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Book Reviews of Cranford

Cranford
ISBN-13: 9780192815316
ISBN-10: 0192815318
Publication Date: 8/26/1982
Pages: 194
Edition: Reprint
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 5

4.5 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

5 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

eleven avatar reviewed Cranford on + 11 more book reviews
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.)
thameslink avatar reviewed Cranford on + 723 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Charming village tales that maintain their freshness 150 years later. I can reread this book over and over again.
reviewed Cranford on + 42 more book reviews
Gaskell's creativity and wit shine in this short, fun novel.
reviewed Cranford on + 6 more book reviews
Quaint and perfectly lovely everytime I read it.
reviewed Cranford on + 3 more book reviews
This is a very enjoyable book in a Jane Austen kind of way. Gaskell is a master of diction and painting subtle, irresistible mini portraits of human nature. She is often down right hilarious. I'm not completely done with the book yet, but as far as I can see, there is not a distinct plot, just interesting episodes in the life of some women of a small English town. A pleasure to read.