My Lady Ludlow

By: Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrated by: Susannah York

Lady Ludlow's appalling snobbery, prejudice and bred-in-the-bone conviction as to the superiority of the English aristocracy and their feudal way of life are deliciously tested, and found wanting, in this gently radical tale of the collapse of a social system.

Elizabeth Gaskell's My Lady Ludlow is a brilliant picture of the shift in power in a rural northern village, from the velvety feudal Ludlows to the glitter of the new money rattling through the system courtesy of the brazen baker from Birmingham.

The interruption of scenes from the French Revolution adds a crackling of horror to this quintessentially British of downfalls. One of the extraordinary things about My Lady Ludlow as a book is that in spite of the creation of a monster of hidebound arrogance and pretension, Gaskell cannot help but produce a character that you end up rooting for right up to the wide grin induced by the final twist in the plot.

Public Domain (P)2008 Silksoundbooks Limited

My Lady Ludlpw a wonderful book

Susanna York
Has done an impeccable job of reading this wonderful story and Elizabeth Gaskell is shown to great advantage through this reading thank you so much.

Excellent narrator

Charming, touching story about times changing. Manners and elegance will never go out of style, though.

Connoisseurs listen twice

I listened twice, because the first time I enjoyed the flow of language, but the second time I gained appreciation for the plot. North and South and Wives and Daughters felt more intense and compelling. If My Lady Ludlow had been my first Gaskell read, I might have struggled a bit, needing (as we today do) intense drama to keep our attention.

It doesn’t get better

Perfect understand and interpretation of the characters and relationships. Incredible voice. Found myself looking forward to long drives just so I could listen. Elizabeth Gaskell’s writing style is so beautiful and so personal. An escape from all the negative noise in our world and a reminder that small acts of kindness can change life’s course.

So beautiful

So many winsome characters and such a sweet story. I cried when it ended. More Elizabeth Gaskell, please!