Helpful Score: 2
I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I'd been planning to read North and South, but I'd never read anything by Mrs. Gaskell, and Cranford is much shorter, so I decided to read it first and see how I liked her writing before starting a longer book. I wondered how interesting a book about a bunch of old ladies could be, but almost immediately I found myself laughing out loud again and again at their ridiculous little quirks and traditions, as well as some of the flat-out hilarious lines they came out with.
Cranford isn't just comedy though. Once you get to know the ladies you become attached to them, and there are some very emotional moments when it comes to retelling the stories of their younger days and confronting their old age, and the loyalty and kindness between all the ladies is truly touching. There is not much romance, but what little there is is sweet and yet realistic. I recommend this book to fans of both Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. (Dickens and Gaskell were friends, and he comes up more than once in Cranford.)
Cranford isn't just comedy though. Once you get to know the ladies you become attached to them, and there are some very emotional moments when it comes to retelling the stories of their younger days and confronting their old age, and the loyalty and kindness between all the ladies is truly touching. There is not much romance, but what little there is is sweet and yet realistic. I recommend this book to fans of both Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. (Dickens and Gaskell were friends, and he comes up more than once in Cranford.)
