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.