Mary Barton

Elizabeth Gaskell's first novel plunges into the hungry streets of industrial Manchester, tracing a working family through strike, love and a murder that binds masters and men in shared grief.

At a glance In the smoke-darkened courts of Manchester, a factory worker's daughter dreams of rising… What it's about Mary Barton is subtitled a tale of Manchester life, and it earns the name. Centred on the Barton family and the young, restless Mary, it follows a community of… A courtship complicated by class and a father's desperation drive the plot, but the true…

Mary Barton is subtitled a tale of Manchester life, and it earns the name. Centred on the Barton family and the young, restless Mary, it follows a community of mill workers through economic slump, trade-union anger and…