Dear Off-Topicers, In a newsletter last year, I mentioned I’d had to make drastic cuts to wedge that edition into your inbox, so today, I’m finally sweeping up the offcuts - hopefully with all the lint and loose bits of thread carefully removed - to share with you now
If you haven’t read them, I recommend Wives and Daughters and Cranford if you want more Mrs Gaskell. Her house in Manchester at Plymouth Grove is a really interesting house to visit. The Unitarian Church bought it for their minister to live in as a piece of PR to demonstrate that a nonconformist minister could live as elegantly as any C of E vicar. Were you to stay in Manchester to visit the house, you could also visit Knutsford, the town that inspired Cranford. It’s a bit more “footballers’ wives” now than it was in Mrs Gaskell’s day but none the worse for that.
I love Mrs Gaskell's novels, particularly Ruth. They're so beautifully written, with such loving detail given to the homes and settings as well as the characters themselves. If you've not already listened, I'd also recommend 'Cranford' narrated by Prunella Scales - she does a wonderful job of the gentle-yet-hilarious comedy in her narration (not sounding at all like Sybil).
Somehow, on opening the email with this newsletter, I scrolled down - imagine my delight when the first thing that caught my eye was what appeared to be footnoote 56...... "such comfort reads.⁵⁶ "
I agree wholeheartedly - I re-read North and South during the first lockdown.
Ooh yes, John Thornton's a good one, isn't he - especially in amongst so many dodgy men in classic literature, not just the wirtten-to-be-dodgy ones but some of the supposedly charming/romantic ones who are decidedly creepy by modern standards. (Can't be doing with the casting of him in the BBC version, mind you.) Will now look up 'Ruth' as it sounds pretty appealing even in your dry crust summary. Speaking of which, did your mum's macaroni cheese involve toast triangles around the edges? My mum was taught at school that they were an essential element. Nice to know it's not only my 1980s childhood comfort food memories that involve wholemeal pasta (wholemeal spaghetti with red lentils and tinned tomato, mmm) - but is today's wholemeal pasta inferior? I've been eating brown rice pasta for a while now so am not up to date... xx
I love North & South, both the novel and the 2004 series (best screen kiss ever, who needs modern sex scenes!). On reading books in unlikely places I read 'Havana Fever' by Leonardo Padura while walking Hadrian's Wall and somehow it worked perfectly.
“delightful in a considering having his name tattooed on the inside of my forearm kind of way” 👌👌 here for the mania of falling down an author rabbit hole!
After reading Wives and Daughters, a particular favourite, I put off reading North & South because I thought it might be a bit bleak. Turns out I loved it. And I completely agree that it could be classed as a comfort read. Or is it because John Thornton is hot (like soup, as the kids (used to?) say) and I wouldn’t mind spending time with him again? Either way, I may be due for a reread (and a rewatch, you’re right about that adaptation being amazing). Now you’ve completely upended my TBR list. Thank you!
If you haven’t read them, I recommend Wives and Daughters and Cranford if you want more Mrs Gaskell. Her house in Manchester at Plymouth Grove is a really interesting house to visit. The Unitarian Church bought it for their minister to live in as a piece of PR to demonstrate that a nonconformist minister could live as elegantly as any C of E vicar. Were you to stay in Manchester to visit the house, you could also visit Knutsford, the town that inspired Cranford. It’s a bit more “footballers’ wives” now than it was in Mrs Gaskell’s day but none the worse for that.
I love Mrs Gaskell's novels, particularly Ruth. They're so beautifully written, with such loving detail given to the homes and settings as well as the characters themselves. If you've not already listened, I'd also recommend 'Cranford' narrated by Prunella Scales - she does a wonderful job of the gentle-yet-hilarious comedy in her narration (not sounding at all like Sybil).
Somehow, on opening the email with this newsletter, I scrolled down - imagine my delight when the first thing that caught my eye was what appeared to be footnoote 56...... "such comfort reads.⁵⁶ "
I agree wholeheartedly - I re-read North and South during the first lockdown.
Ooh yes, John Thornton's a good one, isn't he - especially in amongst so many dodgy men in classic literature, not just the wirtten-to-be-dodgy ones but some of the supposedly charming/romantic ones who are decidedly creepy by modern standards. (Can't be doing with the casting of him in the BBC version, mind you.) Will now look up 'Ruth' as it sounds pretty appealing even in your dry crust summary. Speaking of which, did your mum's macaroni cheese involve toast triangles around the edges? My mum was taught at school that they were an essential element. Nice to know it's not only my 1980s childhood comfort food memories that involve wholemeal pasta (wholemeal spaghetti with red lentils and tinned tomato, mmm) - but is today's wholemeal pasta inferior? I've been eating brown rice pasta for a while now so am not up to date... xx
I love North & South, both the novel and the 2004 series (best screen kiss ever, who needs modern sex scenes!). On reading books in unlikely places I read 'Havana Fever' by Leonardo Padura while walking Hadrian's Wall and somehow it worked perfectly.
“delightful in a considering having his name tattooed on the inside of my forearm kind of way” 👌👌 here for the mania of falling down an author rabbit hole!
After reading Wives and Daughters, a particular favourite, I put off reading North & South because I thought it might be a bit bleak. Turns out I loved it. And I completely agree that it could be classed as a comfort read. Or is it because John Thornton is hot (like soup, as the kids (used to?) say) and I wouldn’t mind spending time with him again? Either way, I may be due for a reread (and a rewatch, you’re right about that adaptation being amazing). Now you’ve completely upended my TBR list. Thank you!
Thanks for tip about free books on Audible (as well as the one about Elizabeth Gaskell. I now have the three you recommended.