Cranford is a satirical story about the goings on in a small English village.

Cousin Phillis is about love, loss, and finding the strength to move on.

Overall, I thought both of these novellas were a bit boring, yet still enjoyable. If they were full length novels I would not have rated them higher than 2 stars. I appreciate that Elizabeth Gaskell knows how much story she has to tell and doesn't try to over inflate it.

I much prefer her novels where she tackles social issues regarding the working class. If I wanted to read about well to do people filling their days with tea parties I would read Austen. ( )

Both books can be found on Project Gutenberg: Cranford - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/394; Cousin Phillis -https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4268 ( )

Cranford is a satirical story about the goings on in a small English village.

Cousin Phillis is about love, loss, and finding the strength to move on.


Overall, I thought both of these novellas were a bit boring, yet still enjoyable. If they were full length novels I would not have rated them higher than 2 stars. I appreciate that Elizabeth Gaskell knows how much story she has to tell and doesn't try to over inflate it.

I much prefer her novels where she tackles social issues regarding the working class. If I wanted to read about well to do people filling their days with tea parties I would read Austen. ( )

Only read Cranford up to this point. Will read Cousin Phillis later. ( )

Cranford tells the story of a quiet English town populated almost entirely of women.* An unnamed narrator (eventually revealed to be called Mary Smith) serves as outsider (to an extent) to explain happenings in the town whenever she comes to visit. Rather than a strictly linear and straightforward narrative, the book is more like a series of vignettes, but all related to this place and these characters, and largely taking place in the same time period. The narrator mostly goes forward in time with her narrative, discussing what happens during each subsequent visit to Cranford, but oftentimes this involves going backwards chronologically as some story or other of past times is related to her.

Gaskell’s writing style reminds me a bit of Jane Austen’s with its gentle mockery of social customs/manners (i.e., the “elegant economy” of the women of Cranford) and vivid, if somewhat absurd, characterizations (such as Miss Jenkins with her love of Dr. Johnson and hatred of Boz). But Gaskell’s writing style also differs in some rather noticeable ways. For instance, as I mentioned above, Gaskell employs a narrator who tells the story in first person and sometimes breaks down the “fourth wall” to address the reader with questions of “Is it so in London?” after relaying some country habit. More strikingly, Gaskell includes some very serious – and sad – events that we never really see in Austen’s works. For instance, over the years in Cranford, we vicariously live through the death of a beloved parent and sister or a love that is forever thwarted.

But the women of Cranford are hopeful and help each other through tough times, and there are at least as many episodes of humor in this book as there are ones of resigned melancholy, making for an enjoyable read overall. I’d definitely recommend this book for Austen fans looking for a “what next?” read as well as lovers of 19th century literature, satire, or just plain good writing.

Note: While I own the printed book including Cranford and Cousin Phillis and read both novels back in college, this time I listened to an audiobook version of Cranford only. Although I remember liking Cousin Phillis when I read it, I don't recall enough details to do it justice with a full review at this time. Perhaps in the future if/when I re-read it!

*As you learn right away by Gaskell’s clever opening to the novel: In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women. If a married couple come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears; he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranford evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his regiment, his ship, or closely engaged in business all the week in the great neighbouring commercial town of Drumble, distant only twenty miles on a railroad. In short, whatever does become of the gentlemen, they are not at Cranford. What could they do if they were there? The surgeon has his round of thirty miles, and sleeps at Cranford; but every man cannot be a surgeon. For keeping the trim gardens full of choice flowers without a weed to speck them; for frightening away little boys who look wistfully at the said flowers through the railings; for rushing out at the geese that occasionally venture in to the gardens if the gates are left open; for deciding all questions of literature and politics without troubling themselves with unnecessary reasons or arguments; for obtaining clear and correct knowledge of everybody’s affairs in the parish; for keeping their neat maid-servants in admirable order; for kindness (somewhat dictatorial) to the poor, and real tender good offices to each other whenever they are in distress, the ladies of Cranford are quite sufficient. “A man,” as one of them observed to me once, “is so in the way in the house!” ( )