GASKELL, Elizabeth : My lady Ludlow

Lady Ludlow is absolute mistress of Hanbury Court and a resolute opponent of anything that might disturb the class system into which she was born. She will keep no servant who can read and write and insists that the lower orders have no rights, but only duties. But the winds of change are blowing through the village of Hanbury. The vicar, Mr. Gray, wishes to start a Sunday school for religious reasons ; Mr. Horner wants to educate the citizens for economic reasons. But Lady Ludlow is not as rigid as one may think.

 

The title was familiar, and as I read, I remembered I read this novel a few years ago. No problem, I re-read it with pleasure since Elizabeth Gaskell is such a great writer.

The general plot reminded me of Cranford, life in a small town, but this time centered around the person of the dignified Lady Ludlow, an aristocrat much attached to the past and its tradition, finding her way with difficulty around the changes around her. She may seem stiff, but this lady had a big heart and is surrounded by colourful characters - as I said previously, she barks more than she bites, with class of course. Like in Cranford, also, the story is told by a young woman that we don't know much about.

 

This book would have gained a half star if it wasn't for the Revolution story - a story inside the story. As much as Lady Ludlow's more or less disputes with the villagers were lively and entertaining, the Revolution story dragged on way too much, it should have been cut short. The tone was different, it felt like a plot, more contrived, written on another occasion and slipped inside the novel just for the sake of using it. 

So I would recommend My Lady Ludlow, along with anything I've read by Elizabeth Gaskell so far, yet it you reach the "Revolution point", skip it and jump to the conclusion (the morale), you won't miss a thing. The novel itself is tender and heartwarming.