" I really wanted to like this book, because I like Elizabeth Gaskell, and, for the most part, I enjoyed it. While there is some heavy-handed moralization, I chalk up some of that to the time period, and simply let it go (though I have to admit that there were some rather long moralizing parts that I just simply skipped). The plot is a little melodramatic (and at times a little hard to believe), but it was entertaining. I like books that show the condition of the times, and this was certainly not a rosy picture. Overall, not as good as North and South, but worth reading. "
— Vicki, 2/12/2014