Ruth | Litsy

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ruth Hilton is an orphaned young seamstress who catches the eye of a gentleman, Henry Bellingham-captivated by her simplicity and beauty.
Ruth is about a fallen woman. Seduced and abandoned…

13 likes1 stack add

julieclair

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

#HauntedShelf #BookScavengerHunt Team #HexesandCrows @Catsandbooks

Prompt: Desolate

PuddleJumper Good choice! 13mo

dabbe Boy, I\'ll say! 🖤🧡🖤 13mo

Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🧡 13mo

20 likes3 comments

Ruthiella

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

#WondrousWednesday

Thank you for the tag @Eggs and @Deblovestoread 😊

💛 Tagged!
💛💛 Paper!
💛💛💛 Mystery!

Eggs Thx for playing 💛🧡💛 14mo

42 likes1 stack add1 comment

currentlyreadinginCO

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

pick

Got behind but finally finished this after the #hashtagbrigade and I must say, I loved this book. It's from 1863 & is the first mainstream novel w a "fallen woman" heroine so you know this thing is devastating, BUT I got the point and always think it's cool when someone from the mid-nineteenth century writes a female character that goes against the grain.

BarkingMadRead I‘m so glad you liked it!! 14mo

currentlyreadinginCO Getting caught up on The Hotel shortly! 🧐 @BarkingMadRead 14mo

BarkingMadRead The Hotel is a much easier read! 14mo

54 likes3 comments

dabbe

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

pick

RUTH? pub. 1853
MADAME BOVARY? pub. 1856
ANNA KARENINA? pub. 1873
TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES? pub. 1891
All four are about women adulterers (referred to as “whores/harlots/wicked women“ in some of these novels, thanks to the societies they lived in). Gaskell paved the way for the other (perhaps) more famous novels. Her writing? Exquisite. Ruth's story? Tragic. Do I want to read more Gaskell? Absolutely.

mjtwo I read North and South last year and loved it. It had a lot more depth than many more renowned 19th century novels. (edited) 1y

dabbe @mjtwo Good to know! I've only read CRANFORD and this one, so I'm adding it to the TBR list. Thanks! 🤩🤗😀 1y

Texreader Well, another excellent review. Stacked 1y

dabbe @Texreader I read it with the lovely #hashtagbrigade ... I can't wait to read what you think about it! 🤩🤗😘 1y

62 likes1 stack add4 comments

Clare-Dragonfly

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

pick

Mrs. Gaskell broke my heart with this one! I was wondering why I liked this so much when Tess of the D‘Urbervilles just pissed me off. Both are trying to show the humanity in a “fallen” woman. I think Tess just gets really bleak while Ruth‘s life has good things in it (like Leonard), and the only characters who really condemn Ruth are generally unsympathetic.

34 likes

Librarybelle

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

pick

I‘m in the minority of the #HashtagBrigade to say I liked the novel. Gaskell, whose husband was a Unitarian minister and lived near the factories and mills of England, sets as her MC a “fallen” woman and her path to redemption. This was a bit controversial at its initial publication, and it certainly is darker and more rooted in faith and redemption than her other novels. But, I get the sense that she is shaming her Victorian audience ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Librarybelle ⬆️⬆️⬆️ for their judgement of character on someone who has lived through a perceived sinful time. Ruth, a truly good person whose naivety (and the Victorians of certain classes did shelter their daughters from the world, so think of this another moment of Gaskell pointing out the inconsistencies of morality) brought her down to a “bad sinner” level, shows the true Christian values, along with the Bensons. I think Gaskell is showing how quickly ⬇️ 1y

Librarybelle ⬆️ the populace tends to cast the first stone without knowing all the details or are quick to judge a good person for one bad action. There are the layers too of sympathy tugging at the reader, and I can almost see a Victorian reader wondering at how this sympathy changes their thoughts about a person they know in a similar situation. I do prefer Gaskell‘s more sweeping novels—North and South and her studies of Cranford—but kudos to her for this! 1y

Librarybelle Thanks for leading us through this, @BarkingMadRead #PemberLittens 1y

