Set in the Victorian era, this is a story of love across the social divide. Margaret Hale is the daughter of a parson who suddenly gives up his position in the church to become a tutor in the smoky, industrial, Northern town of Milton. Margaret and her mother cannot imagine what Mr Hale can see in Milton, and wish that they could leave this terrible place filled with smoke, violence and desperate poverty, and return to their tranquil life in the South. But Margaret soon begins to develop relationships with the people of Milton, both good ones and bad, one of these being with Mr John Thornton, a local factory owner. Their dislike of each other is mutual at first but as Mr Thornton becomes more and more intrigued by Margaret, feelings begin to change. And things get quite complicated when the factory workers start a strike, and secrets begin to emerge which Margaret would rather have left covered up.

This is an absolutely fantastic book and nobody should be put off reading it because of the old fashioned language. It is beautifully written and if anything the language used means you have to pay more attention to the book, something it can be easy not to do when reading something that doesn't challenge you.

The plot is intricate and cleverly woven and the story is one you are drawn into. The book is not fast paced but it is never boring and it is definitely worth reading, if only from a historical point of view as it gives a fascinating insight into the lives of working class and middle class Victorian people, including the way they spoke and local dialect, particularly as the author, Elizabeth Gaskell was alive in the time period in which she has set her book.

North and South is a beautiful story full of passion, secrets, industrial strife, sorrow and joy and is a brilliant book for older readers. It is a refreshing style change from modern novels and reading this book has certainly made me more open to older classics. If you like romance, history, mystery or simply well written books then read it. You might, like me, get swept back into Victorian times from the first chapter, or maybe it will require a little more perseverance, but it's definitely worth it!

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