Wives and Daughters

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read...
Review: Enchanting books, full of romance, intrigues, and gossip. A wonderful example of an old English society and the partitions and biases built into each social class. I would suggest this as a great book to read, and a resource on social structure and etiquette for historians.

Rating:
Summary: One of the finest Victorian novels!
Review: Having spent years absorbed with the works of the Brontes' I was a latecomer in accepting anything by a Unitarian Preacher's Victorian wife who was better known by the settled name of Mrs. Gaskell. I'm glad I proved my prejudice so wrong. It is probably noteworthy for any serious reader to become acquainted with the socio-history of the time. While Jane Austen (admittedly, an earlier writer) takes on the more acerbic tones of character assasination and the Brontes are more brutal in their emotional exhaustion Gaskell is subtle in her astute observation of the minute aspects of social comings and goings.

The title, alone, is an intriguing insight into the sexual competition/tension. Children and their relationships with parents is definitely an underlying theme throughout the novel and offers a refreshing insight into the lack of predictability that might have been seen from earlier writers (eg, Austen, Burney etc) where heroine falls in love with hero (only eligible, upstanding and decent male in the plot). There are plenty of characthers in W&D that are true to form, ie having blemishes, imperfections etc.

The social significance of the novel should be underscored. There is a continuous reminder of the class struggle between 3 very different classes (and still excluding the working class). Differences between the sexes are emphasised and it could almost be seen as an early example of literary feminism. Molly Gipson's passion for learning (outside the traditional role) is an interesting take on the movement (and acceptance) of women within academic circles (ref, the BlueStockings). The scientific references would demonstrate the underlying Darwinian theories that would have been shaking Victorian society. Gossip was, as always, the brutal reminder of the petty lives that people lived and the strength of a bad reputation that could befall any 'lady'!

I guess I could go on but I would recommend any reader to take a further examination of this book before dismissing it as simply 'one of the classics'.......

Rating:
Summary: Sweet and Witty, but overly long
Review: I just could not seem to finish this book! It was so long and covered, so much of nothing but a little bit of everything. Very sweet tale, with wit and good taste, I'd wager to say in the same vein of writing as Jane Austen. Yet Jane could tell her tale a bit quicker than this, for such a simple tale of English country life in the 1860's it is. Enjoyable and engrossing, the story is told around the doctors daughter, and the events that occur with her fathers remarriage to a rather shallow former governess and schoolteacher. Molly Gibson, the main character, is an upright citizen and honest soul, after her fathers example. Watch for the predictable love triangle between Molly and her new startlingly attractive stepsister, Cynthia. I was tired of the tedious overuse of the phrase, "tete a tete" but intrigued by several characters. Gaskells characters, such as Lady Harriet and the Sisters Browning, are fleshed out and their personalities pursued with familiarity. Don't you know someone just like Hamley of Hamley, today in 2001? Or maybe the new Mrs Gibson reminds of you of one of your friends? This is what you can look forward to: familiarity and the historicity of all sorts of little tidbits; how "the apple of his eye" was considered a vulgar term, for example. Please read if you are coming off of a Jane Austen high and are desperate; but see if you can find an abridged version, if one exists, for it is sorely needed! PS I got this book to read along with the PBS show currently running. The movie doesn't do it justice, but intrigued me enough to literally hunt for this book! Go for it!

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: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: This book portrays the life of young Molly Gibson. Molly is a sweet girl with a good heart, but when her father remarries, Molly finds herself with a new stepsister, Cynthia. Cynthia is quite popular and flirtatious but is very troubled. Molly and Cynthia become good friends though Molly doesn't always agree with Cynthia's actions. This story shows how Molly and her sister grow from girl to woman within the gossiping little town of Hollingford, England.

I decided to read this book after seeing the Wives and Daughters presentation from ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre on PBS. This book is captivating and touching. It is too bad that Elizabeth Gaskell passed away before finishing the book. But though the novel is incomplete, I still very much enjoyed this book and never regretted reading it. I would recommend that you view the Masterpiece Theatre presentation of this novel because it really helped me to understand the characters better. Overall, this book is wonderful and an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Simply enchanting...
Review: This is a charming novel! Though Mrs. Gaskell's untimely death prevented the final chapter from being written, the story is not incomplete. We only miss her delightful way of telling us what happened in the end. The notes in the back of the Penguin Classics edition are invaluable and very interesting all by themselves. If you enjoyed the television mini-series, you won't be disappointed in this book. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys "parlor" romance-comedy-drama. Mrs. Gaskell's style is distinctive from Jane Austen's but equally entertaining.