So with my American-centric view of the world, I was expecting a novel about the American Civil War when I started this book. I was quickly surprised to learn the title refers to the north and south regions of England. (As Dr. Who says, "Every planet has a north," eh?) It is a period novel, so the reading isn't easy if you're only used to contemporary writing.
Margaret Hale moves to northern England with her family after her parson father has a crisis of conscience and can no longer be a preacher. They come to Milton, an industrial town based on the manufacture of cotton. Margaret quickly sympathizes with the workers and their plight and in consequence she has frequent clashes with John Thornton, a newly rich factory owner. Hale idealizes the agrarian south that she misses so much. The workers strike and the situation in Milton deteriorates. The political situation is never resolved in this book, although Thornton does make changes and works with one of the strike's instigators. The personal situation is resolved in a satisfactory manner.
This book is completely clean. There is some violence during the strike but it isn't particularly descriptive.
As a side note, there is a BBC miniseries of this book that was shown in 2004 and is available on Netflix that is absolutely fabulous. Its focus is entirely on the romance, though, and less on the other aspects of the book. (The book is more balanced.) It is still really great, especially if you're looking for a good, sweeping romance to watch!
North and South takes quite a bit of time. It is long and somewhat challenging reading, but it is worth it.
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