Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Posted on July 9, 2009

Okay, so I got one response on my 50 Book Challenge (thanks Todd!) so I will continue to write about what I am reading.

My first completed book for 50 Book Challenge starting July 09, is Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell.  Gaskell is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and if you like Austen, I highly recommend her work.  Sadly, Wives and Daughters is incomplete because she died before she could finish it.  However, it is still worth reading, it is easy to make presumptions about where the story would have gone if she could have finished it.

The story is about a country Doctor and his daughter in 19th century England.  Molly Gibson’s mother died when she was very young, and now she is 17 and her father is starting to feel the effects of trying to raise a daughter alone at a time in her life where young men are going to start forming romantic attachments to her.  His first step is to send her off to live with an invalid patient of his, who just happens to be the wife of a squire.  She is lonely with her two sons out of the house, and needs the company.  And Molly needs the maternal attention.  While Molly is staying with them, Mr. Gibson discovers a woman that could take on the role of stepmother.  It just so happens, this woman also has a daughter Molly’s age.  There are complicated romantic attachments, intrigues, and 19th century social commentary.  Which are all a few of my favorite things!