Too many deaths and tragedies. Featured more romance than I thought it would but the ending wasn't completely satisfying. A bit more hopeful in tone.

Also, what was with the weird hatred of the Irish? Apparently, they're dull and too simple to be able to operate machines compared to the skilled English laborers. At first I thought the anti-Irish bias was only one character's opinion but multiple characters implicitly disparage the Irish--even the male lead-- so I can only wonder if it might be the author's bias leaking through.

Reread. I love this book. It’s one of my favourites of all time and makes me slightly mourn the death of the marriage plot, only because this may be the sole thing restoring my faith in true love currently.

I really enjoyed NORTH AND SOUTH, but not quite as much as earlier this year, when I read it during a fifteen hour bus journey. It turns out when I have other books to read, and other stuff to do, this wasn't QUITE so charming. But that's okay.

NORTH AND SOUTH is the story of Margaret Hale murdering everyone in her life and her romance with the one man she can't kill. Joking aside, there is a LOT of death in this book. I won't spoil who dies, but be prepared.

I like Margaret, even though she's a snob and a bit of a white knight to the working-class who don't know better. I like John, too, though he's a capitalist pig. They're very realistically and humanly depicted.

I don't have anything to say about Mr Hale except that he can suck my dick. The man is a menace.

Likeability aside, I do question the politics of almost everyone in this novel. It's like the conventions of writing a romance (though of course it's not a modern romance) constrained ELIZABETH GASKELL. Or perhaps her desire to be even-handed. You can be even-handed and point out that one side is the good one, I promise! Higgins is somewhat sympathetically drawn, but even so, he still needs to learn the lesson that Thornton knows what he's doing as master, and I just don't agree! 

The thing that is best about NORTH AND SOUTH (and I promise this is a compliment!) is that it's many better books stitched together. There's elements of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, JANE EYRE, I even detect some THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL in there. But the ability to makes this all hang together is a skill in itself, I would argue.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, but: Dickens was right about the title! Sorry not sorry.

If you like slow burn regency romance this book is for you! The characters are interesting, complex and lovable. Only critique is the abrupt ending but this may have been a standard in those days, not sure. Georgette Heute also has these abrupt endings..

Incredibly beautiful literature, writing, character moments, and societal backdrop (actually provides a very wholistic education for me into 1880s English economics--fascinating!), but found the resolution of the plot rather abrupt. Still, I loved how each of the characters' arcs represented the arc of something grander in the book (i.e., the reconciliation between Mr. Thornton and Miss Hale representing the new way forward for the work and upper classes).