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Cranford

Written by: Elizabeth Gaskell
Narrated by: Prunella Scales
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Publisher's Summary

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A vivid and affectionate portrait of the residents of an English country town in the mid-19th century, Cranford describes a community dominated by its independent and refined women, relating the adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances.

Through a series of satirical vignettes, Gaskell sympathetically portrays changing small town customs and values in mid-Victorian England, in a community governed by old-fashioned habits and dominated by friendships between women. Her wry account of rural life is undercut, however, by tragedy: with such troubling events as Matty's bankruptcy, the death of Captain Brown and the unwitting cruelty of Peter Jenkyns.

Gaskell was an accomplished writer who had many of her stories published in Charles Dickens's magazine Household Words. She was also friends with Charlotte Brontë and after her death, her father, Patrick Brontë, chose Gaskell to write The Life of Charlotte Brontë.
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Classics
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What listeners say about Cranford

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Profile Image for Gillian

Jane Austen fans will love this story

If you are a fan of Jane Austen or indeed Charlotte Bronte, you will love Cranford. Brilliantly narrated too!

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Profile Image for Juliana Mongia

Not quite like the miniseries

I chose this audiobook because of my great love for Mrs Gaskell and specifically the Cranford BBC miniseries. I was disappointed that this book doesn’t have much of a continuing plot — more like little vignettes outlining what life is like for the characters. Great narrator, but I struggled at times to keep invested in the story.

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