Cranford is a country town in Victorian England that has developed into a matriarchy -- all of the powerful and influential members of this small society are women, either widows or spinsters. The narrator is a young woman who frequently visits Cranford, especially the sisters Jenkyns. This narrator, Mary, relates both the high points and the low of this town. There are births, deaths and marriages, financial ruin and touching reunions. Though this is a short collection of stories, Gaskell draws the reader in with her vivid personalities and quick wit.

This is yet another "must read" book but I'm not sure it's for everyone. If you enjoy Victorian times and want a different view of the middle class than the standard Victorian fare, then this is a must read. However, I think that some readers may find it a bit sappy and I'm not sure that there's a greater world knowledge to be specifically gained from this book.

http://webereading.com/2009/08/in-fir... ( )

Plot Synopsis
In Cranford, women reign. Well, genteel elderly spinsters reign. Their well-ordered lives are told by Mary, a younger woman who regularly corresponds with and visits the queens of this charming town.

My Thoughts
Cranford has very little in the way of action; the story meanders through various events in the town - death, marriage, tea parties and card parties, magicians, thieves, and fashion shows - and in the end, the book becomes more a collage designed to evoke feeling than a plot-driven novel.

The women of this novel are loveable; afterall, "each has her own individuality, not to say eccentricity": Mrs. Jamieson is the aristocrat even when she falls asleep at a card party; Miss Pole is "looked upon as a kind of prophetess for the knack she had of foreseeing things before they came to pass - although she did not like to disturb her friends by telling them of her foreknowledge"; and of course Miss Matty has a heart so big she sacrifices everything for the good of others. Despite the abundance of characters, I would not say this is a character-driven novel any more than it is plot-driven. In the end, this story is a portrait of a community, and the patient reader will be rewarded with the feeling she has been a part of this community, even if not much has happened.

I read this while also reading the first two chapters of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, and I was struck by the fact that this novel, published in 1853, was far more feminist in nature than the publications 100 years later. Gaskell characterizes Miss Jenkyns as a woman who "had the appearance of a strong-minded woman; although she would have despised the modern idea of women being equal to men. Equal, indeed! She knew they were superior." And news of marriage in the novel is met with despair and worry for the woman. One hundred years later, Friedan discusses the horrifying fact that popular belief held that the cure for the frustrated housewife was less education; that way they wouldn't be so dissatisfied with their lack of intellectual pursuits upon marriage. And the spinning wheel keeps turning.

Memorable Scene: When Lady Glenmire comments on Mrs. Forrester's lace, Mrs. Forrester relates a surprising story about the history of said lace. She was soaking the lace in milk one day, and she happened upon her cat half-choking over the bowl. Lo and behold, the unfortunate cat had swallowed the entire bowl, lace and all. Not to lose her precious lace, Mrs. Forrester tied up her cat inside a top-boot, face down, gave the cat a nice diuretic, and a short time later, out came her lace. She boiled it well, and voila, the lace was as good as new.

Memorable Quote: ...for deciding all the questions of literature and politics without troubling themselves with unnecessary reasons or arguments; for obtaining clear and correct knowledge of everybody's affairs in the parish; for keeping their neat maid-servants in admirable order; for kindness (somewhat dictatorial) to the poor, and real tender good offices to each other whenever they are in distress, the ladies of Cranford are quite sufficient. 'A man,' as one of them observed to me once, 'is so in the way in the house!' ( )

What if Lizzie and Jane hadn't met Darcy and Bingley, or if Elinor and Marianne hadn't met Edward and Colonel Brandon? A few decades later they might have ended up in Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford, a village whose society consists almost entirely of spinsters and widows. Cranford is a deceptively simple novel, yet it has much to say about domestic life in mid-19th century England, and particularly the difficulties unmarried women faced in meeting society's expectations while living on fixed incomes. If you've read Jane Austen and haven't yet discovered Elizabeth Gaskell, I recommend that you give her a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. ( )

I really liked the PBS production, so trying out the book (assuming it will be less melodramatic than Ruth was...) ( )

Cranford is a story that is hard to describe. The little town of Cranford is populated mainly by older women, mostly single or widowed. There are a few men about, but they are largely of a lower class, whereas many of the women consider themselves of gentle birth and do their best to act accordingly, especially Mrs. Jamieson, the town’s matriarch. The book revolves around Mary Smith, a frequent visitor to Cranford who often stays with the Jenkyns sisters, two unmarried older women who enjoy some status as children of the late rector. Most of the chapters, however, center in on Miss Matty, the younger of the sisters, whose gentle heart endears her to the entire town.

This was not at all what I’d expected from it, and not in a bad way at all. My previous experiences with Gaskell consisted of North and South and Mary Barton, which are both very concerned with the rise of industrialism in the north. Cranford is much more a picture of genteel life as it might have been during Gaskell’s lifetime, in a small town where women rule all. Each of the women is made distinct by her own actions as they socialize, like Mrs. Jamieson who is a complete snob, the elder Miss Jenkyns whose sternness overrides any other aspects of her personality, and Miss Matty, a sweet woman who is too easily led by everyone around her.

There is no real plot here. The chapters can almost be seen as a series of little stories regarding the inhabitants of Cranford, tied together by Miss Matty’s presence. There is a general movement towards what happens at the end but it isn’t compelling reading; this is a book to live in, to get to know the characters, to begin to care about what happens to them. It’s short, but it accomplishes these goals with ease and opens a window into life as it was. I was reminded mainly of a more sedate Jane Austen, less concerned with irony and overall plot but still depicting a genuine picture of an upper class society and its ills. She does still use humor to depict the ridiculousness of their situations; my favorite is when one of characters is complimented on her lace and launches into a story of how it had a little trip through her cat’s digestive system! I liked the book and I was completely charmed by it, but this isn’t a book for the impatient among us.

Cranford reminded me of how much I adore nineteenth century literature. There is something so inherently appealing in Gaskell’s style, in the modest but earnest ways of her characters, and in the quiet community life that they all share. I can’t say this is a world I’d ever want to live in, but I definitely loved visiting. ( )