Alana Estelle

I don’t know why, but I’m drawn to books about sea voyages and ships. There is something about a story taking place on a cramped ship, with nothing but the sea around that is fascinating to me. Perhaps it’s because it takes a lot of skill as a writer to make such a confined setting for a story engaging. 

Also, books about the sea usually come with epic covers; I mean, LOOK AT THESE COVERS! I’ve only read The Odyssey, out of these three books, but I do plan to read Moby Dick soon(ish). Sentiments about Moby Dick tends to fall into two categories: It’s the best thing they’ve ever read or it’s the most boring thing they’ve ever read, because who wants to read about a man chasing a whale for 700 pages? Fun fact, I used to live in New England and I got to go on a whaling ship. I somehow already feel nostalgic towards Moby. 

I decided to add We, the Drowned because, yes the cover is great, but I find the concept fascinating. I haven’t read any Danish authors yet and this one has been hailed as a modern European classic. I enjoy family sagas, historical fiction and stories about the sea, so this was an obvious book for me to add to my TBR.  

Are you intrigued by sea stories?

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After writing a “Halfway Review” of The Nightingale (which can be found on my Instagram) before posting my final thoughts, I decided to continue this type of post going. There are so many thoughts that go on in my head, as I read, that this will allow for me to be more thorough.

Mary Barton is Gaskell’s first novel, written as a way for her to cope with lost of her son. It’s evident that Gaskell was experiencing grief because it reads as it she is releasing a lot of personal emotions. The novel mainly centers around the beautiful Mary Barton, who is a poor working girl. Her beauty attracts the attention of a wealthy factory owner’s son. Her childhood friend, Jem, is also deeply in love with her. Mary’s youth and immaturity blinds her to who is actually the better man. 

However, this novel is not just a love triangle; Gaskell heavily emphasizes the disparities between rich and poor. Mary’s father, John, becomes increasingly bitter as he watches his friends and family suffer because they cannot afford to adequate food, shelter and clothing, while the factory owners are living in luxury. Gaskell creates sympathy for the poor and down-trodden, though at times I didn’t always agree with her perspective; she seems to ignore the concepts of free will and personal responsibility. The narrator directly calls John a Communist, which I find to be the most intriguing element of this story. The narrator doesn’t blatantly state if they agree with communism; there are some minor critiques, but it’s half-hearted. 

Mary Barton and Marx’s The Communist Manifesto were both published in 1848. A modern reader is able to see how Communism doesn’t work, and fun fact, Marx used the terms Communism and Socialism as synonyms. I’m curious to know if Gaskell would have been more critical, had she also had the hindsight to see how detrimental Communism is when it’s actually implemented. I’m also curious to know what texts Gaskell read that may have influenced this novel’s extremely socialist rhetoric. 

Overall, I’m greatly enjoying Mary Barton and I think I’m starting to prefer it to North & South. There’s a missing person, a love triangle, a court case and social commentary. I honestly have no idea how this is going to end. 

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• Chanel No. 5 because Emma and Anna are definitely Chanel No. 5 women!
• Drinking: Copper Cow Coffee