Welcome to the
Elizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary Blog Tour, sponsored by Laurel Ann at
Austenprose.com. I hope you have an educational and entertaining experience as you visit the various sites along the way!
Unlike most of the blog tour participants, I haven’t read a word of Mrs. Gaskell’s work. Until recently, I’d never heard of her. Then the miniseries
Cranford and
Return to Cranford came to PBS with much acclaim from critics and adoration from fans. With all the excitement surrounding these broadcasts, I considered taking a look to see if they really were all they were cracked up to be. But my cursory examination of the production falsely led me to believe that it was just another period piece with silly women in bonnets flitting about.
When Laurel Ann invited me to the tour, I decided to give the series a try. This author seems to be so beloved by those who know her, and this tour confirms for me the important place that she holds in literature. So off to the public library I went, where they had a 2-disc edition of the BBC’s production of
Cranford.
I had some time on a Saturday and hoped I’d get at least one of the 60-minute episodes watched while my guys were out of the house for a bit and I could watch in peace. To my utter astonishment, not only did I end up having 5 hours free time, but I watched the entire series that day! Needless to say, I loved this program. Here’s an overview of the episodes, and I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t seen them:
Episode 1: June 1842
Lovely introduction! I felt like I was in a Jane Austen novel. What a quaint little English town Cranford is. It’s calm and peaceful, not even requiring a police force to keep order. Possibly the most dysfunctional aspect of it all were the well-meaning but silly busybodies running about spreading rumors and getting their facts mixed up all the time. I had previously thought that all these “chickens” would annoy me, but they were quite funny and entertaining. This was especially true of the hysteria-prone Miss Octavia Pole, played by Imelda Staunton. Her moment with the cat and the lace was just hysterical.
While there were many moments of laughter in this episode, dramatic scenes brought plenty of levity to the program. We see the struggles of the poor in the community, one of the residents is shockingly injured, and a mother longs for her rarely-seen son. One of the main characters suffers a devastating loss, and the manner in which she is supported and comforted was so amazingly touching. The closing scene of Captain Brown bestowing a gift to one of his neighbors was so touching—at the end of this episode I was hooked. I knew I was in for the entire series.
Episode 2: August 1842
The episode begins with the young (and tardy) Dr. Harrison rushing off to church, eager to cross paths with a young girl with whom he’s taken an interest. Other relationships are explored, and there’s much fussing about as the ladies of the community prepare for a very special garden party to be held at Lady Ludlow’s estate. We get to know a poor family with a young boy yearning to get out of his situation and to get an education. And a young female resident’s crush on the young doctor becomes apparent, setting up a series of misunderstandings that affect almost the entire community. The news of the arrival of a railroad (and therefore much change in Cranford) leads to the death of a major character, which quite surprised me. This episode isn’t as light as the first, but an incident with a cow is quite amusing.
Episode 3: November 1842
This episode was touching and quite spellbinding in parts. My heart ached in sadness as well as joy throughout the hour. I dare not minimize its effect on me by a lot of words here. I will say that when one character’s friend dies, I was more than teary-eyed. I honestly wanted to sob. My 10 year-old son was with me at that point, so I held it together in front of him. Had he not been there, I probably would have been a mess. It was an amazing, heartbreaking episode.
Episode 4: April 1843
If I could give this episode another title, it would probably be “Much Ado About Nothing”, at least in regard to the miscommunications that occur. The machine of misunderstanding reaches a feverish point between many of the characters. It’s clear that all of these well-meaning folk are just seeking out love and betrothals, but with the rumor mill being what it is, poor communication causes much confusion and dismay. The episode has its light moments, but it feels more like a bridge episode, carrying us to the concluding hour as many characters begin to take on new paths in their lives.
Episode 5: May 1843
The final episode brings the series to its conclusion quite well. Issues in relationships are resolved, and while tragedy strikes some, they rise above their challenging situations to triumph in their own way. There’s a significant amount of tense, life-or-death drama here. And with more than one main character dying during the previous episodes, I honestly didn’t know how everything would turn out. Fortunately, the ending was lovely. It wasn’t completely “happily ever after”, but a believable reality that left a fine aftertaste of joy.
