Anna, jeune Allemande contrainte d’épouser un aristocrate français, découvre trop tard le sombre secret de son mari : ses précédentes épouses ont toutes mystérieusement disparu.

The humour in `Cranford' (1853) is so sly it is can be difficult to believe it was written over 150 years ago. Originally published in instalments and edited by Charles Dickens, the novel follows a delightful group of women in a small town who are united by all being single, poor, and proud. Written with acute observation, `Cranford' is in equal parts affectionate, moving and darkly satirical. `Cranford' has been adapted for television by BBC three times, and the latest version from 2007 featured Dame Judy Dench and Dame Eileen Atkins.

Discover the Charm of Small-Town Life with Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford" - A Delightful Tale of Community, Wit, and Nostalgia"Cranford" by Elizabeth Gaskell is a captivating novel that transports readers to the quaint, picturesque town of Cranford, where the everyday lives of its charming inhabitants unfold with warmth, humor, and keen social observation. Set in the early 19th century, the story offers a vivid portrayal of a close-knit community, emphasizing the importance of friendship, resilience, and tradition amidst changing times. Through a series of interconnected vignettes, Gaskell masterfully captures the nuances of small-town life, highlighting the quirks and virtues of its residents, from the genteel ladies to the hardworking tradespeople. The novel's gentle humor and insightful commentary make it a timeless reflection on human nature and societal norms. As the characters navigate love, loss, and societal expectations, readers are invited to reflect on the enduring values of kindness, loyalty, and community spirit. "Cranford" is not only a charming story but also a window into a bygone era, beautifully written with Elizabeth Gaskell's characteristic grace and wit.Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) was a renowned English novelist and short story writer celebrated for her keen social commentary and vivid characterizations. Known for her ability to depict the struggles of the Victorian era's working class and her empathetic portrayal of women, Gaskell's works often explore themes of social justice, morality, and human connection. Her literary legacy includes classics such as "North and South" and "Wives and Daughters," which continue to resonate with readers today. Gaskell's writing combines realism with compassion, making her one of the most influential writers of her time and a pioneer in social reform through literature.

Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read. This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter. - Reading time of the complete text: about 7 hours - Reading time of the summarized text: 11 minutes "Cranford" is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell that was first published in instalments in the magazine Household Words and later as a book in 1853. The novel is based on the small Cheshire town of Knutsford where Gaskell grew up. The work has no real plot but is a collection of sketches that affectionately delineate people and customs that were already becoming anachronisms. The novel chronicles a society in transition, moving from one where consideration of rank was the foremost regulator of behaviour and social relations to a more humane emphasis on responding to individual need. The work became popular in the 20th century and saw a number of dramatic treatments for the stage, the radio and TV. The novel has been adapted for NBC radio, British television, and a British musical. A sequel, "Return to Cranford," was broadcast in 2009 in the UK and 2010 in the US.

Step into the charming world of "Cranford" by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. This delightful novel invites you to a quaint English village, where the lives of its eccentric and endearing inhabitants are interwoven in a tapestry of humor, heartwarming moments, and social observations. Set in the early 19th century, the narrative unfolds through the eyes of Mary Smith, an outsider welcomed into the close-knit community. As she navigates the idiosyncrasies of Cranford's residents, Mary uncovers their daily routines, quirks, and heartaches. From Miss Matty's endearing naivety to the spirited Miss Pole's storytelling, each character adds a unique color to the village's fabric. Against the backdrop of tea parties, gentle gossip, and societal norms, "Cranford" illuminates the complexities of relationships and societal expectations. Gaskell's vivid descriptions breathe life into the village, capturing the essence of a simpler time while subtly exploring themes of change and tradition. The charm of "Cranford" lies in its portrayal of community bonds, resilience, and the strength found in companionship. Gaskell's deft narrative touch seamlessly blends humor and empathy, creating a world that feels simultaneously familiar and enchanting. This novel is a heartwarming journey into a bygone era, celebrating the ordinary moments that define human connections. "Cranford" is an exploration of nostalgia, friendship, and the enduring spirit of a place that will leave you with a smile and a renewed appreciation for the beauty of life's simple pleasures. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, a literary luminary of the 19th century, masterfully captured the essence of Victorian society through her evocative novels. Born in 1810, this English novelist and short story writer found her voice amidst the societal changes of the era. With keen observations and empathetic storytelling, Gaskell delved into the lives of both the privileged and the marginalized. Her debut novel, 'Mary Barton,' delved into the hardships of industrial Manchester, sparking conversations on social reform. Gaskell's literary prowess flourished with 'Cranford,' a charming portrait of a small English town, and 'North and South,' which navigated the clash between industrial progress and traditional values. Her knack for creating relatable characters and poignant narratives made her a cherished figure in Victorian literature. Beyond novels, Gaskell penned insightful biographies, including the celebrated 'The Life of Charlotte Brontë.' Her literary contributions continue to resonate, offering a window into the intricacies of a rapidly changing world. Elizabeth Gaskell's legacy remains a testament to the power of storytelling to bridge generations, provoke thought, and kindle empathy.

