Review: Lovely romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 29, 2012
I was delighted to be gifted this by the author in return for an honest review.It should be noted that this book continues on from the BBC series and not Gaskell's book so when I make references to characters or events, it is with the series in mind.The first thing that struck me was the intense passion that continued between John and Margaret. E Journey carried on the idea of small touches and shared looks that play so prominently between the two characters. These little moments served to create a lovely, palpable air between them, particularly leading up to their wedding.I was also grateful for the continued tensions between Margaret and Mrs Thornton. A few sequels I've read tend to gloss over the relationship between them when it is clear that it would take an awful lot for these two to ever get on. In other books the character of Mrs Thornton changed dramatically to suit the situation but with this one I found myself reading her dialogue with the actress, Sinead Cusack, in mind.This book very much focuses on the romance and the development of their lives together. It does not play particularly on the gritty side of life and you won't see much of the workers lives. Although Margaret and John make attempts to improve their lives, Margaret does not come sweeping in and expect everything to be different. Again, other sequels do. I am grateful for this and though I didn't personally miss the conflict between workers and masters, I would imagine that some would.The only thing I would have liked to have seen more of was some conflict between John and Margaret. There were a few moments when they clashed ever so slightly but it never lasted. These are two strong willed people and I imagine their life would not have run quite so smoothly. The only other comment I have that could be construed as slightly negative was the Americanism 'Gotten' coming up quite a lot. I know E Journey hails from America so I will forgive her for this one! It just happens to be one of my bugbears!That aside, I really enjoyed the story and it was thoroughly gratifying to see their passion for one another and the ending took me by surprise as it completely changed my feelings for Mrs Thornton! A must read for North and South fans.