers and develops a fierce desire to help. She also becomes acquainted with John Thornton, a successful self made man and mill owner who she spars with over the treatment of his workers. There is attraction between them, but their views on the mill workers drive a wedge between them. Along with the social commentary regarding the workers, Gaskell also addresses classism, and gender constraints in this classic tale.
If you like a wonderful romance which also features a compelling social narrative, this is the book for you.
Content Advisory: Death, suicide, terminal illness