I've read some Gaskell before and I'm a big fan. I read this book for a Victorian Lit class and it is definitely one of the best assigned readings I've had. I enjoyed the novel, but I feel as though it is a rough draft of North and South, which is the superior of the two.

I love this entire series, but this is my least favorite. Charlotte is so dull and painfully fluffy, I wanted to smack her over the head with a frying pan. Moving on.