Cranford was a delightful surprise. I relished every moment, and those 5 hours on my Saturday flew by. Having that block so much free time was rare, and I’m grateful for it. I absolutely loved this miniseries, and I can’t wait to see the next production,
Return to Cranford
.
Of course as a book lover and member of this tour, I had to investigate Mrs. Gaskell’s work. She’s written quite a few things, and I look forward to reading
Cranford, Mr. Harrison’s Confessions and
My Lady Ludlow, the three books upon which this series was based. I’ve already downloaded a copy of
Cranford
to my computer. It’s available for
free from Amazon.com’s Kindle store. I don’t own a Kindle, but the software to read it on a PC (or an iPhone) is available for free.
I thank Laurel Ann for including me on the tour, for without it I would still be in the dark about Mrs. Gaskell. Had they lived in the same era, I’m sure Elizabeth Gaskell and Jane Austen would have enjoyed each others’ work. This Janeite certainly did.
Now that you’ve stopped by
The Calico Critic, follow
this link to the next stop on the
Elizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary Blog Tour by Regency Romantic. Joanna is going to offer her review of the Gaskell novel
Ruth from 1853 on Austenprose.com
***GIVEAWAY CONTEST NOW CLOSED***
As you visit each stop on the tour, be sure to leave a comment at each posting. One commenter from these tour sites will win a copy of an unabridged audio book edition of
North and South
by Naxos AudioBook
s read by Clare Willie. The deadline for leaving comments on the participating sites is midnight Pacific time on October 7th. One name will be drawn by Random.org from
The Calico Critic and sent to Laurel Ann at
Austenprose.com, where she will draw from all the names sent in from the participating sites to determine the final winner.
Biography
• 1.) Elizabeth Gaskell’s Life and Times: Vic –
Jane Austen’s World
Novels/Biography
• 2.)
Mary Barton (1848) Book: Kelly –
Jane Austen Sequel Examiner
• 3.)
Cranford (2007) Movie: Laura –
The Calico Critic
• 4.)
Ruth (1853) Book: Joanna (RegencyRomantic) --
Austenprose
• 5.)
North and South (1854–5) Audio Book: Laurel Ann –
Austenprose
• 6.)
North and South (2004) Movie: Maria –
Fly High
• 7.)
Sylvia’s Lovers (1863) Book: Courtney –
Stiletto Storytime
• 8.)
Wives and Daughters (1865) Book: Katherine –
November’s Autumn
• 9.)
Wives and Daughters (1999) Movie: Elaine –
Random Jottings
• 10.)
The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857) Book & (1973) Movie, The Brontes of Haworth: JaneGS –
Reading, Writing, Working, Playing
Novellas
• 11.
Mr. Harrison’s Confessions (1851) Book: Alexandra –
The Sleepless Reader
• 12.
My Lady Ludlow (1859) Book: Alexandra –
The Sleepless Reader
• 13.
Cousin Phillis (1864) Book: Alexandra –
The Sleepless Reader
Resources
• 14.) Your Gaskell Library – Links to MP3′s, ebooks, audio books, other downloads and reading resources available online: Janite Deb -
Jane Austen in Vermont
• 15) Plymouth Grove - A Visit to Elizabeth Gaskell’s home in Manchester: Tony Grant –
London Calling
Well it's that time of year again! In case you haven't heard, this is the week to sign up for the Book Blogger Holiday Swap, where you can play "Secret Santa" to another book blogger friend! Head on over to the main site, Holiday Swap to get the information and sign up! Deadline to sign up is Sunday, November14th, 2010. Questions? They have a great FAQ section to fill you in on the details.
