Mr. Harrison's Confessions

Before Cranford, there was Knutsford. And before Knutsford became the most beloved small town in Victorian literature, it was the setting for this sparkling novella, Gaskell's dry-eyed portrait of provincial manners and matrimonial ambition. When young Dr. Harrison arrives to set up his practice, he becomes the object of immediate and relentless scrutiny. The women of the town catalog his income, his prospects, his eligibility, then set about finding him a suitable wife. But the complications that arise, the social faux pas, the whispered negotiations over tea, reveal far more about the mechanics of provincial society than about any individual heart. This is Gaskell at her most amused, watching the elaborate dance of status and settlement with an eye both affectionate and unflinching. Often called a prequel to Cranford, it contains all the wit, all the gentle irony, and all the sharp observation of society that would make her later masterwork immortal. If you loved Cranford, this is where it began: in a small town where a new doctor is the most exciting thing to happen in years.