North and South

By: Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion; it poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern, and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature.

When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire and move with her family to the fictional industrial town of Milton in the north of England. Though at first disgusted by her new surroundings, she witnesses the brutality wrought by the Industrial Revolution and becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers. Sympathetic to the poor she makes friends among them and develops a fervent sense of social justice. She clashes with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, who is contemptuous of his workers. However, their fierce opposition masks a deeper attraction.

Gaskell based her depiction of Milton on Manchester, where she lived as the wife of a Unitarian minister. She was an accomplished writer, much of her work published in Charles Dickens' magazine Household Words including North and South which was originally published as a serial. She was also friends with Charlotte Brontë and after her death, her father, Patrick Brontë, chose Gaskell to write The Life of Charlotte Brontë.

Narrator Biography

Whether she's up on stage, behind the microphone or in front of the camera, Juliet Stevenson never fails to charm her audience...whoever they may be. Acting roles in Truly, Madly Deeply, Emma, Bend It like Beckham and Mona Lisa Smile have cemented her status as one of the great British actresses of our time. Meanwhile, her popular performances of hits such as Apple Tree Yard, the book that was turned into a TV series that people just couldn't stop talking about, have earned her an overwhelming amount of well-deserved praise for her spoken word talents.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[An] admirable story...full of character and power." (Charles Dickens)

Among my favorites!!!

They just don't write them like this anymore! I could not wait to finish the book so I could watch the BBC miniseries. While the actor playing Mr. Thornton was yummy to look at his character as portrayed in the book is who us girls dream of.

Love! Love! Love!

Everything from the writing of the novel to the story it's self must be admired. The reader shall find themselves in a world they will regret to depart from.

For a literary sense of the industrial revolution

Gaskell captures the ambiguity of the situation for "masters" and "hands" through the sensitive attention of Margaret Hale. Juliet Stevenson reads beautifully, interpreting the sense of the characters and the feeling of their struggles.

Awesome narrator, good story

I loved this narrator. She did such an excellent job of all the voices and was very pleasant to listen to.

This isn't my favorite story, but I did enjoy it. Margaret is not my favorite heroine, but I did appreciate a lot of her characteristics. I loved Mr. Thornton's character - he was definitely my favorite. I wished there were more quirky characters to lighten a very serious and somewhat dismal storyline, but that may not have been true to the character of the book (I just happen to prefer books with quirky characters). I would probably listen to it again, but would probably only recommend it to those who really enjoy classics and have a good attention span (this book can sometimes be a bit monotonous).

Amazing!

Juliet Stevenson is fantastic! North and South is one of my favorite novels and I so enjoyed listening to it while I went about my work!

my favorite!

What a treat! I listen to this book once a year, well written, with a great narrator!

Great narration, wonderful story

Love, love, love this story and love this narration. It’s long, but it’s a wonderful journey and I will likely listen again.

I wish there were 6 stars ⭐️

The eloquent beauty and richness of Victorian English is so pleasing to the ear. The author is wonderful at painting detailed portraits of characters, scenery, and emotion.

The narrator is wonderful with her inflections and colloquial accents. She brings each character such a unique vocalization that you recognize who is speaking without knowing directly by introduction from the words.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. What a treasure.

Narration was spectacular

Juliet was exceptional. The narrator really brought the characters to life. I couldn’t stop listening because of how engaged I was. Amazing job!

Just as I remembered the movie to be

I enjoyed listening to this book. Usually I will watch TV whilst at work on my non busy hours, but there was no need once I started the book. I was already in love with the movie but the book and all the minor missed details a movie just can't touch made it a bit better. but just like the movie the ending ended so fast.