Margaret of the North: A North and South Sequel

John Thornton and Margaret Hale honeymoon in a vibrant mid-century Paris when impressionism was beginning to take hold and cafés were the place to be. They spend days of ease in Cadiz with her brother and his Spanish wife. These experiences change their outlook.

Back in England, she deals with the problems of modernity and industrialization in a harsh bustling northern city. At the same time, she struggles with the age-old complexities of relating to her new husband and mother-in-law.

Thornton is tender and loving towards Margaret but not as sensitive as she is to the needs of cotton mill workers. Can he learn to care more for his factory workers? And can their love endure?

Margaret of the North resurrects Gaskell’s feminist-leaning themes. This sequel takes off from the teasing ending of the BBC miniseries North and South. It is a romance. But one set in the context of changing social and gender roles, as well as artistic revolutions.