Unmapped Country: The story of North and South continues

by Chrissie Elmore

Think of Manchester in the mid Nineteenth century and mention Margaret Hale & John Thornton to people and many will immediately tell you how they fell in love with North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell. For them this will be an extension of the extreme pleasure they had first time round.

However, readers unfamiliar with this enduring classic, need not turn away. The novel stands alone and only entices them to discover the back-story. As the author has discarded Mrs Gaskell’s much disliked ending (even by herself), John and Margaret’s struggles continues. Will they ever truly understand one another? Or will their opposing ethics and social prejudice force them to seek companionship with more appropriate partners?

Written in the original’s Victorian style, the frenetic city and the original participants all stay true to Mrs Gaskell’s creation, while contemporary events and new characters both help and hinder John and Margaret’s progress towards a conclusion.

Genres: Romance

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2012

Reviews

[Maria Grazia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover says : The story of North and South continues. How could I resist? Chrissie Elmore has recently published this sequel to Mrs Gaskell's novel, a what-if story which takes forth from Margaret's journey to Milton to make her business proposition to Mr Thornton, soon after she heard of his financial failure. This is actually something we saw in the TV series, because in the book Margaret and John Thornton meet in London after a year she had left Milton and the generous proposition takes place there, in her cousin Edith's house.
However, like in the TV series, in Unmapped Country Margaret meets Mrs Thornton first, John's stern mother, and the meeting is as harsh as we remember it. Unfortunately, neither the meeting between Margaret and John comes out as very successful, so here is the occasion for more than 300 new pages of romantic longing and misunderstandings.

What is especially to appreciate in this new sequel to North and South is Chrissie Elmore's effort to stay true to Mrs Gaskell's language and style. Each page is the result of a serious work of research and documentation both as for the diction and for the historical, social and economic context which took her years.

There are new characters that interact with the ones we know from the original story and animate Milton scene with new relationships and twists.

However, dear readers unfamiliar with this unforgettable classic, don't worry! you need not turn away. Elmore's novel stands alone and only entices you to discover the back-story.

And if you have any doubt, you can always ask me. I never have enough of this story!

(You'll find this review on my blog too at http://flyhigh-by-learnonline.blogspo...)

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first North & South sequel that I have read from beginning to end and I have to say that I loved the way Elmore stayed true to Gaskell's style of writing and stayed close to the personalities and characters of its leads. While Mrs. Thornton may have been too hard here by withholding information that would have sped up the relationship between John and Margaret, it still worked out in the end and appeared believable.
I liked the way Elmore wove new characters into the narrative that served to build up Margaret's knowledge of Milton and the cotton industry as well as the impact industrialization wroughts on the poor, and these same additions also helped further the story, of course.
I think what I liked in Gaskell's book is that anticipation that was built up between John and Margaret, all the missed chances and the general buildup of a possible and inevitable relationship between two people.
I just wish the ending in Elmore's novel didn't seem too rushed but that's only because I love John and Margaret so much that I'd keep reading and reading unless someone stamped 'The End' in front if me.

[Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tears

I didn't think I would like this book and how wrong I was!! It ripped through my heart and brought tears to my eyes many times. Which, honestly, I didn't mind in the least. It's far different from how many continuations go, but I loved it all the same.

[Toni NB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I would love to try and summarize this novel, but I think I'd do an inadequate job, and if you've read it as well, I think you would understand my "letter" vs a traditional summary. Thanks for reading and indulging me.

Ms Chrissie Elmore
c/o Goodreads

Dear Ms Elmore,

As I lack the eloquence to express how much I enjoyed your novel, please allow me to speak plainly. This was a wonderful story. Written in the style of our dear Ms Gaskell (the closest that I've read to date), I experienced such emotions of heartache, angst, vexation and ultimately happiness (finally!) as our dear couple found their way to each other. Such tears shed, I am not embarrassed to say.

I loved your use of poetry at the start of each chapter; it providing a foreshadowing of what was to come. How you found the perfect stanza each time was remarkable.
The relationships between Margaret and Adele, Higgins and Thornton, Higgins and Margaret, as well as the introduction of new characters was so well done and enhanced the track of your story. Original and yet familiar all at once.
Your clever use of letters at the end of the novel. Initially I felt (a small) disappointment that this was to be the last treatment of such an excellent novel; but rather the disappointment stemmed from the realization that your story was coming to an end. These last pages contained an energy of their own and conveyed the happiness and swift changes happening to our dear couple.

