Elizabeth Gaskell
Cranford: what to read next?
Books close in genre, era, author or reading level, to read in bilingual editions.
Thomas HardyTwo on a TowerIn the English countryside of the nineteenth century, Lady Constantine lives alone on her estate while her husband hunts lions in Africa. She has promised him to see almost no one, and she is bored. At the top of an old tower she finds Swithin St Cleeve, a young man of twenty…Same countrySame genreSame era
Anatole FranceThe Red LilyJacques, a man torn between passion and disillusionment, maintains a complex relationship with Thérèse, a seductive and elusive woman. Their affair evolves through attraction, jealousy, and power games. In a refined social environment, feelings mingle with interests and…Same genre
F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Great GatsbyJay Gatsby, a wealthy and enigmatic man, throws lavish parties in the hope of reconnecting with Daisy, a woman he loved in the past. Nick, his neighbor, observes this world of luxury, illusion, and ambition. Beneath the glittering surface, desires and lies intertwine, revealing…Same genre
John Oliver HobbesRobert OrangeAn English novel, sequel to The School for Saints. London, 1869: Robert Orange, a young Catholic Member of Parliament of French descent and a protégé of Disraeli, marries Brigit, a young widow he loves with an almost mystical devotion. On the very day of the wedding, word comes…Same countrySame genre
Jane AustenNorthanger AbbeyA novel by Jane Austen, published in 1817, that gently mocks the tales of terror so widely read at the time. Catherine Morland, a seventeen-year-old clergyman’s daughter who devours such books, travels with neighbours to Bath, a spa town of balls and promenades. There she…Same countrySame genre
Fyodor DostoevskyCrime and PunishmentRaskolnikov, a poor student in Saint Petersburg, believes that certain men can transgress moral laws to achieve great things. He commits a crime he deems justified but is quickly consumed by intense inner turmoil. Between guilt, fear, and pride, his mind wavers as those around…Same genreSame era
Victor HugoLes MisérablesFreed after nineteen years in the galleys for a stolen loaf, Jean Valjean finds neither work nor shelter, until a bishop takes him in. A different man under a false name, he takes in Cosette, daughter of a working woman dead in destitution, and raises her in hiding. Inspector…Same genreSame era
Jane AustenEmmaEmma Woodhouse, young, rich and sure of her judgement, has made a pastime of arranging the marriages around her. Convinced she is working for the happiness of others, she guides a friend of no fortune and reads everyone's intentions in her own way. Her arrangements slowly turn…Same countrySame genre
Sewell FordTorchy and VeeSeventeen linked comic stories, told by Torchy in the everyday speech of New York. Once a red-haired office boy, now private secretary to the president of a large company, Torchy is married to Vee and has a baby. The stories take place in 1918 and 1919, in New York and its…Same genre
L. M. MontgomeryThe Blue CastleValancy, a young woman stifled by an authoritarian family and a monotonous life, learns she may be seriously ill. This news acts as a trigger: she decides to finally live by her own rules. She breaks away from conventions and meets Barney, a marginal and free-spirited man who…Same genre
Jane AustenPride and PrejudiceElizabeth Bennet, the second of five sisters, belongs to a family of minor English gentry where marriage decides a daughter's future. The arrival of a wealthy neighbour and of his friend Darcy, thought haughty, unsettles the whole neighbourhood. Between gossip and hasty…Same countrySame genre
George GriffithA Honeymoon in SpaceAn English adventure novel first published in 1901. On 5 November 1900, in the middle of the Atlantic, a flying ship of metal and glass draws alongside an American liner. Its owner, Lord Redgrave, a wealthy Englishman, built it from an invention by the father of Zaidie Rennick,…Same countrySame genre