Cranford (A novel about spinster women)

So I haven't written a review in over a month mostly because I have been reading so many books plus I've been on vacation. You can blame the library for my excessive reading (though can one ever read excessively?). I have recently re-discovered how much I love the library and how much I want to save money (and pay off those pesky credit cards). I have decided that the only books that I will be purchasing will be cheap books on the Kindle or ones that I want part of my collection (BN Classics, Agatha Christie's Poirot series, Martha Grimes Richard Jury novels and now Game of Thrones series) and if I read a book and I love it so much, I will take the plunge and purchase it or it is unavailable in the library.
Okay, enough with my ranting, although one cannot rant about the library. I have read a lot of books on the 1001 list one of them being Cranford, which I finished either in August or July. I have a lot of catching up to do obviously. So let's get my take on this novel as we jam out to the Coldplay station on Pandora, shall we?
Cranford is by Elizabeth Gaskell. This is a new author for me and I am surprised that I haven't come across her before, she has also written North & South and Wives & Daughters which are also included on the list. This is definitely not a Jane Austen novel, so expect no Mr. Darcy's to save the day.
The narrator is Mary Smith, a young woman who stays and visits two spinster sisters, Miss Matty and Deborah Jenkyns. Deborah is the older sister who leads the spinsters and other ladies in the story and rules with an iron fist. Not really, but she controls Matty's life. Miss Matty was in love once, with a Thomas Holbrook but that does not last (it is hinted that Miss Deborah had something to do with it) but Miss Matty gets a second chance at love when Holbrook turns up again but ends up dying. How disappointing. Luckily, Deborah dies early in the story so that's when all of the fun and the heart of the novel begins. The novel is written in vignettes but all the stories connect seamlessly. This is definitely a quite different take on a spinster woman's life in England though I am not quite sure why Mary Smith wants to spend all of her time with the old ladies. She is much younger, but these old ladies create dramatic lives for themselves and Mary gets into the middle of all it. I guess when there isn't much going on, you have to create a little bit of drama to make your life less dull.
I gave this novel 4/5 stars because there were moments that this book slogged along for me. I do hear however that there is a Masterpiece Theater mini series on this novel which I will definitely check out. Not sure what book I will review next, but at the moment I am currently reading Don't Move by Margaret Mazzantini which is also on the list and I love it so far.

Until next time, happy reading!