Nowhere but North: A North and South Variation

By: Nicole Clarkston

Narrated by: Deborah Balm

Can the pieces of a broken past be enough to build a solid future?

Haunted by sorrow and regret, Margaret Hale stands at the precipice of an uncertain destiny. Fiercely determined but not knowing how to find her way, she risks the little she has left on the heart she once shattered - hoping somehow to win back his respect, if not his love.

Since he was a boy, John Thornton has fought the consequences of his father’s mistakes. Resolved to overcome past failings and the disdain of the world, he has striven for wealth, respect, and personal honour, but he is denied love. Now, all he had previously gained is slipping away, but he cannot resist a second chance with the woman he once lost. Crushed on all sides, all he has left to offer the one who needs him most is a home, and a heart that aches for her.

Can a struggling manufacturer ever be enough for a woman who deserves the world? Can a grieving, inexperienced young woman learn to look beyond her Southern past to appreciate her Northern man? When sorrow and fear threaten to conquer them both, they must overcome the odds to find the strength to forge a better life ahead.

This dramatic tale delves into the wonderful world of Elizabeth Gaskell’s epic North and South.

©2018 Nicole Clarkston (P)2019 Nicole Clarkston

Engaging N&S variation

I really enjoy variations on original stories, but often wish for more depth than what just another light, sweet, twist has to offer. This N&S variation meets that wish and the narration is excellent. Further, I feel that the best stories engage more than one or two emotions, and Nowhere but North achieved this mark.

This was quite good.

This was quite good. The story draws you in and continues one of my favorite stories. If you haven't read the first (North and South). I would recommend starting with it. The reading was well done. Each character sounded distinct.

Amazing

Loved this variation! It had components of the original story that made it come together amazingly.

Deep exploration of two beloved characters from Elizabeth Gaskell’s “North and South.”

A delightful “North and South” fan fiction. Includes extended back stories for John and Margaret. And in their life as a married couple, a painfully honest depiction of the stress that a tragedy puts on a relationship. (But they do finally get their HEA). The backstories and “current” stories are interwoven to illustrate the “why” behind the characters’ current behavior. The narrator does a great job with distinctive voices for each character.

The ending we never got to hear

I have longed to hear more of their happily ever after. This variation is everything I’d hoped for and I’ll be reading it again