Victorians! discussion

Feel free to post any background information or resource links which you think will enhance our enjoyment of the novel Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Planned Schedule: 38 chapters; 6 weeks

Week 1: (July 9-15) Ch. 1-6
Week 2: (July 16-22) Ch. 7-12
Week 3: (July 23-29) Ch. 13-18
Week 4: (July 30-Aug. 5) Ch. 19-25
Week 5: (Aug. 6-12) Ch. 26-31
Week 6: (Aug. 13-19) Ch. 32-38

I am looking forward to the discussion. ☺️

It’s a good one and quite impressive for a first novel.

Renee wrote: "It’s a good one and quite impressive for a first novel."

I agree. I think this novel sometimes goes under the radar and/or does not get the credit it deserves.

In terms of my favourite Victorian novelist, there would be only a handful of authors fighting for first place and Elizabeth Gaskell would be one of them.

I completely agree! So far I’ve read North & South, Wives & Daughters, Mary Barton, Cranford & related, and a handful of short stories. I always find her perspective interesting, and look forward to working my way through the other novels.

I have read North and Sputh, Wives and Daughters, Ruth and Cranford so far. Mary Barton has been on my list for a while and I have just finished rewatching the BBC series of Cranford. So I am really in the mood for more Elizabeth Gaskell. 😉

Good to hear, Heidi. Mary Barton has some very interesting characters and ideas for discussion.

Hedi wrote: "I have read North and Sputh, Wives and Daughters, Ruth and Cranford so far. Mary Barton has been on my list for a while and I have just finished rewatching the BBC series of Cranford. So I am reall..."

If you get the chance I would recommend watching the BBC adaptation of Wives and Daughters.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215364/

I think it is one of their best. The cast list is amazing and Michael Gambon won a BAFTA for his portrayal of Squire Hamley.

Trev, thanks for the recommendation. I remember watching that one after having read the novel. Some of the actors are also in Cranford e.g. Michael Gambon.
However, I have, unfortunately, not seen it on the streaming services I currently have subscribed in Sweden.
I need to do daily exercises for my injured knee and have been (re-)watching quite some series like Cranford, Poldark, and now Sanditon is on. 😉 Otherwise it is too dull to do these exercises in the evening after a long day at work.

Hedi wrote: "However, I have, unfortunately, not seen it on the streaming services I currently have subscribed in Sweden.."

The BBC period dramas were the reason why I returned to DVD and bought a DVD drive (... one of those curious things one did during lockdown ;-)) ; and I order them in the UK directly, because the original English DVDs are not available everywhere.

And yes, the Wives and Daughters miniseries is brilliant.

Adding my thumbs-up to the Wives and Daughters adaption. I actually saw that before I read the book… or had discovered Gaskell. (Never video before book!) The series piqued my interest and I hunted down the novel. It’s one of the things that got me looking beyond Dickens and Collins for the Victorian novel. Gaskell lead to Trollope and the most delightful rabbit hole from which I am yet to exit. :)

Planned Schedule: 38 chapters; 6 weeks

Week 1: (July 9-15) Ch. 1-6
Week 2: (July 16-22) Ch. 7-12
Week 3: (July 23-29) Ch. 13-18
Week 4: (July 30-Aug. 5) Ch. 19-25
Week 5: (Aug. 6-12) Ch. 26-31
Week 6: (Aug. 13-19) Ch. 32-38

I have read this but very long ago. Let me try and find my copy and join in.

Would love to have you join. I also read it quite awhile ago, and remember it as being quite good, especially for a first novel.

Renee wrote: "Would love to have you join. I also read it quite awhile ago, and remember it as being quite good, especially for a first novel."

Luckily for me, I found my copy on the first book case I looked! Looking forward to reading this!

Hah! I'm just reading this now. About a third of the way through! I'm in.

And this whole time I thought I was behind, haha. Looking forward to the discussion:)

Welcome! I’ll look forward to hearing you thoughts, Walter and Daniel.

My copy was just delivered -- starting it this weekend!

Glad to have you join us, Laurene!

For those of you who like to listen, Audible has a version read by the extraordinary Juliet Stevenson. I’m listening to it now and finding her quite good with the Manchester accents.

I can also recommend the Librivox version read by Tony Foster. He does an excellent job. https://librivox.org/mary-barton-a-ta...

I’ve also listened to the Audible version with Juliet Stevenson and highly recommend it.

I’m listening to the Juliet Stevenson audio right now. I chose it because I think she has the best voice for Victorian literature. So far very good.

I'm switching between the Librivox and paper versions, as I have time. Tony Foster is good.