The tales of a community of women in a small English village. ( )

Loved the miniseries, and was not disappointed in going back to the source. At some point I'll get to the sequel(s) as the plots revolving around Lady Ludlow, Dr. Harrison, and Harry are missing from this introductory volume. ( )

A look at a small village the somewhat well-to-do- middle aged women in it. Overall a good book, although it gets a touch tedious in places. ( )

The introduction to my copy of Cranford says that Elizabeth Gaskell "did not intend [the book] as a novel—she had hoped to create a series of sketches to help Americans understand English country life." The first two chapters certainly read that way. But after brief introductions to "Our Society" and "The Captain," Gaskell launches into a full-blown narrative about Matilda Jenkyns—Matty to her friends— a middle-aged old maid living in the small town of Cranford.

Told by Matty's good friend and intermittent housemate, Mary Small, Cranford relates the interactions of Matty and her mostly spinster friends, Miss Pole, Mrs. Fitz-Adams, Mrs. Forrester and Mrs. Jamieson. These ladies consider themselves the elite of Cranford society, yet spend the better part of the novel showing their small-town provincialism. Spatting over a visiting Lady becoming engaged to the lowly town surgeon (the second straight book I've read from this era where doctors were held in low esteem). Frightening themselves and each other with rumors of marauding ruffians (who may be nothing more than passing strangers). Enjoying the magic act of a visiting Turkish conjuror (but only after they see the Rector in the audience, obviously conveying the church's approval of the evening's entertainment).

Cranford is a witty exploration of the way virtuous women can simultaneously be petty and pretentious, wrapped inside a satisfying tale of heartbreak, familial and financial loss, and—ultimately—the redemptive power of simple decency. ( )

This was good but I enjoyed [b:North and South|156538|North and South|Elizabeth Gaskell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349633381l/156538._SY75_.jpg|1016482] and [b:Wives and Daughters|383206|Wives and Daughters|Elizabeth Gaskell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348267609l/383206._SY75_.jpg|816009] much more. ( )