Wives and Daughters

byElizabeth Gaskell, Laura Aikman (Read by), Pam Morris (Introducer)

Penguin Classics

Set in English society before the 1832 Reform Bill, Wives and Daughters centres on the story of youthful Molly Gibson, brought up from childhood by her father. When he remarries a new stepsister, Cynthia, enters Molly's quiet life. Loveable but worldly and troubling, Cynthia's arrival alters Molly's daily life. The narrative traces the development of the two girls into womanhood within the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford.

Wives and Daughters is far more than a nostalgic evocation of village life; it offers an ironic critique of mid-Victorian society

About Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-65) was born in London but grew up in the north of England in the village of Knutsford. Her first novel, Mary Barton, was published in 1848, winning the attention of Charles Dickens, and most of her later work was published in his journals. She was also a lifelong friend of Charlotte Brontë, whose biography she wrote.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • ISBN: 9780241455210
  • Length: 1617 minutes
  • Price: £16.00
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