North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, movie review

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: 2004

One Word Review: Breathtaking

Kathy’s Review: Wow! This is one of those situations where the movie is better than the book. I loved this movie (all four hours). I thought the casting of Mr. Thornton was perfect, he did an outstanding job. I’ve heard people compare him to Colin Firth and I have to say Richard Armitage blows him out of the water, in my mind there is no comparison. There were a few scenes that really stood out to me. The first was when Margaret visits the cotton mill for the first time. It was both beautiful and disturbing at the same time. It was so pretty to see all the specks of cotton floating around, and then realizing that those poor workers were having to breath in those fibers and the effect it had on their health was sobering. I loved seeing the mill come to life. I loved the scene where Mr. Thornton proposes to Margaret, you can always tell a man is in love with you when he shouts his proposal! =) And of course I loved the ending, watched it four times. Probably one of the best endings I’ve ever seen. They changed it somewhat from the book and I’m so glad they did. The new ending added so much more to the story and left me with a silly grin on my face. I enjoyed all the changes they made from the book, it made it more enjoyable and really completed the story for me. I will admit, I’m glad I read the book first and after watching the movie it made me like the book even more.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Genre: Fiction

Publication Date: 1854

One Word Review: Somber

First Line: “Edith!” said Margaret, gently, ‘Edith!”

Synopsis: When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill-workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction.

Kathy’s Review: My husband was so excited when he saw me reading North and South…he thought it was about the Civil War. Anyway, I started out really excited to read this book, the story sounded like something right out of an Austen novel. Unfortunately, it lacked the charm and romance of Austens work. The first hundred pages or so I really enjoyed and was eagerly looking forward to when Margaret would move to Milton and meet Mr. Thornton. Unfortunately, once Margaret arrived in Milton the story really started to drag. There was more talk about the millworkers and the injustices they face than anything else. The best parts of the book for me, were when Mr. Thornton was present, which wasn’t as much as I would have liked. I liked Mr. Thornton quite a bit, he was completely in love with Margaret and even though she didn’t return those feelings he still cared about her and did things to help take care of her family.

The last part was really tedious for me; I skimmed over a lot of the story in an effort to finally finish. Although I found the second half rather slow, I felt the ending came too quickly. Some things were resolved, but I would have preferred if some aspects would have been given a little more time and attention. I enjoyed the attraction between Margaret and Mr. Thornton, and even the overall story. I just couldn’t get over the slow parts and felt at times that it was a never-ending book.

Okay, so a side note. I think I first became aware of this while reading a post on Angieville's site about the movie verison of this book (click here to read). Even re-reading it now actually makes me like the book a little more (Angie is a great writer). I'm excited to watch the movie version as soon as my library gets the copy in...if it takes too long I may just buy it.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. It is open to anyone and is a fun way to get a taste of different books. The rules are simple and everyone is welcome to participate.

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. Be careful NOT to include spoilers (you don’t want to ruin the book for others.)
5. Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to the TBR lists if they like your teaser.
6. After completing your post, return to Should Be Reading and add a link in their “comment” section.

North and South
By Elizabeth Gaskell
Page 194

“I have never loved any women before: my life has been too busy, my thoughts too much absorbed with other things. Now I love, and will love. But do not be afraid of too much expression on my part.”