North and South tells the story of Margaret Hale, a southerner who, when her father leaves the Church, is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to the North of England. She moves to the northern industrial town of Milton and is repulsed by its industrial ugliness. But when she becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of local mill workers, she develops a passionate sense of social justice. Gaskell skilfully explores issues of class and gender, as Margaret's sympathy for the town mill workers conflicts with her growing attraction to the mill owner, John Thornton.
If you would like to discuss this book with me, please visit the Book and Poetry forum .