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A review by bleadenreads
Mrs Gaskell & Me: Two Women, Two Love Stories, Two Centuries Apart by Nell Stevens
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Mrs Gaskell has escaped vitriol and horror at the publication of her Life of Charlotte Bronte to stay in Rome with two of her daughters where she meets a community of poets, artists and Mr Charles Norton...
In 2013, Nell Stevens is embarking on her Ph.D. - about the community of artists and writers living in Rome in the mid-nineteenth century - and falling drastically in love with a man who lives in another city. As Nell chases her heart around the world, and as Mrs Gaskell forms the greatest connection of her life, these two women, though centuries apart, are drawn together.
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!
Firstly, the Gaskell parts incredibly well researched, obviously due to Nell's phd but it wasn't an endless churning out of facts, it felt intimate and real like a diary. I love reading Elizabeth Gaskell and I visited her house last year, so this was a fascinating insight into her life and friendship/love with Charles Norton.
It's an odd book to describe because its like a homage to Gaskell's life, writing and loves, which clearly Nell drew a lot of comfort and inspiration from throughout her academic career, rollercoaster relationship with Max and navigating her late 20s. It also accounts the brutality, competitiveness and loneliness of doing a PhD - was very similar to the experiences of my friends.
I could not put this down and I'm really enjoying reading memoirs by people with similar interests to me. I found it emotional, tragic and I completely empathised with Nell and screamed in frustration on behalf of Elizabeth Gaskell.
Highly recommend for any Gaskell fans and those who've had their heart broken 💔
I can't wait to read her fiction
In 2013, Nell Stevens is embarking on her Ph.D. - about the community of artists and writers living in Rome in the mid-nineteenth century - and falling drastically in love with a man who lives in another city. As Nell chases her heart around the world, and as Mrs Gaskell forms the greatest connection of her life, these two women, though centuries apart, are drawn together.
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!
Firstly, the Gaskell parts incredibly well researched, obviously due to Nell's phd but it wasn't an endless churning out of facts, it felt intimate and real like a diary. I love reading Elizabeth Gaskell and I visited her house last year, so this was a fascinating insight into her life and friendship/love with Charles Norton.
It's an odd book to describe because its like a homage to Gaskell's life, writing and loves, which clearly Nell drew a lot of comfort and inspiration from throughout her academic career, rollercoaster relationship with Max and navigating her late 20s. It also accounts the brutality, competitiveness and loneliness of doing a PhD - was very similar to the experiences of my friends.
I could not put this down and I'm really enjoying reading memoirs by people with similar interests to me. I found it emotional, tragic and I completely empathised with Nell and screamed in frustration on behalf of Elizabeth Gaskell.
Highly recommend for any Gaskell fans and those who've had their heart broken 💔
I can't wait to read her fiction