" This gem of a novella reads like a lost diary of a maiden aunt. Beautifully detailed, alternately heartbreaking and laugh out loud funny, I could hear the witty voice of a Maggie Smith or a Judi Dench in my ear as I read. Nothing much happens in this story of daily life in the village of Cranford in the middle 1800s. Well, lots happens--people die, marry, have babies, go missing, lose their fortunes, disgrace themselves--but, plot wise, nothing really happens. The narrator, Mary Smith, is not a resident of Cranford, but a regular visitor and shares what she sees, beautifully. "
— David, 2/20/2014