Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Description

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell was first published in 1866 and was not completed due to the author's death. It is a charming, character-driven novel set in early 19th-century England. It tells the story of Molly Gibson, the kind and modest daughter of a widowed doctor, who is thrust into a new family dynamic when her father remarries. Molly's life changes drastically with the arrival of her new stepmother, the vain and ambitious Mrs. Gibson, and her beautiful but somewhat spoiled stepsister, Cynthia. The novel explores themes of family, friendship, social class, and the expectations of women during that time. While the novel is unfinished due to Gaskell’s sudden death, Wives and Daughters remains a richly detailed portrait of small-town life, with a warm and insightful look into human nature and society’s constraints. The ending leaves some matters unresolved, yet readers are left with a hopeful sense of Molly’s future happiness.

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