January 2016 Host:  Stephanie

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Summary

This novel captures the social divide and how the manufacturing and trading industries were revolutionizing in England in the 1850s.  Margaret Hale, the daughter of a respected clergyman and her family, move from the south of England to the Northern industrialized town of Milton after her father leaves the church.  The descriptions of life in London, the country village of Helstone, and the manufacturing town of Milton are colorful and the reader feels at times that they are there.  The development of the love story between Margaret and Thornton (the mill-owner) around the struggle of Victorian social classes and economic classes is intriguing.  Margaret, living between two worlds - the millworkers and the owners - does not hesitate to share her views.  This novel is entertaining and thought provoking, and also a compelling love story.  This is one of the great classic novels and is highly recommended. 

Menu

A delicious Mexican buffet and dessert (which I forgot to take pictures of).