I was attracted to Very Valentine
for a very shallow reason. I loved the cover art, and was very intrigued with the young woman on the cover. The colors just popped and seemed to call my name. I wondered who the woman was and where she was going in that dress of hers. I somehow never took the time to investigate further, but it has always stayed in the back of my mind as a title that I would look into someday.
. Onward!
Day 1: Arrival in Florence - Cocktail reception and walking tour
Welcome to the participants of the Sourcebooks Fall Reading Club! This season we're reading The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick. Following my review below are more details about the the Club and and upcoming chat with Helen herself!
Sourcebooks Landmark presents A Darcy Christmas, a collection of three Christmas-themed short stories set in the world of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The contributing authors are the talented Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan and Carolyn Eberhart. 
, now available from Sourcebooks Landmark. Alas, my schedule—both my personal and my reading schedule have been inundated with activity and I have had to begin my experience with The Darcy Saga without reading the first three books in the series.
is my third foray into Abigail Reynolds’ novels. To be honest, when I picked it up to read this month I was unsure about it. The previous two novels I’d read had left me frustrated at the amount of graphic sexual content that was used. As I began reading Obsession, I said, “C’mon, Abigail! Tell us a good story! You don’t need that extra stuff! I know you’ve got it in you. Please….”
From the back cover:
explores how Jo, a journalist investigating hypnotic regression, plunges into the life of Matilda, Lady of Hay—who lived eight hundred years earlier. As she learns of Matilda’s unhappy marriage, her troubled love for Richard de Clare, and the brutal treatment she received from King John, it seems that Jo’s past and present are hopelessly entwined. Centuries later, a story of secret passion and unspeakable treachery is about to begin again—and she has no choice but to brave both lives if she wants to shake the iron grip of history.”
London, 1888: A series of gruesome murders were attributed to the mysterious “Jack the Ripper”, but the identity of the serial killer or killers was never conclusively determined. Today there are scores of theories postulating a solution to this now infamous mystery. As a result, many works of fiction have grown out of these speculations.
, the real-life yet fictionalized versions of Henry, William and Alice James are brought in to investigate the murders. Henry has a novelist’s point of view as he ponders the killer’s choices. He even sees some similarities in the passion of the murderer with his own passion for writing. His elder brother William is a respected psychologist and philosopher who works to get into the mind of the killer in order to apprehend him. Although Sister Alice is mostly confined to her bed, she assists in the investigation by offering her opinions and observations as details are brought to her. Together they work to solve an urgent mystery, sometimes putting their very lives in danger to do so.
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, main character Mr. Darcy has a younger sister, Georgiana. While she’s a secondary character in Pride and Prejudice, I’ve always found her intriguing. Thankfully, in Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister
C. Allyn Pierson has taken on the challenge of expanding the story to focus more on Georgiana as she grows into a young woman.
Lisa at Book Blab is giving away a copy of Scott Westerfeld's Behemoth, the second book in the Leviathan trilogy. Deadline to enter is October 5th. Here's the link:
First published in 1980 and now re-released by Sourcebooks Landmark, Gillian Bradshaw’s Hawk of May
begins the tale of Gwalchmai ap Lot. Nephew of the legendary King Arthur, his mother is the evil sorceress Morgawse. As his father Lot and brother Agravain are warriors for the family’s kingdom, it is quite expected that Gwalchmai would also become a conqueror and defender himself. Yet, he doesn’t have the inclination to follow in his elders’ footsteps. Feeling that he has no talent for battle, he turns instead to the sorcery of his nefarious mother. As he travels down her path into Darkness, he is forced to choose between the Darkness and the Light, both of which seem to be calling him. 
trilogy. Kingdom of Summer and In Winter’s Shadow are the following volumes. This title refers to Gwalchmai, whose name is translated “Hawk of May”, the name of a warrior. This first book in the trilogy follows Gwalchmai from age 11 through young adulthood. 
, I look forward to Gwalchmai’s continued journey and his changing relationship with the iconic King Arthur. This fantastical legend is a rich one, and I’m enjoying Gillian Bradshaw’s presentation of it.
