Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

I'm willing to bet that if you read 100 reviews of this short novel, 90 would include the word "charming," and I would not be an exception. I am completely captivated by this delightful picture of life in a small English village in the early 1800s among the old maids and widows who makes up the "genteel" society. They are so affectionately portrayed, all their small faults and eccentricities being more than offset by the kindness of their hearts, that I grew quite fond of them, as if they were real people.

Structurally, the book more resembles a series of short stories involving the same cast of characters than it does a conventional novel. Amidst the depictions of daily life, we have a story of missed romance, an account of a small feud, an alarm of possible dangers from thieves, and a search for a long-lost brother. The author, through the fictional eyes of a young visitor to the village, reveals the events of small-town life to be both touching and subtly humorous. In fact, the novel is tear worthy and chuckle worthy in equal proportion.

I really love this quote from Miss Matty, a character who is an unmarried woman in her 50s: "It is very pleasant dining with a bachelor....I only hope it is not improper; so many pleasant things are!" Yes, Miss Matty, I have also found many pleasant things to be perceived as improper. But these days, perhaps fortunately and perhaps unfortunately, we do not worry about impropriety as much.

Through her account of a select group of people, Gaskell has also provided us with a glimpse into the attitudes and life style of rural England of the time, and that is certainly interesting. Yet much of the action could have taken place in the small town where I grew up, because time and place may change, but people pretty much stay the same.

I highly recommend this novel. It is charming.