North and South

Think Pride & Prejudice but with a side of class-conflict and 19th century industrialisation funtimes! From goodreads:

When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction.

In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell skillfully fuses individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale creates one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.

I may have seen the BBC miniseries (on UK Netflix, if not all?) a ridiculous number of times, but this is one classic I've meant to read for years and never have!

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This is a discussion thread for people who have read or are reading the book in question. With that in mind, there are likely to be spoilers throughout. However, in the event of major twists or “how it ends”, please wrap content in spoiler tags.

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[spoiler]Surprise!content here[/spoiler]

  

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

I started reading this yesterday and SURPRISE I'M OBSESSED, I already love it to pieces!

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   Aldous Crouch

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

I'M AT THE BIT WHERE  

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Margaret gets hit by the pebble at the riot

AND I'M LIVING these are tropes straight out of fanfiction, why has it taken me so long to read this

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   Aldous Crouch, Amelia Evans

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

I finished this today and someone else should either read or post here so it's not just a thread of me yelling at myself, but:

1) Obvs I adored it but I did feel a lull in the last quarter after

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the domino effect of deaths had begun, although I get the reasoning behind them all, but it was so many pages of me going "meh I'm bored though" aND AFTER ALL THAT SLOW BURN AND A "YO I'LL LEND YOU 18K BABE" THERE WAS NOT EVEN A KISS? goddamnit classic literature and your social mores where is the relief for my sad little shipper heart?!

2) The moment I truly started caring about awkward loser John Thornton, officially:

He loved her, and would love her; and defy her, and this miserable bodily pain.

He stood still for a moment, to make this resolution firm and clear. There was an omnibus passing—going into the country; the conductor thought he was wishing for a place, and stopped near the pavement. It was too much trouble to apologise and explain; so he mounted upon it, and was borne away,—past long rows of houses—then past detached villas with trim gardens, till they came to real country hedge-rows, and, by-and-by, to a small country town. Then everybody got down; and so did Mr. Thornton, and because they walked away he did so too.

When you're too socially awkward and lovesick for life so you accidentally signal a bus and get on and just roll with it so you don't have to make a scene... XD

The following 1 user Likes Elias Grimstone's post:1 user Likes Elias Grimstone's post
   Aldous Crouch

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3