Rating: 
Summary: Thoroughly engaging but not quite a masterpiece
Review: I stayed up many late nights because this book is so engrossing. The storytelling, the pace, the characters, the intrigue all kept me up late, even when I had early morning meetings. Gaskell has a simple and eloquent writing style as well as a wonderful story to tell. She does a sublime job of populating a village with memorable and distinct characters. The story centers around the Gibson family, first Molly and her father, gifted surgeon Dr. Gibson. Eventually Mr. Gibson realizes that Molly needs a mother to guide through her "young womanhood," and so he marries the superficial, exceedingly self-centered, but ultimately harmless Hyacinth Kirkpatrick. The new Mrs. Gibson brings with her her breathtaking beautiful but troubled daughter Cynthia (anagram). Along with this family, we follow the Hamleys with their rich past and future which is inextricably linked with the Gibson's -- Molly's especially. While the author patiently delineates all her characters, I agree with an earlier post that said she could have benefitted from a great editor. Some of her observations ARE redundant. How many descriptions do we really need about Molly's goodness, Mrs. Gibson's selfishness, Cynthia's beauty, etc.? Moreover, contrary to what Gaskell intends, I think the true heroine in the story is Cynthia. Cynthia is both selfish and kind, witty and naive, winning and annoying, pitiful and enviable -- in essence, she's a fully characterized, complex human being. Molly, who is so wondefully patient and good and sweet and caring and loving, is a shell of a girl compared to Cynthia. There are no shades to Molly. Why the intended heroine of the story lacks dimension is beyond me. Nearly every other character is allowed contrarian thoughts and feelings, whereas Molly occasionally borders on peevishness or impatience only to retreat back to docility. Having said that much, I did enjoy the book immensely and was more than a little disappointed that Gaskell's untimely death forever suspends Molly and Roger in a state of unfulfilled love. Yes, my imagination can provide the ending easily but I would have loved to have read Gaskell's exquisite conclusion. I would not put Elizabeth Gaskell in the same league with Jane Austen or George Eliot. Although, I think Gaskell's story has more immediate social relevance than Austen, her writing is simply not as good. For one, Austen's dialogue is incomparable. Austen's social commentary is so intertwined with her characters that you hardly perceive the narrator. She speaks through her creations. Gaskell's personal beliefs leaks through. George Eliot is in a class of her own; her writing is so subtle yet powerful you don't realize how great she is until the end when you put down Middlemarch and are in awe. Her characters, the village, the story is so richly textured that few novels even approach Middlemarch to be considered a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't put it down
Review: i thought this was a great story. i am a huge austen fan and was very pleased with this book. it is long but it did not feel that long when reading it. there is great insight to characters and you see their faults and flaws, even in the heros and heroines.
i would say it was easier to read than austen and gaskell did use "tete-a-tete" a lot. i was also unfinished and leaves you wanting more of the ending,but i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genere of book. I would have given it 4.5 stars if possible
Rating: 
Summary: Editor's neglect leaves a bit of a mess for reader
Review: If "Wives and Daughters" was made into a college drinking game, the young men and women playing the game would soon be drunk if they took shots every time the phrase "tete-a-tete" appeared or every time Molly Gibson's eyes brimmed with tears. Those are the more annoying redundancies, but there are others. In addition, there are frequent inconsistancies of dates, facts and figures which led me to believe that this book was truly a first draft left untouched by any editor out of some sort of respect for the deceased author. My final complaint is that the story rambles in so many spots that I had to skim in order to get to the meat of the story. Enough of my complaints. Now praise: I think I have not found another book that leaves so full an impression of the personalities for each main character. Namely, Cynthia and her mother, Mrs. Gibson, are so well done - they are unlikable, selfish women with so many faults and annoying tendancies. Yet, they do not grate against the reader. In fact, I found events that revolved around either women very fascinating and Ms. Gaskell's skill in demonstrating their manipulative, coy ways was very adept. The book was not finished, due to Ms. Gaskell's untimely death, but we are satisfied with how we assume the story will end. One must truly have patience to read through this, sorting out the gems. I think with a good editing job, this novel could have been fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing domestic comedy
Review: In her last novel, Gaskell avoided her usual urban milieu to concentrate instead on the wonderful parochial doings of a country village in the mid-Victorian period. Although she left the novel without its very last chapter before she died, this should not dissuade you from reading the novel: you'll know by the end exactly where Gaskell was going to finish the book and what would've happened to all the characters. WIVES AND DAUGHTERS is frequently compared to Austen, but it is very different; the comedy and social observation is marvelous, but there's a greater sense of despair here more akin to MIDDLEMARCH. Hyacinth is without question the single most complex and engrossing character Gaskell ever created, and despite her menadacity and her manipulativeness you can't help but feel fond of her in spite of her less attractive qualities. Her daughter Cynthia is nearly as fine a character, and the others are also topnotch. A delightful read.