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Cuilin Wonderful review!!!! I agree I do think she is trying to shame Victorian readers into rethinking some of their belief systems. I also think that in order not to alienate her readers, she had to add penance. Our modern sensibilities struggle with this. 1y

Librarybelle Thanks, @Cuilin ! And yes…our modern sensibilities definitely struggle with this! 1y

dabbe A wowza review! 🤩🤩🤩 1y

julieclair Excellent review! I liked this novel, too, for a lot of the same reasons. 1y

quietjenn I completely agree! 1y

Librarybelle Thanks, @dabbe and @julieclair ! 1y

Librarybelle @quietjenn 😁 1y

69 likes1 stack add10 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 36: Donne 🙄 #ihatehim #whataselfcenteteredass #peaceoutloser #leonardwillberaisedbythevillage #theend #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

mcctrish Victorian justice is a sham! #donneisadouche 1y

IndoorDame Somewhat surprised to learn he has no legal rights to the kid at this time. Still such a creep!!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬 1y

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Ruthiella But kudos to Mr. Benson for dressing Donne/Bellingham down and shutting the door in his face. I think Gaskell wrote the whole novel so she could get away with that condemnation of the penis that started it all. 1y

BarkingMadRead @Ruthiella 🤣🤣🤣 1y

Cuilin @Ruthiella Yes!!!! I loved the dress down!! 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @Ruthiella Hahaha, yes! Benson is perfection in this chapter. Still so sad though 😭😭😭 Definitely makes me want to read the rest of Gaskell‘s books—I‘ve only read two others. 1y

Bookwormjillk @Clare-Dragonfly me too. I think next year will be a Gaskell binge year for me. 1y

BarkingMadRead @Clare-Dragonfly @Bookwormjillk we will have to add some to next year‘s schedule 1y

rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella 👍🏻 1y

dabbe I'm going to try to look at this positively. The hero of a story usually saves or changes the community for the better. Look what Ruth did and how her village changed because of her--even Bradshaw! Unfortunately, she was a sacrificial hero, but Leonard will be okay and turn out well. I hope. 🤞 1y

Bookwormjillk @BarkingMadRead woo! 1y

julieclair @dabbe I love your positivity! 😊 1y

dabbe @julieclair 🤩😂😘 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead Excellent! 1y

KAO Thanks to all for helping me to get through this one! The tragedy was almost too much to bear. @dabbe I like your take though! 1y

dabbe @KAO I tried, but I‘m still all 😭! 1y

currentlyreadinginCO I just finished because I was vacationing and got behind and you have to be kidding me! Definitely agree w @dabbe though 14mo

34 likes1 stack add18 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 35: nooooooo #ripruth #thatsallihavetosayaboutthat #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

willaful Soooooo depressing! Damn Victorians! 1y

rubyslippersreads I knew it was coming. There was no other way Ruth could atone for her “sins” in a book written during this era. 😠 1y

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Cuilin @rubyslippersreads yep!! 1y

Bookwormjillk So the man recovers and the woman dies after committing the same sin. Got it. (edited) 1y

mcctrish But #bellingshit gets to live #motherfucker Victorian morals are ridiculous #ffs 1y

rubyslippersreads @Bookwormjillk @mcctrish Boys will be boys. 🤬 1y

mcctrish @rubyslippersreads argh that saying infuriates me 1y

AllDebooks Not the ending we hoped for, but all saw coming. 🙄 1y

Clare-Dragonfly 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 1y

rubyslippersreads Someone needs to write fan fiction where Donne dies a horrible death, but not before being publicly shamed. 😏 1y

dabbe See? Just like Puritan philosophy. You died, so you must not be a witch. I mean whore. Whatever. I wish she had done to Donne what Tess did to the D'urberville dude. 😭 1y

BarkingMadRead @dabbe @rubyslippersreads 💯 1y

Aimeesue @rubyslippersreads Yep. Still made me very sad though. 1y

julieclair Yup. Gaskell went there. As we all suspected she would but hoped she wouldn‘t. 😭 1y

IndoorDame I was so mad about the sermon at her funeral! She can be absolved and go to heaven, but only after she‘s died to pay for her crimes!? (and spent a dozen years living a ridiculously saint like life). WTF is that!? 1y

