Cranford

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell was recently made into a TV costume drama - this passed me by completely, although I know several people who were really taken with the TV drama. Perhaps this was a good thing, as it would have annoyed me to read the book with the voice of Judy Dench or Maggie Smith or whoever else plays in my head. Cranford was a quaint story of some old English ladies who live in the quiet town or village of Cranford. Nothing much of excitement seems to visit the town, and the highlight of the ladies' lives seems to be visiting each other during the structured visiting hours. Most ladies are spinsters or widows and the male presence is distinctly lacking, and the occasional visit from a man is equally a cause for concern and excitement for the ladies. Overall, it is a lovely little story of a community of ladies rallying aroung for their friend Miss Matty Jenkins during harder times. A pleasant and quaint read, but made the better for the version of it that I own; the pictured Penguin cloth-bound beauty, and the beginning of (I hope) a lovely collection of the series that will adorn my bookshelf.