Molly and her father have lived alone since the death of her mother. Now Mr Gibson decides it will be in Molly's best interests for him to marry again. The new "Mama" brings to the household many changes, including a glamorous new step-sister. Mrs Gibson starts scheming to have Cynthia marry one of the sons of the local squire, but she does not understand Cynthia's reluctance or why Molly is meeting Mr Preston in the forest. Secrets, love affairs and society gossip abound in this social commentary novel written by Mrs Gaskell (author of North and South and Mary Barton). Love across the class divide, love of parents for children and step-children, love which is a 'heated fancy', love between sisters, and sincere self-sacrificing love of one person for another whether brother or beloved - all are delicately and delightfully drawn in this masterpiece of 19th century literature, and all are brought to life in this dramatic reading with a stunning cast of voices.

In 1859 Charles Dickens launched a new weekly journal, All the Year Round, to replace Household Words. Elizabeth Gaskell remained a prolific contributor until 1863. Her fictional contributions feature strong female characters and have a darker tone than her previous works, reflecting the fashion for Gothic fiction of the 1860s and her travels in Europe. They include two of her best known shorter works: Lois the Witch, a heartfelt story of a young English girl who becomes of a victim of the Salem witch trials, and The Grey Woman, a powerful tale of a deceived wife's flight from her husband, a nobleman who turns out to be a leader of the French 'chauffeurs'. Two of Gaskell's most complex family sagas were thinly disguised as Christmas Ghost stories: The Ghost in the Garden Room and How the First Floor Went to Crowley Castle. The Cage at Cranford is a short reprise of Gaskell's Cranford stories. Of the two documentary pieces, Select Committee on French Songs appears here for the first time in a collection of Elizabeth Gaskell's work.

The book is a social novel, dealing with Victorian views about sin and illegitimacy. It is a surprisingly compassionate portrayal of a 'fallen woman', a type of person normally outcast from respectable society. The title of the novel refers to the main character Ruth Hilton, an orphaned young seamstress who is seduced and then abandoned by gentleman Henry Bellingham. Ruth, pregnant and alone, is taken in by a minister and his sister. They conceal her single status under the pretense of widowhood in order to protect her child from the social stigma of illegitimacy. Ruth goes on to gain a respectable position in society as a governess, which is threatened by the return of Bellingham and the revelation of her secret.

A collection of Elizabeth Gaskell's early short stories. Following the publication of Mary Barton in 1848, Gaskell published many of her short works for Charles Dickens's Household Words magazine between 1850 and 1858. Her earlier works were published in a variety of venues including Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine , William Howitt's Visits to Remarkable Places , Howitt's Journal of Literature and Popular Progress , the Sunday School Penny Magazine , Sartain's Union Magazine and the Ladies Companion and Monthly Magazine .

Cranford is set in a small market town populated largely by a number of respectable ladies. It tells of their secrets and foibles, their gossip and their romances as they face the challenges of dealing with new inhabitants to their society and innovations to their settled existence. It was first published between 1851 and 1853 as episodes in Charles Dickens' Journal Household Words. Appended to this recording is a short sequel, The Cage at Cranford, written ten years later and published in the journal All the Year Round. In a letter to Mrs. Gaskell, Charlotte Bronte wrote: "Thank you for your letter, it was as pleasant as a quiet chat, as welcome as spring showers, as reviving as a friend's visit; in short, it was very like a page of Cranford."... Cranford is a genteel and humorous look at Victorian society by Elizabeth Gaskell, and is quite a change from her more gritty novels like Mary Barton or North and South.

Elizabeth Gaskell was a regular contributor to Charles Dickens's weekly magazine, Household Words, from 1850 through to 1853 In addition to three serialized novels, Cranford, North and South, and My Lady Ludlow, Dickens published 18 shorter works by Gaskell, which made her the major literary contributor to the magazine apart from Dickens himself. This collection brings together all of the short stories and non-fiction pieces that Gaskell published in the magazine between 1850 and 1853. Lizzie Leigh and The Heart of John Middleton are examples of Gaskell's writing on the working classes of the industrial north of England, while the Well of Pen Morfa is set in rural North Wales. The Old Nurse's Story, a ghostly tale, and The Squire's Story, a mystery, were written for Christmas editions of the magazine. Appearing in 1853, Morton Hall and My French Master, are among Gaskell's most sophisticated works. Historical fictions of the decline of the aristocracy in England and France, both have happy endings, but deal poignantly with themes of loss and the passage of time. From Gaskell's varied non-fiction pieces, we learn about inexplicable disappearances, the life of an expatriate gardener at the Persian court, the history of the Huguenots, and are invited to a day out on a sheep farm in the far north of England.

Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel was serialized in Cornhill Magazine from 1864 to 1866, and completed by her editor posthumously. It looks at English life in the 1830s through the experiences of Molly Gibson, the daughter of a widowed doctor growing up in the provincial town of Hollingford. When Mr. Gibson decides to marry again, Molly is forced to contend with a pretentious stepmother, but consoled by a close friendship with Cynthia, her new stepsister. The girls' relations with the local residents, particularly the Squire of Hamley Hall and his family, make for incidents comic, romantic, and tragic, by turns.