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Cuilin

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

pick

There‘s no doubt that Elizabeth Gaskill is a beautiful writer. Ruth appears to be a cautionary tale for young women. Women are the guardians of virtue because boys will be boys. And I think that is to malign men and women. Though it fits with Victorian values, the redress of “the fallen woman” to make it palatable in 1853, is excessive. It‘s definitely a pick, but I will not one I‘d easily recommend.
#HashtagBrigade @BarkingMadRead

46 likes

IndoorDame

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

so-so

Gaskell is a great writer, but it was impossible for me to enjoy this the way I enjoyed her other books because it was way over my quota of infuriating Victorian morality.

TheBookHippie WORD. 🥴 1y

dabbe 🎯. 1y

53 likes2 comments

willaful

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

so-so

Some of the many fascinating covers for Ruth. (What on earth is up with the eyes?! The eyes of society always judging you?) I think the bottom one (from Italy), is the most true to the spirit of the book.

An interesting read from the perspective of “plus ça change, plus c‘est la même chose,“ and to understand the Victorian point of view, but I don't think it has much otherwise to offer.

26 likes

Bookwormjillk

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

so-so

I couldn‘t take it anymore #hashtagbrigade . I had to finish.

This one started strong for me, but by the end I was just annoyed. I know. Different times.

BarkingMadRead

Cuilin I couldn‘t have put it better myself!!!! 1y

BarkingMadRead I rated it the same 🙄 1y

Bookwormjillk @BarkingMadRead @Cuilin I loved it at first and almost bought a fancy hard copy for my shelf, but then it just turned into how can we make Ruth suffer today. 1y

69 likes3 comments

mcctrish

Ruth: a novel | Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

pick

I was reading my chapter for tomorrow & realized there was only one more so I went ahead and finished. What. An. Ending. So thankful to @BarkingMadRead for leading the #hashtagbrigade and pointing me in the direction of books I probably wouldn‘t pick up on my own & creating a community to share them with. There was so much yelling, swearing, absolute fury from me for some of these characters #bellingshit will not be forgotten #dontthrowthekindle

Cuilin Perfect review!!! 1y

willaful 😂 I couldn't make it through the Brothers, so I'm glad to have shared in this. 1y

mcctrish @willaful oh them bros, I can‘t believe I made it through!!! This is the second EG I‘ve read with #hashtagbrigade and I have to say I really do like her ( even if she makes me gnash my teeth ) 1y

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mcctrish Thank you @Cuilin that ending #nospoilers 1y

Cuilin @mcctrish I couldn‘t sleep last night so I finished it too 😑 this is my #nospoilers emoji 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin perfect 1y

Bookwormjillk @Cuilin that sums it up 🤣 1y

BarkingMadRead I read the last 5 chapters all at once! 1y

TheBookHippie My book sailed across living room daily it seems. 1y

TheBookHippie @willaful the bros was 😵‍💫😵‍💫 I can‘t believe I did it🤣 1y

mcctrish @BarkingMadRead like ripping a bandaid off 😆😆 1y

dabbe #bellingshitandthebros #oytotheultimatevey 😂 1y

mcctrish @dabbe 😆😆😆 1y

37 likes13 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Check out this creepy AI image that came up on Google!

Ch 34: drama! #jemimawantstogototheocean #ruthconsidersit #drdavissaysdonnecaughttheplague #hisgroomsmanistheboyhesavedfromdrowning 😳 #didntseethatcoming #ruthwantstonursehim 🙄 #shetellsthedochesthebabydaddy #ohhhh #docwantstoadoptleonard #wtf #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

mcctrish What could go wrong? Doc says no to her nursing but then yes but he‘s pulling her out before #bellingshit notices her ( we know how that will go) and finally a brief mention of the name change explained ( property acquired and probably a scam) 1y

Clare-Dragonfly “Never to meet in this world again?” MRS GASKELL DON‘T DO THIS TO ME. 😱 1y

