Spent so much time thinking about humans and how love changes EVERYTHING. Despite what we claim.

Melodrama! Much closer to [b:Ruth|338807|Ruth|Elizabeth Gaskell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348167895l/338807._SY75_.jpg|1016503] than her others I’ve read.

Libro estremamente triste, inoltre la storia pesante non viene agevolata dal dialetto dello Yorkshire e dalle continue citazioni bibliche. Ammetto che questo libro ha messo a dura prova il mio amore per la Gaskell, lo stesso amore che Cranford aveva solo scalfito.
Ora leggerò Ruth e poi avrò concluso tutta la sua bibliografia, mi auguro non solo che sia più allegro, ma siccome anche questo non l'hanno tradotto, anche più semplice!

This tragic epic, which actually only covers about six or so years, reads like a medley of traditional English folk songs. Folk songs so often being about hard times and sadness. Oh my love has gone to sea. My love proved untrue. The unquiet grave. Hangings and crimes. The hard life of country folk. It has been a fantastic read, but if you're feeling a bit low, maybe one to put to one side for a while. This, coupled with the title "Sylvia's Lovers" maybe makes it sound like an overly sentimental melodrama. There are elements of the plot that could be called that and there is a strong tragic romantic vein running right through the book. But that's not all that's it's about, and for me the thing that hit me the most is the disillushionment with life. When this starts off, the young men involved are in their early twenties, the young women in their late teens. The sun is shining, everyone's a bit giddy and hopeful, there's thoughts of who likes who and so on. There's hope of this great romantic future, of how their lives would be. Then we follow them through as reality hits, life and circumstance happens, and they find themselves caught up in things and life simply doesn't happen as they had expected. Then suddenly they're beyond the anticipation stage in life, of waiting for all that will come, the moment's gone, the rest of their lives paved out ahead and it's all not what had been hoped for. Life's always been like that, it's nothing new.

The story is set in the fictional town of Monkshaven on the east coast of England in Yorkshire. There's no such town, but anyone who knows this part of the world knows at a glance that it's set in Whitby. Sylvia lives with her mother and father on a little farm on higher ground above the whaling port (and also the port out of which Captain Cook sailed, incidentally). Her cousin, Philip Hepburn, works in the shop in town, and is utterly besotted with her. He's a bit strait laced. Charley Kinraid, a whaling sailor and cousin to one of Sylvia's pals, is dashing and adventurous on the other hand.

As well as the lives of the main characters there's also the social dynamics and history of the times. The Napoleonic wars are on and the press gangs are about stealing away men to man the Royal Navy ships. So there's the trouble that brews between the locals and the press gangs over this, and the effect it has on local people's lives.

The dialogue is written in I suppose what Gaskell would have seen as Yorkshire dialect of the time. I'm not a massive fan of people writing dialogue in dialect, for so often they can just get the dialect wrong, and can risk it coming across as twee or just plain patronising. So depending on how familiar you are with broader Yorkshire, it may take a little while to get into the swing of the way they talk.

I've been interested in the history of Whitby recently, which is why I picked up this book in the first place. It's been fun to read something that is so definitely set in an area I know, and so obviously also a place that the author had visited.

Like all of Elizabeth Gaskell's novels, I enjoyed this book very much. "Sylvia's Lovers" is a book set in the late 1790s which was first published in 1863, making it a historical novel. On the surface, this is a story of intertwining love triangles, of unrequited and reciprocated love, and of obsessive love. There is so much more going on here, however, including sociopolitical commentary on the use of press-gangs to fill the Royal Navy's ranks and the conflicts between different social classes. Sylvia's father pays the ultimate price when he interferes in the political sphere by inciting a riot against the press-gang's headquarters at a local inn. He remains proud of his role right to the end, seeing himself as a the hand of appropriate retribution.

Gaskell doesn't shy away from exploring gender roles, either, particularly when it comes to the actions of her main characters. The two men who are in love with Sylvia are portrayed in very different ways, with Charley Kinraid depicted as very masculine, active, and capable, while Philip Hepburn is seen as feminine, hesitant, and emotional. Kinraid captures Sylvia's heart and imagination, while Philip tries to engage her mind and finds only resistance. At the same time, Sylvia herself has very little agency until well after she is married. Her mother models complete obedience and subservience to men, leaving Sylvia with few examples of female self-possession. She does not find her own strength and voice until confronted with the wrong that Philip has perpetrated in the form of Kinraid's return.

Gaskell delves deep in this novel, exploring issues of truth, right versus wrong, good and bad. In many ways, "Sylvia's Lovers" can be viewed as a novel about selfishness. Philip's obsessive need to have Sylvia for his own leads to tragic consequences for many people. Because he absolutely must have her as his wife, he creates a chain of events that spirals downward to his own death and a great deal of loss. Although Philip does have his moment of at least partial redemption, it really feels like too little, too late. By seeking to satisfy his own desire, he shuts out so many possibilities for shining light into others' lives.

"Sylvia's Lovers" is an extremely sad novel. Few good things happen throughout this book, and yet it is an overwhelmingly compelling read. Gaskell creates wonderfully real characters, individuals who are simultaneously good and bad, who make poor decisions despite their best intentions, and who are complex in very believable ways. The reader is led to consider action and consequence, to think deeply about why we make the choices we do and how those choices might be different if we altered our worldview even a little. Written over 15o years ago and set seventy years before that, this book remains relevant and timely because people have not changed and we can recognize these characters and their actions in the world around us.

I've really enjoyed Elizabeth Gaskells work. I don't think this one is quite as good as others I've read - it lacks the unique character of Cranford or the harder-hitting tones of Mary Barton; it reads more like a more typical romance. I liked the way it ended with a suggestion of truth to the tale. Like any good love triangle story I had my favourite, but it wasn't always easy to pick one over the other.

I have since reflected more on Sylvia's Lovers because of domestic riots here in the US in 2020-2021. I think that the riot in this book (based on a real incident in Whitby) is definitely the strongest feature of the novel and has given more insight into what is behind many a riot—the long festering and unaddressed injustice and resentment along with its seemingly sudden ignition and escalation. There are then all the different parties affected by it—inciters, participants, victims and bystanders, criminal justice, et al.

(It was also fun to read Dracula in 2021 which also takes place in Whitby.)

Original review:

This could have been 4 or 5 stars if the resolution hadn't felt so morally contrived. It was jarring with the rest of the novel. Gaskell is a gifted writer and I marked many beautiful passages, but the ending drives me crazy.

I don't regret reading it, but there is a reason this book is not well known.

Edit: in book club discussion we were split on whether or not we were bothered by the third portion of the novel she the style shift. So, maybe it won't bother you! I loved the realism in the beginning, but others preferred the romanticism at the end.