This was a super sweet book, and I really enjoyed reading it. I had started watching the Masterpiece Theater production of Cranford, but I got interrupted before I finished it, so I thought that I would read the book when I had the opportunity. The humor found throughout this book was wonderful. This little town of Cranford is just full of interesting and quirky characters, and the humor works so well because no one is aware of the quirkiness around them. To these women their eccentricities are the norm and what is expected for their community. They have a strong suspicion about anything that is from outside their little town. I especially thought their opinions about men were hilarious. To be honest this novel was closer to a 3.5 rating than a solid 3. While I enjoyed reading it, there wasn't a solid plot line that carried throughout the book, so I was never inspired to have to continue to read. In fact, after finishing about a quarter of the book I put it down and read an entire other series of books. Then after finishing that series I picked this one up, started right where I had left off, and didn't miss a beat. I was able to pick the story right up without any problem. Instead of there being any real unifying plot to carry the book, it was simply a series of stories about the events in the lives of the characters living in this village. Reading it was kind of like watching a sit-com in which every episode can stand independently of the others, and only the cast of characters stay the same. This book is well worth picking up and reading. I loved the characters and the little town they lived in. I don't regret reading it at all. It just isn't a book that went to my heart and made me want to drop everything to continue. But, it was a cute, funny, and sometimes touching novel that I did enjoy a lot.