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Clare-Dragonfly Also, Mr. Davis is such an ass! He says he wants Leonard to be his apprentice (does he have to adopt him for that to happen?) in the worst possible way, and refuses to take no for an answer. Does it not occur to anyone to ask Leonard what he thinks? I‘m sure Ruth would, but now that she has to be all self-sacrificing again, she won‘t have a chance. 1y

AllDebooks NOOOO! Ruth has just escaped the plague at the hospital, now she's going to look after #Bellingshit 🫣 That's very irresponsible considering she has Leonard to care for. It's also a very Ruth thing to do. 1y

IndoorDame @AllDebooks I know! She could at least make her mind up about school/apprenticeship/tutoring and and leave explicit instructions about who should take care of Leonard if something happens to her so he doesn‘t end up with #bellingshit especially now that she‘s let the cat out of the bag 1y

Cuilin I can‘t with this drama!!! I think there‘s a fine line between selflessness and abnegating your own responsibilities. Leonard should come first. 1y

Ruthiella Ruth is just too much of a martyr to be believed. The sacrifice is not worth it. 1y

dabbe @Clare-Dragonfly Oh, yea, mini-heart stop at these words. 😱 1y

dabbe @AllDebooks I love that you just turned the word RUTH into an allusion. 🧡🩶🧡 1y

dabbe @Ruthiella 🎯! 1y

Bookwormjillk I almost threw my kindle 1y

dabbe @Bookwormjillk If only Ruth could have done more of that (using objects other than Kindles, of course!) 😂 1y

willaful @Clare-Dragonfly I KNOW!

I admit, I was kind of expecting an infuriating happy ending where #bellingshit has a sickbed conversion and they get married but THIS IS WORSE! (I'm assuming from that phrase. 😭) 1y

AllDebooks @dabbe 😊 1y

julieclair This is off the rails. Ruth is too good for her own good (and Leonard‘s). 1y

rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella @julieclair I agree. (edited) 1y

rubyslippersreads @dabbe @AllDebooks I don‘t think Gaskell chose Ruth‘s name arbitrarily. 🙁 1y

dabbe @rubyslippersreads I keep hearing in my head, “Whither thou goest, I will go ...“ The name Ruth is a common female name of Hebrew origin that means “friend,“ “friendship,“ or “compassionate friend.“ 😢 1y

rubyslippersreads @dabbe Plus the word “ruth” means compassion or pity for another, sorrow misery about one's own misdeeds or flaws, sorrow for the misery of another; pity; tenderness. 1y

dabbe @rubyslippersreads 🎯. That was our Ruth to a tee. 😭 1y

33 likes21 comments

mcctrish

Ruth: a novel | Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

What could go wrong ?! #bellingshit #hashtagbrigade

TheBookHippie Word. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 1y

dabbe WTF? 😱 1y

willaful I love how he has his own insult hashtag. 🤣 1y

mcctrish @dabbe for every one step forward in Ruth‘s small life, this douche bag causes multiple steps backwards 1y

dabbe @mcctrish I just finished it. #douchebagdonne #bellingshit AUGHHHH!!!!! 1y

39 likes5 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 33: the plague! #ofcourseruthgoestohelp #thatsweetmandefendingherinthestreet 🥹 #leonardwalkstallnow #ruthsurvives #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Bookwormjillk Sweet chapter. I‘m very surprised Ruth and Leonard survived. 1y

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk I was shocked! I for sure that Leonard would catch it and die 1y

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IndoorDame I was thinking Ruth might die allowing for a full circle kind of Victorian “justice” and a convenient plot opportunity to reveal Leonard‘s bio father. 1y

Cuilin @IndoorDame it‘s not over. I‘m still worried about that Victorian justice. 🤦‍♀️ 1y

IndoorDame @Cuilin I know…🤞🏼Gaskell takes pity on us 1y

mcctrish @IndoorDame I was surprised too, now I‘m afraid 1y

TheBookHippie @Bookwormjillk RIGHT?! I was prepared!! 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I‘m still worried! Ruth is pale! But I‘m glad Leonard got to hear a bunch of good stuff about his mom. 1y