Rating:
Summary: A Barely Unfinished Masterpiece
Review: It's interesting that another reviewer here recommends this novel on the strength of its Austen appeal. Me, I never cared for Jane Austen. But Gaskell's book is subtle and brilliant and amazing on so many levels that a little, Austen-like parody is only another flavor. Molly Gibson's moving through her life and the lives of those near to her is solid in every way that literature must be; yet it is in the stunningly realistic depictions of relations between the characters - her father, her stepmother, her stepsister, the Hamley brothers - that Mrs. Gaskell reveals her genius. She refuses to settle for easy reactions and expected responses. If at times her people suffer a bit from a Victorian eye's love of form, her brilliance will allow for no false note. As absolute evidence we see the evolution of Hyacinth Gibson's role in the family, the desperate wrongness of it, perfectly muted to the compromises life brings forth in all such situations. This single character, vain and selfish, inconsiderate but not monstrous, is as real a human being as I have ever encountered in literature of the 19th century, or this one. I conclude with saying that, having been introduced to this woman's work, George Eliot has had to share her place in my mind as the preeminent female author of that century.
Rating:
Summary: Deliciously comic social observations with a dark Edge
Review: Mollie Gibson, heroine of the this tale and sweet malleable ingenue, has her world thrown into disarray when her father, a respectable doctor marries again. The new Mrs Kirkpatrick is a strange mix of willfulness, snobbery and pride. She also comes with a grown daughter of Mollie's age for whom she feels a certain amount of unmotherly ambivalence - Hyacinth Kirkpatrick. Thus the title, 'Wives and Daughters' and the book is set up for complex interplay of these three lives. This novel reminds me in a superficial way of Austen's "Mansfield Park" - although Mollie is in a much better position than poor old Fanny. The relationship the new Mrs Gibson has with her daughter and with Mollie, and the wonderfully likeable but manipulative way Hyacinth ties everyone up in knots makes great fun reading. Like Mansfield Park though there is an edge of darkness behind it. In the midst of this all is Squre Hamley and his two sons, the Brilliant but rather idle Osborne, and the younger brother hard-working scientist Roger. Mollie is treated as a confidante by almost everyone in the book a painful situation, and when Roger (whom Mollie secretly loves) falls for Hyacinth and both wish to confide in length about the other. Unfortunately Gaskell died before she could finish this book - however it does end at a stage where you know that there is likely to be a happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: A leisurely stroll through an English village ; great read!
Review: Mrs. Gaskell is the perfect author for avid Jane Austen fans. Here is humor, "quiet suspense", and in-depth characterization. For those of us who like to lose ourselves in the bucolic life of daily 19th-century England, this book is a treat! Another similar title equally satisfying is "Framley Parsonage" by Anthony Trollope.
Rating:
Summary: if only it were finished...
Review: Ok, so we all know what will happen, we all know Roger will marry Molly, but I wish we were able to read how it happens, you know? I liked Cynthia too, though I didn't like the character of her mother, though I enjoyed reading about her. Poor Molly though, that until the end she is living in the shadow of her stepsister and no-one realise her worth till the end
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful!
Review: Sadly unfinished, in consequence of Gaskell's death, "Wives and Daughters" breaks off at the end of chapter 60; It is ultimately unsatisfying because of this, even though the fate of the characters is already clearly marked out; it is a major disapointment not to be able to read Gaskell's ending, which she would have done so charmingly!
The whole novel can at any rate be called charming, and comletely captivating to the reader. Elizabeth Gaskell weaves a tale of a small county, full of life and detail and greatness at every turn. The characterization is nearly perfect, in my opinion, and would have achieved a greater perfection had it only been a finished novel. The story is one of the coming of age of Molly Gibson, and in this "everyday story" of every day domesticity, Gaskell follows and captures perfectly the little incidents in Molly's life. The small things that make her happy, the minor tragedies, and her concealed, though very real love for Roger Hamley, which is in fact one of the most realistic and true portrayals of love I have ever encountered in a work of fiction.
This is not a masterpiece, surely, but it is an important last(though unfinished) novel of a very great talent;Elizabeth Gaskell. It is long, but still very readable; and I would recommend it to anyone who is studying victorian literature. There are also great lessons to be learned from it by the aspiring writer. Not to be missed!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, light classic
Review: The novel itself is as unintentionally deceptive as the charming Cynthia. The style and insights into Victorian England is more a result of intuition than study. The heavier topics don't encroach on the pleasant plot, making W&D a more shallow affair than it should be. While I would hardly put Mrs. Gaskell in the same class as Austen, there are some similarities. The style is very readable, while not quite a page-turner. The plot is fresh and fleshed out, as are most of the characters. There is a tendency towards caricature, but the fine portraits of Molly Gibson, her father, and the Hamleys more than make up for the others. This is where Gaskell and Austen part company. Gaskell doesn't have quite the ear for nuances or the skill of pen, often repeating phrases and including too many allusions to then-contemporary sources for almost-inside-jokes. The writing seems less polished because of these unnecessary distractions. For those interested in Victorian times, the novel provides a pleasant, graceful look into the lives of country folk and gentry without getting into the nitty-gritty of Eliot or Dickens. And, unfortunately, there isn't quite the depth and range of the latter authors that gives you a real taste of all the amazing and terrible lives of common Victorians. It's a light classic, easy to read and engaging enough to take on your commute, but for a deeper view of country life, try George Eliot or Thomas Hardy. And as I understand it, W&D was a departure from Gaskell's usual topics, so maybe her earlier works will have that combination of readability with a less pretty look at society.
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