With much appreciation and my sincere compliments for a story well told,
Toni NB

[Contemplative · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is rated G as far as spice goes. I was torn in some ways about how to rate this book. There we're aspects I really enjoyed but my annoyances were greater. So, I've compromised by giving it 3 1/2 stars. When I read a continuation story I want to spend time with my beloved characters. This book was filled with so many rabbit trails. There was a portion of the story where it went several chapters before coming back to the main characters. In my humble opinion they were not needed and could have easily been condensed for the introduction of new characters or direction. I felt myself in angst reading as quickly as possible searching for my beloved John & Margaret. Those chapters could have been spent with more inner dialogue of what John & Margaret were feeling and thinking. I felt there were so many missed opportunities to do this very thing. I read for pleasure yet at times this story was waning. There were some endearing moments and that's what spurred me on to finish the book. No second reading here though. I recommend A Heart for Milton by Trudy Brasure for an endearing and tastefully spicy continuation story to North & South.

[Silvana Feijóo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hoped more of them. It's not bad, but there are more misunderstandings, more disagreements and more mismatches. I wanted them together to face all the difficulties they find.
I loved the style, which is very compatible with Mrs. Gaskell, I think.
New lovely characters, new story, and they, John and Margaret, who are the essence of North and South and who I will love forever.

[sharon temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well written. It is engaging from the start. The characters are true to the ones we fell in love with.
If you are a fan of the original novel and you want more of the story, don’t miss this very satisfying novel.
My only complaint is that in the proofreading/editing, there could be improvement.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow moving

This story had much a more industrial and business turn than I was interested in reading. The romance crawled at a snails pace. Not my cup of tea at all..

[Dancer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think of Manchester in the mid Nineteenth century and mention Margaret Hale & John Thornton to people and many will immediately tell you how they fell in love with North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell. For them this will be an extension of the extreme pleasure they had first time round.
However, readers unfamiliar with this enduring classic, need not turn away. The novel stands alone and only entices them to discover the back-story. As the author has discarded Mrs Gaskell’s much disliked ending (even by herself), John and Margaret’s struggles continues. Will they ever truly understand one another? Or will their opposing ethics and social prejudice force them to seek companionship with more appropriate partners?
Written in the original’s Victorian style, the frenetic city and the original participants all stay true to Mrs Gaskell’s creation, while contemporary events and new characters both help and hinder John and Margaret’s progress towards a conclusion.

I have been looking for some decent Gaskell fan fiction. One thing is certain in this tale is that Ms. Elmore knows her Industrial Revolution history, and if I was looking to take a class on the IR, I would want Ms. Elmore as the teacher. The trouble with the book is that it is 55 chapters long, and many of those chapters deal with the the IR and its leaders. There is nothing wrong with adding real life characters to the story, just do not do so in detriment of the story.

Another issue I have is that Elmore writes passage after passage of description. She is very good at it, but when a reader sees paragraph after paragraph of description and narration it is a turn off. Try "showing" rather than "telling" the story. It is what every English teacher I ever had said.

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

North & South fans will appreciate this sequel that begins with Margaret's return to the north after spending time in London to mourn her father's death. The young heiress seeks to put her new found wealth to work and save the business of the bankrupt Mr. Thornton. Her motives are pure and although he accepts her business proposition, too much misunderstanding has passed between them for a reconciliation... Or has it? This is a lovely book written in the style of Mrs. Gaskell and lovingly researched by it's author. Each chapter is headed with prose and poetry typical of mid 19th century writing. Mrs. Gaskell would be honored.
Unlike some of the North &South fan fiction, this story's relationship still has much healing to do, without the benefit of bodice ripping love scenes.

[Semele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those times when I'd love to have a ten-star scale to grade books, because this is better than most of the titles I marked 3/5. Well, let me put it this way: if you've read North and South, and you're not ready to drop it yet, this continuation will be a nice and painless read.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved it, big fan of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South, great sequel

[Anne Fuchs-Chesney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much lead up

I liked the female relationships for Margaret. The entire book keeping Margaret & John apart was not at all enjoyable.