Book Review: Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell

This novel follows Sylvia Robson, a farmer's daughter, as she grows into adulthood in Monkshaven (a fictionalised version of Whitby) against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Although loved by her cousin Philip Hepburn, Sylvia falls for the charms of sailor Charley Kinraid, However, despite their urge to be married he has to first return to his ship and disaster strikes. Much more information would ruin the twists and turns of this book for anyone who hasn't read it so I'll refrain.

Perhaps the first thing to say about Sylvia's Lovers is how visually evocative it is, from the bedraggled farm distant from the village to the coastal paths that play such a pivotal role in the story. The setting is irrevocably woven into the narrative - without the stench of fish hovering around Sylvia the main points of the novel just couldn't occur. Gaskell draws vivid connections between character and setting and, in truth, the latter is more memorable than the former. Something also to note is that there is a lot of regional dialect in the book - I'm from Yorkshire and I was having difficulty with it so I don't know how others might cope!

This novel is a tragic story, there's no question of that. It begins in the shadow of the press-gang and the gloomy atmosphere pervades the novel. However, it is a little uneven. Gaskell spends a lot of time building up Sylvia and Kinraid's relationship then the conclusion feels a little haphazard. Similarly, the perfunctory ending of Hepburn's story jarred with me. One thing I did appreciate about the novel, though, was the way I see-sawed between who I wanted to succeed in the battle for Sylvia. That said, she's a very limp character, who only felt interesting to me when she was resisting something. The cautious friendship between her and Hester Rose (Hepburn's colleague who is in love with him) is fascinating and certainly proved to be one of the elements that kept me interested in this one.

Ultimately, everything's wrapped up a little too quickly in Sylvia's Lovers for my liking. Even so, the scenes of Monkshaven will stay with me, as will the fates of some of the smaller characters who captured my interest.

This book was read as part of the 'Women' reading challenge, details here.

Book Review: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Cranford is a rather episodic novel, first published in 1851. Told from the viewpoint of Mary Smith, a frequent visitor to the town, it shines brief lights on various episodes in the town's history generally involving a set of core characters including Miss Matty Jenkyns, Miss Pole and Mrs Jamieson. There is no real plot running throughout the novel, although things do reoccur.

I found the episodic nature of the novel rather difficult to deal with. No sooner had I become involved in one storyline than I had to get to grips with another. It was frustrating, too, the way characters dipped in and out of the novel. Nevertheless, other people may see this as a strength of the book - you can pick it up, read a few chapters, put it down and then start a brand new section when you're ready. Personally, I prefer coherent, long-running narratives but that's not to say I didn't enjoy Cranford.

Gaskell's light-hearted and satirical style is just right. Mary Smith relates more than comments on incidents, allowing the reader to draw out the truths within them. Each character is also perfectly rounded with their distinctive voices and personalities. The upright Deborah Jenkyns, particularly, is excellent. Perhaps my one criticism of characterisation comes from the narrator herself but, then, she's supposed to be a vehicle for the events of Cranford to be seen through rather than a part of them herself.

All in all, I enjoyed Cranford, although I found it difficult to stick with. It managed to surprise me, mostly because it jumped around so much, and I was sad to reach the low-key ending.

Book Review: Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell

Ruth tells the story of an inexperienced orphan who is seduced and then abandoned by a man while they are on a trip together in Wales. She is discovered on the brink of suicide by Dissenting minister Mr Benson and he and his sister decide to take Ruth and the baby she is carrying back home with them, passing her off as a young widow. She gives birth to her son, Leonard, and becomes a governess to a local family. However, the scenario eventually unravels and Ruth is forced to prove her penitence once again.

I found Ruth rather refreshing in some respects and rigidly traditional in others. The treatment of Ruth by the author and Mr and Miss Benson battles against the mid-Victorian values by accentuating the fact that she was naive and unworldly and is now wholly penitent. This image of a woman not completely condemned and allowed to try and redeem herself is a tonic when faced with a large body of Victorian fiction that rails against this kind of repentance. However, the problem then becomes that Ruth's goodness must be accentuated to the point that there is no real room for manoeuvre as far as characterisation goes. Ruth must be beyond reproach for the novel to work and that means Gaskell ultimately sacrifices a degree of believability.

None of this is to say that I didn't completely enjoy the book. I worried with it, I cried with it and I mourned with it. Some characters came and went in the early chapters but I was happy to discover that after this many of the principle characters remained the same. I was a little distracted when the viewpoint suddenly shifted from Ruth/the Bensons to Jemima Bradshaw. It felt very sudden but I finally settled into it.

There were several notable scenes within the novel which have lingered. Ruth's foray into her old home in the early chapters; Benson's trek after her when he fears she is about to destroy herself and her meeting with Bellingham on the beach, to name but three. The scenes with Leonard, too, were usually well handled, avoiding excessive emotion for the most part and so maintaining the illusion of reality.

Gaskell sketches some memorable individuals but also creates a good sense of community, particularly in the final third of the novel. Ruth evidently had a social purpose but it sacrificed surprisingly little in the way of plot to accommodate it. An excellent read for an alternative view of the 'fallen woman' in mid-Victorian fiction.

Reading Challenge: A Classics Challenge

I came across this excellent challenge for 2012 hosted by November's Autumn. Read seven words of classic literature in the year (only three of which may be re-reads) and visit the blog every month for a prompt to write about (although I'm certain I'll be writing a review alongside that). Find about about the challenge here.

The classics I'm going to read are nothing to do with my PhD but have all been gathering dust on my bookshelves for quite some time. Here's the list:

1. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
2. Mary Barton - Elizabeth Gaskell
3. The Mill on the Floss - George Eliot
4. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
5. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman - Laurence Sterne
6. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
7. The Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy

The list is subject to change. I'm starting with Bleak House but that could take me most of the year! It looks to be a fun challenge, reading some of the books I really feel I should've read already. The only one I'm not really looking forward to is The Mill on the Floss - I've tried to get into that on several occasions and failed miserably. That one may disappear from the list!