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Elizabeth GaskellNorth and South

Librivox recording of North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Set in Victorian England, North and South is the story of Margaret Hale, a young woman whose life is turned upside down when her family relocates to northern England. As an outsider from the agricultural south, Margaret is initially shocked by the aggressive northerners of the dirty, smoky industrial town of Milton. But as she adapts to her new home, she defies social conventions with her ready sympathy and defense of the working poor. Her passionate advocacy leads her to repeatedly clash with charismatic mill owner John Thornton over his treatment of his workers. While Margaret denies her growing attraction to him, Thornton agonizes over his foolish passion for her, in spite of their heated disagreements. As tensions mount between them, a violent unionization strike explodes in Milton, leaving everyone to deal with the aftermath in the town and in their personal lives.

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: ListeninginChicago - - July 24, 2009
Subject: Great book, mixed bag of readers
It was Richard Armitage's BBC portrayal of Mr. Thornton that first interested me in North and South. I have been a fan ever since. If you enjoy Jane Austen, I think you will also enjoy this mixture of social commentary and love story. Janine Barchas published a thoughtful analysis of the connection between Austen and Gaskell in an article for the journal of the Jane Austen Sociaty of North America (North and South: Austen’s Early Legacy, by Janine Barchas, Persuasions vol. 30 (2008)). I'm not a lit major, but could appreciate the parallels once they were pointed out to me. Like Austen, Gaskell is an author that you can enjoy on multiple levels. If you're looking for a good story - this is one. If you're looking for deeper social commentary from a woman's perspective, this also suits. So overall, I have the highest praise for the book.

Librivox has two collaborative versions of North and South posted. This is the original, and contains many excellent readings - it's particularly fascinating to listen to the variety of British accents. But several chapters were so poorly done that I couldn't wait for them to finish. All in all, I would choose to listen to the second Librivox version.

Reviewer: Rossendale - - September 29, 2007
Subject: An Agreeable Surprise.
I've just finished listening to this recording and I have to say that although I had my my doubts initially this group collaboration works better than most. The variety of voices is fascinating, the diction throughout is clear and the readings themselves are thoughtfully and intelligently delivered. Inevitably, some readers are better than others - one or two sound to be of professional standard - but all are very listenable and obviously enthusiastic about what they were doing. Thoroughly recommended.