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Mary Barton (Penguin Classics)
 
 
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Mary Barton (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

~ (Author), MacDonald Daly (Editor) "There are some fields near Manchester, well known to the inhabitants as 'Green Heys Fields', through which runs a public footpath to a little village..." (more)
Key Phrases: dear jem, poor jem, poor wench, Mary Barton, Miss Simmonds, Harry Carson (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
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  Kindle Edition, May 4, 2009 $6.95 -- --
  Hardcover, May 9, 1994 $12.75 $9.19 $6.42
  Paperback, April 29, 1987 $6.95 $2.00 $0.01
  Paperback, April 1, 1997 $8.50 $5.76 $1.82
  Audio, Cassette, Unabridged $29.95 $29.95 $25.89
  Unknown Binding, February 6, 2031 -- -- --
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Mary Barton (Penguin Classics) + Ruth (Penguin Classics) + Wives and Daughters
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  • This item: Mary Barton (Penguin Classics) by Elizabeth Gaskell

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Editorial Reviews

Review

While Mary Barton is literally a murder mystery, it is also an abundantly detailed and sympathetic view of the nineteenth-century English weaving village of Manchester and some of its people. Mary Barton is young, kind, and beautiful - perhaps dangerously so. John Barton, her hearty and intelligent but grievously uneducated father who "could never abide the gentlefolk," pours fierce love and courage into his family and work. When Mary's beautiful Aunt Esther disappears, her beauty is blamed: "Not but what beauty is a sad snare. Here was Esther so puffed up, that there was no holding her in." Mary's love - for her father, her friends, her charming rich suitor (the son of a factory owner), and his rival, her faithful childhood friend Jem who "loves her above life itself" - provides rich texture and suspense in this finely spun tale: will Mary's pride be her ruin? Will Jem pay with his life for his love of Mary? Interspersed with sparse but regular authorial observation, scenes from family life, work, and love in a nineteenth-century industrial village come alive. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Jesse Larsen --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Review


"The notes are remarkable for their clarity and their completeness. Usually I am not fond of introductions, but Professor Wright's essentially historicist rendering of the tale is on the mark."--George Evans Light, Stanford University
"First-rate edition!"--Suzanne Ozment, The Citadel
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics (April 1, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 014043464X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140434644
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,210 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #4 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > British > Classics > Gaskell, Elizabeth
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Elizabeth Gaskell
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
"There are some fields near Manchester, well known to the inhabitants as 'Green Heys Fields', through which runs a public footpath to a little village about two miles distant." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dear jem, poor jem, poor wench
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mary Barton, Miss Simmonds, Harry Carson, Sally Leadbitter, Will Wilson, George Wilson, Alice Wilson, Henry Carson, James Wilson, New Bailey, Ben Sturgis, Miss Sophy, Isle of Man, Jack Harris, Berry Street, Dunham Street, Turner Street, William Wilson, Jane Richardson, Molly Gibson, Nicholas Street
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Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A passionate, powerful tale of poverty and injustice, December 28, 1998
By A Customer
This is possibly the most devastating, yet uplifting novels I've ever read. The book explores the lives of the working class poor in Manchester, England, during the 1840s, a period of strife and hunger. The pretty, young, naive Mary Barton persues a romance with handsome, dashing Harry Carson, son the mill owner, while spurning the attentions of her childhood friend, Jem Wilson, who loves her passionately. Mary's intentions, however, are less than noble; while certainly attracted to Harry, she wishes to improve the lot of herself and her father, John, who, disconsolate over the loss of his wife and only son and the attendant poverty after the loss of his job, has slipped into a daze of opium and seeks vengeance against the Carsons for putting him into this position. This eventually leads to tragedy and redemption. Gaskell writes as if her life depended on it; she describes the horrible conditions of the Manchester poor with searing vision, and makes the influence of radicalism completely understandable, even if she doesn't always agree with it. The delineation of character is quite remarkable; one's heart beats faster as Mary realises who it is she really loves and particularly when she is forced to protect, against incredible odds, both of the men that truly love her. Admittedly, the second half of the book, detailing the murder and subsequent trial, is quite melodramatic, but it's grippingly told. A magnificent work that should be required reading.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Truthful Depiction of the 19th Century Working Class Life, March 1, 2001
This review is from: Mary Barton (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)
Actually I read this book in three days' time (it can be even faster if I don't have to go to school). Anyway, Mrs. Gaskell's depiction of the working class people in Manchester during the 19th century was so vivid that you can just *see* and *feel* how the rich and the poor's lives were like back then by turning the pages. I believe no one who had read this book will not to some extent feel pity for the tragic hero, John Barton, in the story. But aside from this formal social theme being presented in the novel, there is also a very strong sense of religious/moral theme in it (espeically near the end of the story), as well as some drama and romance in it. Definitely worth a read, especially to those who are interested in Victorian Literature.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling reading., January 26, 2003
By C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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Gaskell wrote one of the most vivid descriptions of the gap between rich and poor in this novel of the Manchester 'hungry forties'.

The romantic plot centers around the murder of the son of a factory owner. While well written, the plot romance and mystery are almost cursory in comparison to the loving detail that Gaskell lavishes on Alice Wilson, the temptation of Esther, and all the little points of life in deep poverty. Gaskell is compassionate and clear-sighted in her writing, making this a very nice read.

Mary Barton appeals to readers of all ages, and works at the level of both plot and social history. Recommended for fans of the period, historians, and general readers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, but not a light read.
I had read a few of Gaskell's novels before sitting down with this one. I have to admit that I began to feel like every character in this book was going to die before it was over... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Olsen

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Wrenching Read
We live in a word where poverty is no longer something we see everyday. Many of us live cushy lives where we hear about people living on the streets, and don't think twice about... Read more
Published 10 months ago by M. LeSage

3.0 out of 5 stars A 19th Century Soap Opera
This was the selected book for November for our Book Club. A typical Gaskell work: 18th century wordiness -- a slow read. Read more
Published 12 months ago by C. Keyser

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary
I am a 19th century period drama avid reader and addict. This summer I read every single one of Ms. Gaskell's novels and just love the history she writes in all her novels. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bon Bon

4.0 out of 5 stars Lesser-known doesn't mean it isn't as good!
This book shows the opposite side of life of Gaskell's final novel, Wives and Daughters. Where Molly Gibson (another girl sharing her name appears in Mary Barton, too! Read more
Published on August 28, 2007 by Sheepie87

5.0 out of 5 stars A keen observer of humanity
After watching the 2005 BBC TV-adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel "North and South", I was intrigued to go back and read the novel. Read more
Published on August 13, 2007 by Ecogirl

1.0 out of 5 stars dissappointed and read only half of it
I ordered the book after watching "north and south" tv adaptation
to another of elisabeth gaskell's book. i was curious to know more from this writer. Read more
Published on July 6, 2007 by sheshet

4.0 out of 5 stars "A Story of Manchester Life"
Although this is not Gaskell's best novel, it is still well done and contains quite a bit of drama and romance. Read more
Published on February 6, 2007 by C. Nolan

4.0 out of 5 stars Mary Barton
Set in the industrial city of Manchester in northern England, this is one of Mrs. Gaskell's "social novels" (NORTH AND SOUTH was another), in which she attacked the harsh... Read more
Published on May 18, 2006 by Bomojaz

5.0 out of 5 stars Charlotte Bronte's Friend & Fellow Author Writes Great!
This book is a true classic along with all the books of the early to mid-1800's. The setting, the characters, the plot, and the intricate weaving of inspiration, spirituality,... Read more
Published on September 14, 2004 by Christiana Washington

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