AllDebooks @Clare-Dragonfly that was really heartwarming 💕 1y

rubyslippersreads @IndoorDame I thought that too. 1y

rubyslippersreads I was worried that Ruth might have to nurse Donne, since he was mentioned. That would have been a terrible penance. 1y

dabbe @Cuilin 🎯! 1y

dabbe @rubyslippersreads Did anyone read the title of the next chapter?!!! 😤😱😳 1y

BarkingMadRead @dabbe @rubyslippersreads I finished it. I‘m over here like 🤐 1y

Cuilin @dabbe I couldn‘t help it!! It was right there. 1y

Cuilin @BarkingMadRead I think we know going into these Victorian novels, we‘re not going to get a happily ever after. 😢 But there‘s always hope. 🤞 1y

dabbe @BarkingMadRead #ruhroh! I have a bad feeling ... 😂 1y

dabbe @Cuilin IKR? 😂 1y

dabbe @Cuilin Hopefully somebody has a happy ending! 🙏 1y

Cuilin @dabbe if I have to pick one, let it be Leonard!! 1y

dabbe @Cuilin 🙌 1y

willaful Anyone else have a feeling of recognition reading this chapter? Truly, the more people change, the more they remain the same.

1y

julieclair This whole discussion has me feeling very uneasy… 😬 🫣 1y

37 likes24 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 32: so random! #dickisbehavinghimself #faithismadthatFKickeddickout #shethinksFisgreedy #thebradshawsarebackatchurch #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead Yall, i mistakenly deleted my planned post and I finished days ago! What did i forget? 1y

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

mcctrish I thought the idea of F being greedy, #hesherehesthereheseveryfuckingwhere while he sorts out the business mess, keeps his wife‘s family from falling apart and finds a job for Dick when he should go to jail ludicrous, but maybe we are coming full circle back to judgement without knowledge 1y

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BarkingMadRead @mcctrish yes! 🙌 1y

Bookwormjillk I don‘t think you missed anything other than the Bradshaws went back to church. Who knows if that means anything. @mcctrish good point on judgement without knowledge. 1y

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk yessssss thank you! 1y

Ruthiella @mcctrish Agree, this is Faith jumping to conclusions. At first I thought surely her brother put her in the know, but of course he didn‘t. He‘s too principled to betray confidences, even if it would exonerate Farquhar. 1y

mcctrish @Ruthiella @Bookwormjillk Faith just shooting her mouth off ☹️ 1y

rubyslippersreads Ruth is just too good to be true. The only thing I thought made sense was Benson‘s comment about her living mainly in the present, and that‘s what caused her ”predicament” in the first place. 1y

julieclair I‘m hoping that the Bradshaws being back at church is a sign that Mr. Bradshaw is coming down off his high horse and turning into a much less judgmental snob. 1y

willaful @mcctrish seriously! Faith is just impulsive.

Anyone else a trifle irked at how tenderly Dick has been treated? When I still haven't heard a word about Benson being paid back? Always gotta think of the future of the poor rich white man! 1y

mcctrish @willaful F seems to feel Dick‘s descent into crime is his father‘s fault ( never allowing him friends, ruling too harshly) so his new job comes with community and restrictions and his shares from the 3 way partnership ( Bradshaw, Dick and F) go to Benson to replace the missing shares 1y

mcctrish @rubyslippersreads I think her predicament was caused by her having no one ( friend or family) and no one ever telling women about the facts of life 1y

willaful @mcctrish Huh, I read it as he was saving them for Dick after he'd proved himself. I'll have to check that.

I think F is probably right, but still, it's always the Dicks who get the benefit of the doubt. 1y

rubyslippersreads @mcctrish That‘s all very true too. 1y

rubyslippersreads @willaful @mcctrish I also understood it as F putting aside Dick‘s shares for him until he cleaned up his act enough to deserve them. 1y

27 likes16 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 31: Bradshaw has a heart! #FwantsDickoutofthebusinessbutnotinjail #bradshawwantsjail #jemimatriestohelp. #Fgoeslookingfordick #dickgetsintoqnaccident #karma #bradshawtakesithard #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

AllDebooks Great image. Dick doing what he wants regardless of consequences, particularly to others. Maybe this accident will be the wake-up call he needs to make amends. 🤔 1y

