Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Serialized between 1851-53, Cranford is a series of vignettes of English country life. Fans of the BBCTV series made from this novel know well Miss Matty Jenkyns, Miss Pole, and Captain Brown, but the novel is quite different, a taste of what the series expanded upon.

Cranford is a town of ladies; the men who married the women of Cranford are off at war or work, and the main characters are a group of spinsters, a close society of women of a certain age. Miss Matty Jenkyns lives with her sister Deborah, daughters of the former Rector. Captain Brown has moved into the house across from them with his grown daughter Miss Jessie and a sickly younger girl. He is there to work on the new railway to Manchester, being built under protest by the town. Miss Barclay owns a cow she dotes upon, and Miss Pole is the first to hear and spread any news. They are all poor but live with chaste elegance and never speak of money, except for Mrs. Jamieson, who puts on superior airs. Elegant economy comes in many forms, such as burning candles just to the same point as the others, so that when visitors come, it looks like they had all been lit at the same time. They call upon each other from twelve to three and are especially thrilled to meet Mrs. Jamieson's Scottish cousin, Lady Glenmire, who turns out to enjoy drink and cards as much as they do. Miss Matty is the central character, and although she never married, she still holds a lifelong love for Mr. Holbrook (as does he), and Miss Jessie finds romance with Major Gordon. Together they rally when someone passes, support each other when the bank fails, and thrill when magician Señor Brunoni puts on a show (although he turns out to be quite different than he advertises).

Fans of the Brontës and Jane Austen will find a lot to like in this delicate comedy of life in rural England. The TV series changed the order around and expanded ideas into full storylines, to the betterment. This was entertaining, but the series offered a well-rounded picture. Highly recommended.

Elizabeth Gaskell wrote the popular novels North and South, Wives and Daughters, and Mary Barton.

1853 / Tradeback / 216 pages

My reviews for novels of a similar time:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The Aspern Papers by Henry James

Daisy Miller by Henry James