North and South (Wordsworth Classics) Paperback – 5 April 1993

This is a very well-written book, which holds your interest from page to page. The characters are well thought out, and you can't help but like them (most of them). It's a good story, & well worth reading, not just once, but like 'an old friend'. I read it last year, & it surprised me. I will read it again this summer, & no doubt it will surprise me again. I would recommend this book, yes.

Great book.

Brilliant story and very easy and enjoyable to read. I thought it might be a little heavy going but was pleasantly surprised. There are a few differences to the BBC series but I've thoroughly enjoyed both. The only reason I marked this as 4 stars instead of 5 was because the picture on the front is a little creepy, but otherwise this edition is great value. The print size was ideal as other editions in bookshops were slightly smaller.

Good quality

If you liked Pride and Prejudice, you might well like this story which was published 42 years later (in 1855) and which considers many of the same themes, although it is set in the cotton mill town of Milton (based on Manchester). Once we get over the rather slow start, we become fond of the heroine - the amiable, high-spirited, energetic Margaret. Accepting her role as a relatively poor member of society, she does what she can to help her old parents (in their 50s) and to act as companion to her wealthy and empty-headed cousin, Edith. She ends up leaving London and the south to live in Milton, in the north, when her father's conscience no longer permits him to earn a living in the church. In Milton she meets cotton mill owners and workers, and finds herself torn when they oppose each other in a strike. She finds it difficult to like John Thornton, the young mill owner, who is quickly drawn to her. I won't tell you anymore about what happens there. Elizabeth Gaskell is marvellous at depicting difficult characters - such as Mr Bell, the well-meaning but irritating academic and John Thornton's overbearing mother. Mrs Gaskell also excels in drawing those embarrassing moments when decent people misunderstand each other and get on each other's nerves. There is much that is entertaining; and there are many insights which put Mrs G centuries ahead of her time. She shows what happens when owners and workers get to know each other and collaborate. And she says: "God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent...The most proudly independent man depends on those around him for their insensible influence on his character - his life."

I'm delighted with this copy of the book. The paper is extremely pleasant to hold and to turn the pages. I particularly like the notes that explain some of the more obscure words used. There is also a very informative introduction. I'm very pleased that I bought the book rather than order it from my local library.

I chose this copy because it was cheap and pretty. I received a damaged copy with a different cover which was promptly replaced but it was still replaced with a different, worse cover than the picture indicates. This is a book for uni so I don't really care enough about the cover to quibble but someone else may care.

I can't help to open the book and read a few pages everyday. It brings me a lot of satisfaction and loving, hopes and joys as well as relaxation. Though I've watched the movie by BBC as many times as I can, learnt by heart every line of conversation in the movie. This is my book that I keep next to my pillow. Great work.And I also bought some other copies to give to my friends as a gift. Good price and quick service by Amazon. Just excellent.