North and South

North and South
By Elizabeth Gaskell
Penguin Books, 2003. 452 pgs. Fiction

When Margaret Hale's father decides he can no longer be a clergyman in the Church of England, he also decides to move his family from Helstone, in southern England, to Milton, an industrial town in northern England. There he finds work as a private tutor for some of the rough manufacturers who want to improve themselves. One of his pupils, John Thornton, is a highly respected mill owner, yet despite his good reputation and her father's good opinion of him, Margaret cannot bring herself to like Mr. Thorton or respect anyone in the trade industry. Margaret also becomes acquainted with some of the working class in Milton and finds herself learning about both the masters' and the workers' sides when a strike breaks out. She also deals with personal tragedies, and as time passes, she learns lessons about the worth of a person and overcomes her bias in favor of the South to realize that both North and South have their disadvantages and their benefits.

Originally published in 1855, this book is an Oxford World Classic and will likely be popular with fans of the Brontes. The depictions of class relationships in Victorian society are interesting and well-explored. The main characters are real and appealingly complete, with positive traits and flaws alike. Their individual growth as well as their influence and relationships with one another are also interesting. The romantic tension between Mr. Thornton and Margaret is well-developed and satisfying, without taking over the entire plot, as they resist, misunderstand, and frustrate one another and themselves.

AE