Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel was serialized in Cornhill Magazine from 1864 to 1866, and completed by her editor posthumously. It looks at English life in the 1830s through the experiences of Molly Gibson, the daughter of a widowed doctor growing up in the provincial town of Hollingford. When Mr. Gibson decides to marry again, Molly is forced to contend with a pretentious stepmother, but consoled by a close friendship with Cynthia, her new stepsister. The girls' relations with the local residents, particularly the Squire of Hamley Hall and his family, make for incidents comic, romantic, and tragic, by turns. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)
01 - The Dawn of a Gala Day02 - A Novice Amongst the Great Folk03 - Molly Gibson's Childhood04 - Mr. Gibson's Neighbors05 - Calf-Love06 - A Visit to the Hamleys07 - Foreshadows of Love Perils08 - Drifting Into Danger09 - The Widower and the Widow10 - A Crisis11 - Making Friendship12 - Preparing for the Wedding13 - Molly Gibson's New Friends14 - Molly Finds Herself Patronized15 - The New Mamma16 - The Bride at Home17 - Trouble at Hamley Hall18 - Mr. Osborne's Secret19 - Cynthia's Arrival20 - Mrs. Gibson's Visitors21 - The Half-Sisters22 - The Old Squire's Troubles23 - Osborne Hamley Reviews His Position24 - Mrs. Gibson's Little Dinner25 - Hollingford in a Bustle26 - A Charity Ball27 - Fathers and Sons28 - Rivalry29 - Bush-Fighting30 - Old Ways and New Ways31 - A Passive Coquette32 - Coming Events33 - Brightening Prospects34 - A Lover's Mistake35 - The Mother's Maneuver36 - Domestic Diplomacy37 - A Fluke, and What Came of It38 - Mr. Kirkpatrick, Q.C.39 - Secret Thoughts Ooze Out40 - Molly Gibson Breathes Freely41 - Gathering Clouds42 - The Storm Bursts43 - Cynthia's Confession44 - Molly Gibson to the Rescue45 - Confidences46 - Hollingford Gossips47 - Scandal and its Victims48 - An Innocent Culprit49 - Molly Gibson Finds a Champion50 - Cynthia at Bay51 - Troubles Never Come Alone52 - Squire Hamley's Sorrow53 - Unlooked-For Arrivals54 - Molly Gibson's Worth is Discovered55 - An Absent Lover Returns56 - Off With the Old Love, and On With the New57 - Bridal Visits and Adieux58 - Reviving Hopes and Brightening Prospects59 - Molly Gibson at Hamley Hall60 - Roger Hamley's Confession/Concluding Remarks
Wives and Daughters (version 2) - Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - Description and brief content, listen free online on the e-library site at Knigi-Audio.com/en/
