Wives and Daughters

"Wives and Daughters, An Every-Day Story" is the last novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, which was first published as a series in Cornhill Magazine (1864-1866). Gaskell was a pleasant "new" discovery for me in the literary scene of the first half of the 19th century, because from that time, it's always the same old Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. Gaskell is a generation younger, and she is also the author, among other things, of the first biography of Charlotte Brontë (to make it clearer). The BBC adapted three of Gaskell's novels as miniseries, and I definitely plan to watch them all. Wives and Daughters is indeed slightly drawn out, but the quality of the adaptation is clear, the period detail is more than satisfactory, and the acting is delightful at times. Francesca Annis (Lillie from the 1980s version of Partners in Crime) is downright epically slanderous, Penelope Wilton (Maggie Smith's companion from Downton Abbey) is exceptionally moving, and Rosamund Pike started here as a fresh-faced twenty-something. Anyone who enjoys occasionally spending time in the English countryside in the 1830s will be satisfied. (29/07/2023)