Framley Parsonage Book

Here's the frightening thing about this book. Gentle, wonderful Mrs. Gaskell wished it would go on forever and ever, because it was just so peaceful.

Yet we can read it now and see the savagery just beneath the surface. A pastor is worried about hunting . . . not because hunting is all about murdering a small creature, but because it Just Isn't Done on Sunday.

A woman sells herself coldly to a man she doesn't like or respect--but he's got the right title and bank account.

People struggle silently behind the facade of good manners, over greed, sex, hunger, anger.

It's a fascinating book--and even more fascinating if one reads Jo Walton's Tooth and Claw then comes back to reread this one.