The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Hello all. Right now I am reading Wuthering Heights. I am just now getting to these old classics, just having read Jane Eyre and ADORED it. Naturally, I have very high hopes for this one as well. It feels dark so far which I love.

Just finished Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.

That sounds really clever. Any good so far?

I enjoyed Cranford but found it a bit slight. The book started as a series of short stories in a magazine, so a lot of it felt like episodes rather than a novel. It was written in the 1850s but set in the 1830s, in a small town that is slowly dying out for lack of men. The women there are all about the tiny social negotiations that establish hierarchy in a clique. In the end, though, they rise above their limitations and competition to show kindness and acceptance.

I’ve not read Rebecca, I’ll check it out thanks!

Abigail wrote: "I enjoyed Cranford but found it a bit slight. The book started as a series of short stories in a magazine, so a lot of it felt like episodes rather than a novel. It was written in the 1850s but set..."

The BBC or PBS version was very good.

People keep telling me that, so I've put it on my Netflix list! I'm all agog to see how the steely Dame Judi Dench plays the scatterbrained Miss Matty.