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A review by larakai
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
4.0
This is one of those books that makes you incredibly happy to not be living in Victorian times. Spoiler alert: everyone dies. Not really everyone, but it feels that way. Everyone is constantly on the verge of death, and you never know when a stray wind or sad feeling will be enough to put someone over the edge.
So, that being said and not surprisingly, this is not a particularly uplifting book. It's one part story and one part treatise on the struggles of the working class.
In my mind, Elizabeth Gaskell is like a gritty, industrial, Victorian Jane Austen. Her books are much darker and more depressing than any Austen novels, but they both are filled with social commentary and always have a love story with a happy ending.
Depressing as her books are, though, there is apparently just enough lightness and hope to keep you going. I always enjoy them.
So, that being said and not surprisingly, this is not a particularly uplifting book. It's one part story and one part treatise on the struggles of the working class.
In my mind, Elizabeth Gaskell is like a gritty, industrial, Victorian Jane Austen. Her books are much darker and more depressing than any Austen novels, but they both are filled with social commentary and always have a love story with a happy ending.
Depressing as her books are, though, there is apparently just enough lightness and hope to keep you going. I always enjoy them.