I've read Gaskell's Wives and Daughters and enjoyed it, but I absolutely loved North and South. It's not just a (good) romance story, but a very fascinating 19th century commentary on the industrial revolution and on labor. I felt that in its latter theme, it was actually very fair, noting the good and bad of both sides of the issue. And for a book filled with so much death and sadness, it was very optimistic and happy.