When Captain Brown arrives in this female-centered society with his two daughters, he gains the respect of the women in town; However, he is killed in an accident, and his older daughter dies soon after. The town comes together to take care of his younger daughter until a suitable husband is found for her. So, what is the main message of the story? Women, as well as men, have their foibles. Neither sex is without their faults. Life’s joys, sorrows and difficulties are easier to bear when shared with another, but women are strong and resilient and can manage on their own, if need be. Not a plot-driven, but a “society and mannerism driven” book, for me it was a light-hearted read which made me nostalgic of the days when my late mother would conduct “Kitty parties”, where elite women would come and discuss about their woes and achievements, establish protocols and rules, and all this conducted over card parties and drinks, and so much more! In the UK, the first episode was watched by 8.43 million viewers and ranked #6 for the week, [7] outperforming ITV1's usually dominant I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. [8] By the final episode viewership had dropped to 7.26 million, although the programme remained in the top ten. [7] Accolades [ edit ] Year

Ia lendo sem achar nada de especial, até que se dá um acontecimento um pouco trágico, a falência de um banco e a consequente pobreza de Miss Matty. E foi nesta parte que o livro me tocou, pois todas as senhoras imediatamente se disponibilizaram para a ajudar. Dr Hoggins – As the Cranford surgeon he is of uncertain social status and is discriminated against because of his "vulgar" surname. Mrs. Glenmire arrives in Cranford and starts living with Mrs. Jamieson, who is very arrogant and does not allow to meet her Ladyship.

Major Gordon proposes to Jessie Brown, for the second time, before his regiment is to be sent to India, but she refuses him because she believes she cannot leave her father by himself. However, when it is revealed at Lady Ludlow's annual garden party that the railway will be passing close to Cranford and that Captain Brown will be away on railway business for long periods of time, Jessie regrets her decision. Pollard, Arthur (1965). Mrs. Gaskell: Novelist and Biographer. Manchester University Press. p. 12. ISBN 0-674-57750-7. Riley, W. (1957). Sunset Reflections. London: Herbert Jenkins. p.154. A Harrogate gentleman, Sir Norman Rae, ... told me ... he had opened a village hall in Nidderdale. "I gave them fifty pounds," he remarked, casually. This roused me and I said "We in this village are desperately anxious to build a hall of that kind... Will you give us fifty pounds?" We had been talking of Mrs Gaskell's connection ... "Shall we call it a Memorial Hall to that lady?" ... "If you'll do that... I'll give you a hundred." Mary Smith, the reciter of the novel (eventually introduced later as the novel progresses) lives with her father in the industrial down of Drumble. Ferreting the old letters, Mary discovers Matty and Deborah have a long-lost brother Peter. Here we get to know about the story of Peter and the presumption of him being dead by Miss Matty

The story of the novel revolves around Mary Smith and her friends, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah. The narrator of the novel is Mary Smith who is coming from the nearby industrial city, where Gaskell lived while writing the novel, the city of Drumble, which is based on the real city of Manchester. Miss Mary, the narrator, has all kind of knowledge of, whatever is happening in the town. Here are a couple of passages that I found humorous, and this sort of writing is replete throughout the rather small book:Andrew Billen of The Times stated, "The cast was so strong it was almost distracting. But, as in any great ensemble, when the individuals came together nothing jarred ... This adaptation added up to even more than the sum of its considerable parts." [5] I started Cranford in low-expectation mode, as a piece of invalid reading, to read while I was languishing with a bad cold (the literary equivalent of the unalluring “bread-jelly” that one of the old-biddy protagonists of Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1853 novel likes to inflict on her ailing neighbours). “Cosy” is a rather offputting term used in book marketing, so you can have “cosy detective novels” and—more disturbingly—"cosy crime novels” and “cosy murder mysteries.” I had always had the impression that Cranford was a species of “cosy classic,” warmer and easier and less spiky than, say, Gaskell’s magnificent North and South (1854).

Cranford’s opening scene introduces this theme. The title of the novel, Cranford, which is a small town, runs by a group of women. Elizabeth Gaskell has presented female characters as the protagonist of the novel. This novel has highlighted female characters more than male characters. All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blog Want to take a trip to a small English town in the mid 1800s, meet the people and see what everyday life was like for the female population? Open Cranford and travel in time. It is a sweet and simple book, comprised of what seems more like vignettes than an actual plot line. Nothing exciting happens, life just unfolds, and yet you feel attached to these women, admiring the grace with which they handle their sometimes difficult world, the way they navigate a system that pigeonholes them and limits them. The remaining chapters of the novel are also published in the same magazine. Gaskell intended to write a series, she did not plan to write a complete novel.If a married couple come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears; he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranford evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his regiment, his ship, or closely engaged in the business” Lady Glenmire impresses everyone and the inhabitants want to meet her. She in no time becomes one of them with her distinct qualities. Since vulgarity is one of the biggest sins according to the rules of Cranford, lady Glenmire gets rejected when her common impressive quality is identified as vulgarity. Miss Matty, Mary Smith and another Cranford lady, Miss Pole, are received politely at the Holbrook home, and Matty is overcome when she starts to see how her life might have been had she accepted her proposal. Holbrook shows Mary around the house and grounds as Miss Matty and Miss Pole chat together. One of the reasons that Deborah had considered Holbrook unsuitable for her sister was that he cares very little for social status, or pleasing others. He cares about books and is content to work hard without trying to climb the social ladder of Cranford. Dinner at the Holbrook house is very pleasant and Holbrook singles out Miss Matty for the honor of filling his pipe for his after dinner smoke. He then selects a book of poetry to read aloud from. Miss Matty falls asleep whilst he is reading, she is so relaxed in his home. As the women leave Holbrook promises each that he will call on them which reignites Miss Matty's belief in her childhood dream of marrying him after all. Mr Holbrook dies not to soon afterwards, which changes Miss Matty's outlook on things. She encourages Martha to date because she does not want to stand in the way of her finding love and happiness which is what she feels that her sister did to her. Memory at Cranford (chapters 5–6), in which the reading of old family letters tells the story of Matty's parents. She then recalls the closeness between herself and her brother Peter and how a piece of mischief so enraged their father that he beat his son in public. Peter then ran away from home and was last heard of leaving as a soldier to fight in India.