Cranford
The wonderful Allie at A Literary Odyssey is hosting a readalong of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, and today is the day to post thoughts on chapters 1-8. I suppose you probably want to know what exactly Cranford is about, eh? Well, there isn’t really an overarching plot, rather, this is a series of connected, gentle vignettes about spinster ladies.
I am pretty sure Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell is to the 19th Century what Golden Girls are to my generation. It’s geriatric girl power. The only real difference is Cranford’s Blanche is a whole lot more chaste, her name is Miss Matilda, Mattie for short. She doesn’t actually hook up with anyone, but has a run-in with an old suitor, therefore she gets to be Blanche.
The ladies of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell are all genteel, and super fab friends. They respect economy and look down on people who are flashy with their wealth. They socialize, deal with deaths, gossip, and write letters. Oh and hang out at tea.
I thought the cast of characters I have met so far all seem to be interesting and well-developed. You get to know certain quirks, which makes them feel like people I may know in real life. For example, there is one scene where the lady feeds her dog, Carlos cream in his tea instead of milk, because he can tell the difference, yet she gives her guests milk in their tea instead of precious cream. I definitely know people who treat their dogs like that.
And I guess, I will conclude my impressions of the first half of this book saying I enjoy reading about elderly, sassy ladies. Gaskell has a very easy going style in Cranford that makes it wonderful, before bed sort of read.
Disclosure: Public domain book!
This post was written by...
April (Books&Wine) – who has written 1074 posts on Good Books And Good Wine.
April is 24 years old. She is an educator. In her free time she can be found reading, working out, or eating junk food. She often wears her sunglasses at night.
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Wow. Sounds like fun. You cracked me up with: "geriatric girl power"!
I loved Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South (a great love story and an awesome BBC miniseries), so I'll have to put Cranford on my list. It sounds hilarious.
Yay for girl power! I am definitely a fan of the relationships and the funny little society moments between all of the women.
I'm glad you're enjoying it!
I love this book! It is such a sweet and fun read.
I love the Golden Girls reference, that's a perfect description of the book!
JuJu – This is definitely a fun read!
Meredith – I loved North and South too! <3 Thornton
Allie – I love, love, love their society moments too!
Heather – I agree, this read is incredibly sweet.
Avid Reader – I couldn't help but make the connection.
I love how you compare the book to the modern day and Golden Girls. Also, Carlos and his cream was so funny! Dogs, I tell ya!
I'm glad you're enjoying this one so far. I've been wanting to read it for awhile.
Geriatric girl power! What a perfect description.
Seems as though we're all enjoying this readalong very much.
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