#ClassicsCommunity 2021 Reading Challenge discussion

Hi Everyone!
This is the topic for the North and South buddy read starting in June. I'm hoping to try and get the reading schedule sorted soon and get it posted in here.

I can't wait!

wait that sounded rude, I just mean I'm excited :)

Leah wrote: "wait that sounded rude, I just mean I'm excited :)"

Same, I've been recommended this book for years because of how much I love Pride and Prejudice.

Last night I finished this book. 5 stars and fit for re reads. This book is very different from all others of its age ( Austen’s and Eliot ‘s ) and absolutely justifies its title. I will be following discussions on this thread.

Just added this to my kindle, can’t wait to read it!

Georgie wrote: "Just added this to my kindle, can’t wait to read it!"

Excited to have you joining us!

I will be joining as well - I ordered the book today!

Antonia wrote: "I will be joining as well - I ordered the book today!"

Yay! I'm hoping to order the book this Friday so that I can sort out the reading schedule.

I am also in ;) have my copy already!

Nati wrote: "I am also in ;) have my copy already!"

V i c k s wrote: "Hey! I'll be joining as well! Very exciteddXD"

So excited to have you both joining!

Hey everyone!

My copy of the book came today so I've been trying to figure out a reading schedule and I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3 chapters a day until it's finished. If any of you have a different idea then I would be happy to hear it, I would also like to know if you would prefer 2 or 3 chapters.

I would be fine with 3 chapters a day! my copy is still on it's way~

Yay! I'm really excited for June now.

There is an adaption from BBC ;)

Nathalie wrote: "There is an adaption from BBC ;)"

V i c k s wrote: "Yess can't wait! Do you guys now if there is any movie adaptation of the book?"

The BBC adaptation is wonderful.

I don't think that my physical copy will be here in time but the ebook is free on kindle so I'll be ready to start whenever everyone else is :)

Hi everyone! I'd also like to join. I found the ebook on scribd but haven't started yet :)

I was just thinking that if everyone is ready to start the book, we could start on Monday?

I would be ready to start on Monday

V i c k s wrote: "I don't think I'll be able cuz I still have some books to finish, but go ahead! I'll catch up later ;)"

Only if you're 100% sure that you're okay with it?

Monday works perfectly for me as well!

So everyone is fine to start on Monday! This should be great, if we stick with 3 chapers a day it should take us 2-3 weeks to finish the book. Is everyone happy with this or is it too fast for anyone? :)

Sorry if this feels like I'm trying to take over Tammie! I know you are the one who is organising the whole buddy read~

Leah wrote: "Sorry if this feels like I'm trying to take over Tammie! I know you are the one who is organising the whole buddy read~"

It's completely fine, I'm perfectly happy with that schedule as long as everyone else is.

I am looking forward to finally taking this off of my TBR! It’s been on for 20 years!

So we'll read about 30 pages a day, right? For me it would be fine if we do a mix between 2 and 3 chapters a day :)

Nathalie wrote: "So we'll read about 30 pages a day, right? For me it would be fine if we do a mix between 2 and 3 chapters a day :)"

I think depending on the length of chapters there might be a mix of 2 to 3 chapters a day.

Are we reading 2 or 3 chapters tomorrow?

Leah wrote: "Are we reading 2 or 3 chapters tomorrow?"

I'm thinking we should start with 3, to start it all of with a bang.

Okay~

I'm so excited to start today.

I've read the first 3 chapters and I don't have a lot of thoughts so far since not much has happened but I can say that I enjoyed the writing! It has that simple but elegant style that makes it easy to understand and still be beautiful. I also quite like Margaret as our main character, she seems quite indecisive which I think will become interesting later on.

What do you all think?

I haven't been able to get around to reading yet today because I've been at work but I'm just about to sit down and read now.

That's alright~ take your time

I totally overlooked her beauty of nature actually but I bet that'll be important when she moves up North

^ That's in the synopsis so I thought it would be okay to say

2 today is probably better so people who are a little behind have a chance to catch up :)

Hi guys, sorry for not being very active so far this week (work has been very hectic). I've just finished reading the first three chapters and I'm really enjoying it, I can already see why everyone has recommended this to me as a match for Pride and Prejudice.

I already feel very connected with Margaret as a main character and I see a lot of myself in her. Is it just me who loves Henry?

I'm planning on reading more of it tonight so I just want to know what chapters you're all up to so we can be at the same point.

V i c k s wrote: "Im currently on ch6, and planning on reading one or two more chapters today"

Thank you, sorry again for not being active even though I started this.

I am on chapter 6 as well

We've gotten a bit of an insight to John Thornton's character these last few chapters, what do you all think?

I agree I think he will become closer with Margaret later on too especially since the two seem in a lot of ways the opposite of each other

I want to join!! I’ll catch up quickly. This books has been sitting on myself for about 2 years and I keep saying I’ll get to it soon. Now is the time! I am reading so much nonfiction right now that I probably need to start a novel! Just discussing her right? I saw the start of a discussion and scrolled over it so I can start before I read any thoughts. Excited! Thanks all!

Discussing HERE....not her...oops

So I love the comparisons between Edith’s normal type of beauty (she’s compared to Titania, a popular fairy name after Shakespeare used it in a play- so she’s like a fairy queen) and Margaret’s more irregular beauty and skepticism about feminine things.

There’s a note in my book about her describing Helstone in chapter 1. It says she paints an over idealized picture and Lennox draws attention to it, but then he does the same thing in chapter 3. However she is going to “painfully revise her view on a return visit” so I guess I’ll keep an eye out for that.

So I have read 13 chapters as of now... I am pretty sure I am behind schedule, but how far in is everyone else? What chapters should I be reading?

Anyway, I am really enjoying myself so far. This has already been said, but I really love the writing style and Margaret as a character. I also like the other characters and how the relationships between them are portrayed.

I'm on chapter 30 :) I've been reading 3 chapter a day since we started and will catch up on some days I missed tonight

How is feminism portrayed throughout the novel so far? What are your thoughts on how the different characters act in reference to different feminine ideals?

...loyalty and obedience to wisdom and justice are fine; but it is still finer to defy arbitrary power unjustly and cruelly used... pg. 165

Margaret is a beautifully written character. I see so much Austen in this book. I like that Thornton’s attraction to Margaret is not merely implied like that of Darcy for Elizabeth. Gaskell’s writing is really enjoyable and reads like a BBC film. Lived in north England in 1997-1998 and same prejudices continued to exist. The north as uneducated and unrefined. I will that the dialect was so very difficult to comprehend for me. Their northerners are stigmatized like the southerners here in the US.