Bookwormjillk Only a few chapters left. I‘m interested to see how this all comes together. 1y

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rubyslippersreads Does anyone else think Donne is mixed up in this as well? 1y

mcctrish @rubyslippersreads it seems weird that he‘s just gone into the woodwork, that‘s for sure. Dick and Bellingshit seem to be quite similar people ( we still don‘t know why he changed his name) and while I appreciate Bradshaw finally having a heart he‘s still full crap 1y

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk me too. I hope it‘s not all tidy bows. I was thinking that despite Ruth‘s rocky start/fall from grace she‘s had more of a life than a lot of women in her time and that‘s something 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @rubyslippersreads I hope so! I‘d hate to have him just disappear from the narrative after all he‘s done. 1y

Cuilin Defraud neighbors is a forgivable offense, have a baby out of wedlock is a sin and must be excluded. At least Bradshaw and Benson though opposite in opinion are consistent. 1y

Cuilin I also hope Bradshaws softening opinion of his son leads him to change his mind on Ruth too. 1y

dabbe @rubyslippersreads I've been wondering myself what the good ol' “Donne“ has been up to! 😂 1y

dabbe @Clare-Dragonfly I also want him to pay and pay BIGLY! 😀 1y

rubyslippersreads I‘d like to find out that someone has “Donne him in.” 🤣 1y

dabbe @rubyslippersreads 😂👏😂 1y

Bookwormjillk @rubyslippersreads 🤣🤣🤣 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @rubyslippersreads Hahahaha yes! 1y

julieclair @rubyslippersreads 😂😂 1y

julieclair @Cuilin Yes to everything you said! 🎯 1y

26 likes1 stack add17 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 30: oh snap! #butfirst #Fwantstopayforleonardsschooling #ruthisworkingallthetime #ruthsaysno #thurstondidntgetmoneyhewasowed #Flooksintoit #bradshawtriestoblamethurston #amitheonlyonewhoimmediatelythoughtofdick #vindicated #menotthurston #bradshawwantstodisowndick #thurstonsaysnotto #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Clare-Dragonfly Did Ruth say no to F paying for Leonard to go to school? I missed that. And yes, obviously as soon as Benson said he hadn‘t gotten his bonus I suspected Dick! I‘m sure he finished Bradshaw‘s bottle of wine, too. 1y

BarkingMadRead @Clare-Dragonfly I know she said she wasn‘t liking the idea, not sure if it was a hard no 1y

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AllDebooks Dick is completely leaning into his name there 🙄 1y

AllDebooks #Dickisprimesuspect 1y

mcctrish Of course it‘s Dick! But Bradshaw‘s parting words about the world being better off with more people like him instead of Benson sum it up perfectly, his kind made Dick! Following rules out of fear = shitheads and following rules B/c of empathy and community = where I want to live aka Benson ❤️ 1y

Ruthiella The Chekov‘s gun that was Richard just went off! 😆 🔫 1y

Cuilin Dick is a dumb ass, first rule of crime, you don‘t 💩 on your own doorstep. Bradshaw is about to see the evidence of his parental failings. (I realize I sound criminally inclined, nope I‘m just married to a prosecutor lol). (edited) 1y

willaful @Ruthiella yes, phew! I'm glad it wasn't something worse happening to Ruth! 1y

willaful @Cuilin I sure hope he will! He doesn't seem inclined to as yet. 1y

Bookwormjillk Finally something bad happened that didn‘t involve Ruth🤣 1y

willaful @Bookwormjillk Yeah, just to another sympathetic character who didn't deserve it! I hope he gets paid back!

