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Elizabeth GaskellNorth and South

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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.

Elizabeth Gaskell serialized North and South between September 1854 and January 1855 in Charles Dickens’s magazine Household Words. Upon its publication, Gaskell established herself as a novelist capable of serious discourse on social responsibility and advocacy for change in defiance of established authority.
(Summary by Dani)

Read by Librivox volunteers

For more free audiobooks, or to become a volunteer reader, please visit librivox.org.

M4B format available


This audio is part of the collection: The LibriVox Free Audiobook Collection
It also belongs to collections: Audio Books & Poetry; Community Audio

Artist/Composer: Elizabeth Gaskell
Source: Librivox recording of a public-domain text

Creative Commons license: Public Domain


Individual Files

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01 - Haste to the Wedding 20.6 MB
11.2 MB
10.3 MB
02 - Roses and Thorns 20.1 MB
11.7 MB
10.0 MB
03 - The More Haste, the Worse Speed 21.4 MB
12.9 MB
10.7 MB
04 - Doubts and Difficulties 24.2 MB
11.9 MB
12.1 MB
05 - Decision 29.8 MB
15.7 MB
14.9 MB
06 - Farewell 13.8 MB
6.9 MB
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07 - New Scenes and Faces 13.7 MB
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08 - Homesickness 25.4 MB
14.8 MB
12.7 MB
09 - Dressing for Tea 8.9 MB
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10 - Wrought Iron and Gold 18.1 MB
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11 - First Impressions 19.3 MB
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12 - Morning Calls 13.0 MB
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6.5 MB
13 - A Soft Breeze in a Sultry Place 14.0 MB
7.1 MB
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14 - The Mutiny 14.5 MB
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15 - Masters and Men 27.1 MB
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13.6 MB
16 - The Shadow of Death 19.3 MB
9.6 MB
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17 - What Is a Strike? 19.3 MB
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18 - Likes And Dislikes 18.1 MB
10.0 MB
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19 - Angel Visits 26.8 MB
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20 - Men and Gentlemen 22.5 MB
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11.3 MB
21 - The Dark Night 16.3 MB
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22 - A Blow and its Consequences 29.8 MB
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14.9 MB
23 - Mistakes 14.1 MB
8.3 MB
7.1 MB
24 - Mistakes Cleared Up 12.8 MB
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6.4 MB
25 - Frederick 25.4 MB
13.7 MB
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26 - Mother and Son 11.4 MB
6.9 MB
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27 - Fruit Piece 12.8 MB
7.2 MB
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28 - Comfort in Sorrow 31.4 MB
17.8 MB
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29 - A Ray of Sunshine 13.0 MB
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30 - Home at Last 25.3 MB
14.5 MB
12.7 MB
31 - Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot 22.3 MB
12.1 MB
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32 - Mischances 10.9 MB
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5.5 MB
33 - Peace 12.5 MB
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34 - False and True 12.1 MB
6.6 MB
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35 - Expiation 30.2 MB
16.5 MB
15.1 MB
36 - Union Not Always Strength 26.0 MB
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37 - Looking South 21.3 MB
11.8 MB
10.6 MB
38 - Promises Fulfilled 26.2 MB
15.9 MB
13.1 MB
39 - Making Friends 17.0 MB
9.7 MB
8.5 MB
40 - Out of Tune 27.6 MB
16.5 MB
13.8 MB
41 - The Journey's End 27.2 MB
14.7 MB
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42 - Alone, Alone 26.5 MB
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13.2 MB
43 - Margaret's Flittin' 22.9 MB
12.8 MB
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44 - Ease, Not Peace 23.9 MB
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12.0 MB
45 - Not All a Dream 6.4 MB
3.6 MB
3.2 MB
46 - Once and Now 40.7 MB
24.7 MB
20.4 MB
47 - Something Wanting 12.4 MB
6.9 MB
6.2 MB
48 - Ne'er to Be Found Again 13.5 MB
7.7 MB
6.8 MB
49 - Breathing Tranquility 15.4 MB
9.3 MB
7.7 MB
50 - Changes at Milton 22.5 MB
12.1 MB
11.2 MB
51 - Meeting Again 16.1 MB
9.5 MB
8.1 MB
52 - Pack Clouds Away 9.5 MB
5.4 MB
4.8 MB
Information FormatSize
north_and_south_0709_librivox_files.xml Metadata [file]
north_and_south_0709_librivox_meta.xml Metadata 2.6 KB
north_and_south_0709_librivox_reviews.xml Metadata 2.4 KB

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Reviews
Average Rating: 4.00 out of 5 stars4.00 out of 5 stars4.00 out of 5 stars4.00 out of 5 stars

Reviewer: ListeninginChicago - 3.00 out of 5 stars3.00 out of 5 stars3.00 out of 5 stars - 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 - 5.00 out of 5 stars5.00 out of 5 stars5.00 out of 5 stars5.00 out of 5 stars5.00 out of 5 stars - 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.


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