A collection of Elizabeth Gaskell's early short stories. Following the publication of Mary Barton in 1848, Gaskell published many of her short works for Charles Dickens's Household Words magazine between 1850 and 1858. Her earlier works were published in a variety of venues including Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine (Sketches among the Poor), William Howitt's Visits to Remarkable Places (Clopton Hall), Howitt's Journal of Literature and Popular Progress (Libbie Marsh, The Sexton's Hero, Christmas Storms and Sunshine), the Sunday School Penny Magazine (Hand and Heart, Bessy's Troubles at Home), Sartain's Union Magazine (The Last Generation in England, Martha Preston) and the Ladies Companion and Monthly Magazine (Mrs. Harrison's Confessions). Summary by Phil Benson

A "Bluebeard" story in which a young woman marries a man whom she discovers has killed his previous wives and is trying to kill her as well. (Summary by Jane Greensmith)

Edward Wilkins werkt als advocaat in een provinciestadje omdat hij het kantoor van zijn vader heeft overgenomen. Zijn intellectuele, artisieke levenshouding botst met die van de inwoners, maar Wilkins doet zijn best erbij te horen. Het gaat slecht met het bedrijf en Wilkins begint steeds meer te drinken. Maar het escaleert pas echt als Wilkins in een opwelling de zakenpartner die hij kort daarvoor in de arm had genomen om het leven brengt tijdens een ruzie. Wilkins dochter Ellinor en een diender genaamd Dixon helpen hem het lichaam te begraven in de tuin. Jarenlang blijft het geheim over de familie hangen, tot het lijk wordt opgegraven bij de aanleg van een spoorweg. Wat zich dan ontvouwt is een achtbaan van gebeurtenissen waarin Gaskell haar talent toont om een spannend verhaal met sterke psychologische karakterschetsen te verbinden. Een werk der duisternis werd in eerste instantie in delen gepubliceerd in All the Year Round, het literaire tijdschrift van Charles Dickens.

Medeminnaars werd door Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell aangemerkt als `het droevigste verhaal dat ik ooit heb geschreven`. Het verhaal speelt zich af tegen de achtergrond van de levée en masse, de invoering van de dienstplicht ten tijde van de Napoleontische oorlogen. Het hoofdpersonage, Sylvia Robson, woont bij haar ouders op een boerderij aan de kust van Engeland. Haar neef Philip, een quaker, is innig verliefd op haar, maar Sylvia wordt verliefd op een schipper genaamd Charlie Kinraid, en ze verloven zich in het geniep. Maar dan is Charlie opeens verdwenen. Philip weet dat hij met onmiddellijke ingang is opgeroepen in de marine, maar Sylvia vreest dat hij dood is. Ze trouwt met Philip en ze krijgen een dochter. Maar als ze jaren later oog in oog staat met Charlie en Philips geheim aan het licht komt, is het al te laat voor een idylle. De tragische geschiedenis die zich ontspint is in twee delen uitgegeven, waarvan dit deel 1 is.

Medeminnaars werd door Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell aangemerkt als `het droevigste verhaal dat ik ooit heb geschreven`. Het verhaal speelt zich af tegen de achtergrond van de levée en masse, de invoering van de dienstplicht ten tijde van de Napoleontische oorlogen. Het hoofdpersonage, Sylvia Robson, woont bij haar ouders op een boerderij aan de kust van Engeland. Haar neef Philip, een quaker, is innig verliefd op haar, maar Sylvia wordt verliefd op een schipper genaamd Charlie Kinraid, en ze verloven zich in het geniep. Maar dan is Charlie opeens verdwenen. Philip weet dat hij met onmiddellijke ingang is opgeroepen in de marine, maar Sylvia vreest dat hij dood is. Ze trouwt met Philip en ze krijgen een dochter. Maar als ze jaren later oog in oog staat met Charlie en Philips geheim aan het licht komt, is het al te laat voor een idylle. De tragische geschiedenis die zich ontspint is in twee delen uitgegeven, waarvan dit deel 2 is.

The humour in `Cranford' (1853) is so sly it can be difficult to believe it was written over 150 years ago. Originally published in instalments and edited by Charles Dickens, the novel follows a delightful group of women in a small town who are united by all being single, poor, and proud. Written with acute observation, `Cranford' is in equal parts affectionate, moving and darkly satirical. `Cranford' has been adapted for television by BBC three times, and the latest version from 2007 featured Dame Judy Dench and Dame Eileen Atkins. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) was an English novelist, short story writer, and biographer, best known for her novels `North and South' and `Wives and Daughters' as well as her biography of Charlotte Brontë. Gaskell was viewed as a minor author until the 1950s where it became evident that her depiction of industrial environments and social problems was brilliant and poignant.

Anna, a German mill-owner`s daughter, marries a French aristocrat and moves to France. She discovers that her husband killed his previous wife and that he is trying to kill her as well. Quick, intriguing, and with an extremely interesting plot, `The Grey Woman` (1861) is a short story by Elizabeth Gaskell for anyone who enjoys a good gothic shudder. Incredibly progressive for its time, it is about the survival of the ill-treated woman who has decided that enough is enough.