Mary Barton

I had read North & South around 5 or so years ago and on the strength of that book (possibly my favorite classic book ever) I bought a second hand set of five Elizabeth Gaskell Folio books.

I just finished reading Mary Barton (three more books to go) and now I feel like I need something light and fluffy. What did others think of the book?

My major takeaways were the fate of poor aunt Esther and the intentions of young Mr Carson and the extreme rigidity of English society.

I finished reading all of Jane Austen’s book last year so I’m building on that here: I’m beginning to truly understand what a gift the Americas were to people in such a rigid society. If you are ruined, you can pull up stakes and leave - to a place where everyone has left for some reason or another, and start over. The idea of a society where you can’t come back from a ding on reputation, deserved or not, is hard to understand in the 21st century. Imagine being able to pack up and reinvent yourself!

Finally, I’m going to be thinking about John Barton and the elder Mr Carson for a while.