The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

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Please note - info about Gaskell can be found in our about our authors thread.

Hi,

Is there anybody in here who can guide me to how to buy books on Amazon? This is embarrasing. I have so far borrowed everything from my library.

I have an account and do a search for Sylvia’s Lovers. But then 100 books turn up. Some are way cheaper than others. But one is 154 pages. Should I only buy from a trusted publisher (Oxford etc.) or should I be able to find something cheaper?

Charlotte wrote: "Is there anybody in here who can guide me to how to buy books on Amazon? This is embarrasing. I have so far borrowed everything from my library. "

Do you use an e-reader, or do you prefer physical books? I use Amazon for e-books since they often have free or cheap versions of the classics, which are compatible with my Kindle (but yes, it can be confusing to wade through the different versions). For physical books, I tend to prefer my local bookstores, who can order new or used books if they don't have them on hand.

Charlotte wrote: "Hi,

Is there anybody in here who can guide me to how to buy books on Amazon? This is embarrasing. I have so far borrowed everything from my library.

I have an account and do a search for Sylvia’..."

A very good and valid question. The book itself is just under 500 pages. I’m using an actual Oxford edition because I prefer that edition. I do see when I search here on good reads several separate books that are a portion of the book, and all the volumes together would be the complete book,

If you want a book vs. ebook, I’d stick to Oxford or penguin. I’ve had some issues with the no name ebooks. The penguin and Oxford ebooks are fairly reasonably priced. You can download the kindle app for free and read the ebook on your phone, tablet, or computer.
I hope this helps.

I was going to wait till nearer the time to post this, but I would recommend ‘The Gaskell Society’ website for an abundance of information regarding the author, her life and works.

https://gaskellsociety.co.uk/

Clicking on the ‘Links’ button at the top right of the page takes you to a web page full of links to resources, including, for example, downloadable books at Project Gutenberg. My particular favourites are the online artefacts and copies of original letters and drafts from John Rylands library.

Trev wrote: "I was going to wait till nearer the time to post this, but I would recommend ‘The Gaskell Society’ website for an abundance of information regarding the author, her life and works.

https://gaskel..."

Thanks for this resource. And your timing is perfect.

Charlotte wrote: "Hi,

Is there anybody in here who can guide me to how to buy books on Amazon? This is embarrasing. I have so far borrowed everything from my library.

I have an account and do a search for Sylvia’..."

That is a legitimate question. The same problem comes up for Oblomov which has editions that vary by hundreds of pages.

Deborah wrote: "Charlotte wrote: "Hi,

Is there anybody in here who can guide me to how to buy books on Amazon? This is embarrassing. I have so far borrowed everything from my library.

I have an account and do a ..."

Sign in, select "books" from the list, write in the name of your book:
https://www.amazon.com. They'll present you with paper books and e-books. You can download out-of-copyright classics from other sources.

N.B. you can also buy anything from that same search page.

I don't buy books from Amazon because of the way they've controlled the publishing industry.

For those who want a book book and don’t mind/prefer second hand books, I like the Better World Books website-very reliable, I think it’s independent, good prices, according to their blurb seem socially responsible.

I buy only used books, and the best part is that they have free shipping. I've ordered a stack of books from them this year. ThriftBooks offers free shipping on $10, which is easily done, and their store is on Ebay.

In general, I prefer physical books but back when we were reading Dickens and Trollope, my copies had small print and bulky pages. So I started reading on my iPad and now I almost always do that for classics. I appreciate that I can make the print bigger. When I got my first iPad years ago, I got an app called Megareader which contains Gutenberg, Bain Books and a couple other public domain sites, including some books in other languages. It did cost a few dollars upfront but has been so worth it. Some of the editions even have the illustrations.

Sylvia’s Lovers, written in 1863, is set in the whaling port of Monkshaven during the Napoleonic wars. The book explores gender relations and the interaction of public and private events. There is a focus on aggression, revenge, and rivalry.

Gaskell thoroughly researched life in a small whaling town in order to write this book.

You can read more about the author in our About Our Authors thread, and access further info in the link above that Trev provided.

Info about the Napoleonic War can be found here

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...

Deborah wrote: "Sylvia’s Lovers, written in 1863, is set in the whaling port of Monkshaven during the Napoleonic wars. The book explores gender relations and the interaction of public and private events. There is ..."

Monkshaven is actually the North Yorkshire town of Whitby which is still a thriving seaside resort today. On the west cliff stands an arch made of whalebones to commemorate the town’s whaling past. Incidentally, it is the same town where Bram Stoker set his novel ‘Dracula’ and there are a number of commemorative plaques and other artefacts around the town relating to that author. Silvia’s Lovers is Elizabeth Gaskell’s only historical novel. As a town it is very isolated, surrounded by the North York Moors on three sides and the sea on the other. It is very familiar to me as it is one of my favourite places to visit.

