North and South

By: Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrated by: Clare Wille

When Margaret Hale moves with her father from the comfort of the south of England to the industrial north, she is at first repulsed by what she sees; and then when she discovers the conditions under which the workers are forced to live, she is outraged. But this throws her into direct conflict with the powerful young mill-owner, John Thornton. Using personal passions to explore deep social divisions, North and South is a great romance and one of Elizabeth Gaskell's finest works.

Public Domain (P)2010 Naxos Audiobooks

Good, but...

So, I've read this story before and I watched the miniseries (which is quite good). I wanted to give it another try now that I'm older, but I still found it a little dull in some parts and the weak characters get on my nerves. The narration was alright, but some of the high pitch tones and the accents were a little difficult to listen to, so I skipped through some parts. Overall, good classic.

Wonderful

Clare Wille is excellent. This is my first book she's narrated, but I will definitely purchase her again. I don't know why so many classics get read by bad narrators, but they do. I spend too much of my classics reading time trying to tune out narrators, but Wille is able to capture the characters, including (at least to my untrained ear) all the variations in accent attributable to class and regional differences. She moves the story along, but doesn't overwhelm it, which is all I ask of a narrator.
I focus on the narrator some, in part, because North and South is so obviously wonderful. It is my personal favorite of Gaskell's works. Not only is there a sweet and wonderful romance with characters who are real and flawed and therefore more appealing than some of her other flawless heroes and heroines, but she captures in this work a society in change. The intense struggles that form the background of the work are mesmerizing. There is the struggle between older ideas of good society- landed gentry who show merciful condesention to the people beneath them- and the rising power of industry, which brings with it people who may not have the advantages of birth or breeding but who, through labor and intellect, use their influence to shape their world. She also captures the struggle between the masters and the men, their interdependant and yet oppositional relationship, as well as touching on the problems in the Church of England, from which Mr. Hale becomes a Dissenter.
All of these various facets come together in an amazingly honest account of the terrible tragedies and wonderful triumphs of each system. It is masterfully written and beautifully read.
If I were to have any criticism, it would be that things happen to fall together in an extremely fortuitous and unlikely way. That doesn't really bother me though. It's well done enough that you don't care how it workd out, only that it does.

Loved the story and the performance!

What did you like best about this story?

I am an Bronte and Austen fan (amongst other classic British authors). I loved the, "Pride and Prejudice" style romance set against the backdrop of the industrial revolution. This setting adds an intensity that is not in Jane Austen's story, but It almost made the story seem more realistic or relatable.

What does Clare Wille bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I felt that the narrator did an excellent job of portraying the characters including the voice changes and the accents used. I like to listen to audiobooks at night. The narrator's voice is pleasant to listen to; not boring and not grating.

Much better than Juliet Stevenson

The Juliet Stevenson version drove me mad with its melodrama, but I am glad I tried again. Clare Wille is superb. Some find her dry - I though she hit just the right balance.

The novel itself is excellent if slightly didactic. It's just a touch too a bit overt in the way it lays out the political issues of the time. That said, the debates are conveyed in an unusually even-handed way and put in the mouths of characters I really cared about.

And for those who found the ending a let-down: Read it again. It's a tiny bit subtle but when you get it totally satisfying. And yes, I agree with the person who compared it with Far From the Madding Crown -- if you like one you will probably like the other

Well written but kind of a downer

Such a long book full of sadness and unrequited love. No flashes of humor to add color. Finally reaches the long awaited conclusion in the last three minutes. I had hoped to be rewarded for all of the tragedy and sorrow with just a little bit of happily ever after, but it was not to be.The reader does the regional accents very well.