This goes very high on my top favourite reads of 2020.

Ever since I discovered the bbc period drama, I planned to read it, knowing, what a precious find this was for a Jane Austen fan, I took a long time until I finally decided to read the book.
It was fantastic.

I love to describe it as 'Pride and Prejudice but with capitalism critic'
North and South was written before Marx came up with his theory of capitalism and Glaskell describes the structures of capitalism that lead to social inequality and lots of very sad broken biographies.
BUT it is discussed without judgement and prejudices, since it happened before Marx. So all you get is the dry consequences.
So you have a first hand witness account, about the industrialization, that describes all underlying triggers of capitalism that lead to social injustice we have still today. You can even find the same repetitive lies spread by neoliberalism in North and South. And they are as much false as they have been 150 years ago.

Not only that, the liberation of Margaret as a female character was everything for my feminist heart. I loved every minute of it. I have seldomly seen such a proud, active and strong female character. Balm for my soul.

The prose was beautiful. The christian philosophy inspirational at times (even though sometimes hard to follow and understand). The characters lovely build.
i was a littel bit disspointed with the abrupt ending, but it was not the point anyway. So who cares.

I took so much comfort from this book. It's going to be on my favourites list.