While these pictures are from Connecticut, USA, this is what a whaling town possibly looked like.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...

Trev wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Sylvia’s Lovers, written in 1863, is set in the whaling port of Monkshaven during the Napoleonic wars. The book explores gender relations and the interaction of public and private e..."

Great information. Your input during this book will be invaluable to those of us unfamiliar with the area.

I visited Whitby three years ago, it is a place that will remain forever in my heart, I felt at home there, I hope to visit it again. A few months later I read Sylvia's Lovers. I will read your comments as you go on.

Did you notice the 'Monkshaven' cafe during your visit Daniela? It is next to the market square in the Old Town on the east side. The building it is in would have been there when Elizabeth Gaskell visited. It is the only visible reference in the town that I know of but there could be others. Up on the east cliff above it is Whitby Abbey which includes ruins once inhabited by monks.

No, I did not notice the cafe. Whitby Abbey is really impressive!

Sounds like an interesting place!

Whitby features prominently in the novel Possession, which is modern, but includes 2 (fake) Victorian poets.

Thank you, all of you, for advice on buying books. I have secured a copy from a local, online bookstore. And even if it is imported, it is cheaper (and it seems like, faster) than Amazon. So I will soon be able to join this discussion and looking forward to it!

Here is a photo of the ‘Monks Haven’ cafe in Whitby.

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...

To the right is part of the wall of the old market place, dating from 1640 although much of the present building is from the 1780s.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8502/84...

Here is a short overview of the history of the town.

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMa...

Press gangs

One of the pervading themes within ‘Silvia’s Lovers’ is the townsfolk’s fear of and reaction to the ‘Press Gangs.’ The press gangs were groups of sailors from the navy, led by a lieutenant, with the official permission to force eligible men to serve in the navy.

Here is a contemporary cartoon of a press gang in action:-

https://www.britishtars.com/2014/04/a...

This is a brief summary of why the British government employed press gangs and the impact it had.

https://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info...

I thought it interesting that an American movie called "Sylvie's Love" premiered two days ago on December 23, 2020, on the Amazon streaming service. It appears to have no relation at all to the book Sylvia's Lovers and I have found nothing to indicate that the screenwriter used the Gaskell novel as the basis of the name.
It appears to be just a weird coincidence that a movie called Sylvie's Love is coming out just as this group is going to read a Victorian novel called Sylvia's Lovers.
Here's the Wikipedia article on the movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvie%...

Brian wrote: "I thought it interesting that an American movie called "Sylvie's Love" premiered two days ago on December 23, 2020, on the Amazon streaming service. It appears to have no relation at all to the boo..."

I wondered about that too!

I awoke from a dream with this song, changing the word 'mother' to 'lovers,' playing in my head"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LXpn...

Like "Cover of the Rolling Stone" this song was written by author Shel Silverstein. The song was based on Silverstein's experience with a woman named Sylvia so it too had nothing to do with Gaskell's book.

Brian wrote: "I thought it interesting that an American movie called "Sylvie's Love" premiered two days ago on December 23, 2020, on the Amazon streaming service. It appears to have no relation at all to the boo..."

As far as I know there have been no adaptations of the book ‘Silvia’s Lovers’ for film, TV, stage or radio. It is often quoted as as being one of the author’s least known and least appreciated works. Together with ‘Ruth’ I think both novels need more recognition.
In some some ways though, I am also relieved that it remains obscure, as many of the recent movie interpretations of Victorian novels (eg The Personal History of David Copperfield) are so preoccupied with twenty first century issues and sensibilities that the original plot, characters and meaning are often distorted almost beyond recognition.

Just a reminder. There’s a detailed biography, along with other reading sources, about this author in our authors thread.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...

A picture and description of a press warrant

I heard a dramatization of this on BBC Radio and loved it. I have been trying to get a copy since then!

Kirsten "keep calm there are only 15 days left" wrote: "I heard a dramatization of this on BBC Radio and loved it. I have been trying to get a copy since then!"

I decided on an actual Oxford edition book. Got it from Amazon. But check out our resource link on finding books

While the current Oxford has a nice cover the Penguin has a nice cover too.

Brian wrote: "While the current Oxford has a nice cover the Penguin has a nice cover too."

Both are great publications

This week Bell has rheumatic fever. Here’s a bit about that illness

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&u...

A Toby jug

History of press gangs in Whitby with some info on press gang riot

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...