Reviews

Cranford: and other stories by Elizabeth Gaskell

mysillylittlebooks's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.75

roshnimc's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

Simple story told in a humorous way

littlecoffeebean's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

onceuponanothernovel's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

3.75

beautifulminutiae's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lobsterhug's review against another edition

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4.0

What a charming little book! I very much enjoyed it.

I picked it up because I heard marvelous things about the BBC series and I’m so glad I did. The collection of stories that make up the novel are just delightful. They focus on the happenings of the widows and spinsters who make up the society of Cranford as told by a young woman who occasionally visits the small town. The women pass their time playing cards, calling on each other, and obsessing over their good breeding. They also are frequently preoccupied by caps and other types of head coverings. Like I said, just delightful and absolutely charming.

I read the Penguin Classics clothe-bound edition and the supplemental materials are excellent. I especially liked the appendix that detailed the fashions of Cranford.

whatcarlaread's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

lesleyo's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

irene_chesnokova's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

amerynth's review against another edition

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3.0

Elizabeth Gaskell continues to be a disappointment for me... her topics and the Victorian style of her novels should garner high marks from me because this is my favorite genre. However, I found "Cranford" like the other Gaskell novels I've read to be be kind of boring.

"Cranford" is a loose collection of stories about the older ladies of the community, especially Miss Matty Jenkyns, who goes through a number of tribulations.

The stories were pretty slow moving and this felt like a much longer book than it actually was.