I admit to feeling a touch softer towards Bradshaw for what he said about never planning for Benson to refuse his pew money. His liking to be generous isn't completely without merit. 1y

Bookwormjillk @willaful I was assuming Bradshaw will pay Benson back. At least I hope he will. Unless he decides it was his own fault for being too nice which is very probable now that I think about it. 1y

dabbe @AllDebooks #dickisadick 😂 1y

dabbe @Cuilin 🤩😂🤩 1y

33 likes1 stack add15 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 29: Sally is going deaf #shegivesthurstonthemoney #nowthatwillseemsalittlelessrandom #jemimamarriesF #freedomtovisitruth #ruthwillbeasicknurse #finallyajob #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

julieclair It‘s nice to have some good things happening…. at last! I‘m so glad Jemima is now out from under her father‘s crushing thumb, and is allowed to visit Ruth. And a job for Ruth is great news, even if Jemima thinks the job is beneath her. How can Jemima not understand that no one will hire Ruth for the kind of job that requires Latin? 1y

mcctrish @julieclair I think Jemima is just feeling thwarted, she‘s waited 2-3 years to be able to have her friend Ruth back and now Ruth will be locked up caring for sick people. But maybe if Ruth can spend some time at the F house it will turn the tide back in her favour #lethewithoutsincastthefirststone #iwillwait 1y

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Ruthiella I hope Jemima‘s acceptance and Ruth‘s good actions will help the village come round to accepting her and also understanding as Christians that sin can be forgiven by both god and man. 1y

Cuilin @Ruthiella yes and there‘s no need for “the sins of the mother visit upon the child” bull 💩 1y

julieclair @mcctrish and @Ruthiella Fingers crossed you‘re both right and Ruth will be accepted by the town again. She deserves a break! 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin absolutely no need for that bull💩 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I‘m so happy to see Jemima and Ruth being friends again! I am annoyed that people keep talking about certain jobs as being below Ruth, though. She needs a job! It‘s also strange from my modern perspective that Jemima thinks nursing is a lowly occupation that doesn‘t require education. 1y

Bookwormjillk I'm so glad Ruth got a job, but am worried she'll bring something home to Leonard. 1y

willaful
I feel like there are too many threads that go nowhere here. What ever happened to Donne winning the seat? Why does Dick keep coming up and then disappearing again? Stop spending so much time on stuff if it doesn't matter! She screams at the long dead 19th century author writing 19th century books. 1y

BarkingMadRead @willaful when it comes to Dick #staytuned but I would really love to know what happened to Donne! 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Agree with this @willaful 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Also that bit about Ruth and Jemima musing that it would be nice for Ruth to take care of sick Jemima was odd to me 😂 1y

dabbe @Bookwormjillk Diseases were rampant then. I'm also worried that she might contract something that will harm her. I feel Jemima's thinking the job is beneath her could also serve as foreshadowing doom. 1y

Bookwormjillk @dabbe Yes, because we know there's no way it will go right for her. They keep saying how weak Leonard is. 1y

willaful @currentlyreadinginCO I think it was considered romantic back then? Devoting yourself to someone. 1y

rubyslippersreads @dabbe @Bookwormjillk I hope the moral of this story isn‘t going to be that the only way for Ruth to atone for her sin is to die in the service of nursing the sick. 😕 1y

Bookwormjillk @rubyslippersreads and they still wouldn‘t forgive her! 1y

dabbe @rubyslippersreads @Bookwormjillk 🎯. It's like, “Hey, it's 1692 in Salem. We think you're a witch and are going to throw you in the river. If you drown, guess what? You're not a witch! If you swim, well, we'll kill you anyway for being a witch!“ 😀 1y

28 likes19 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 28: so much gossip and calling Farquhar F makes me think of Sense and Sensibility 🤣 #jemimasendshimtocheckonruth #heisbarrassedthathelovedruth #thevisitsbringhimclosertojemima 💍 #donneisntengagedanymore #morescandal #dickisapartnernow #leonardhatesbeingoutside #howcanthisendwell #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Cuilin Leonard‘s fear of being outside 💔😢 1y

AllDebooks @Cuilin 💔 I hate how the whole household is shunned 1y

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Clare-Dragonfly Hahaha! I‘m glad things worked out for Jemima and F, even if I am rolling my eyes soooo hard at him conveniently forgetting he was ever into Ruth. 1y

currentlyreadinginCO How can this end well is right 😬 1y

Bookwormjillk I can't think of a way it will end well, but at least this chapter was a little less grim. F seems like a sort of nice guy for the times. 1y

dabbe I may be the other opinion here, but F pissed me off! He's oh-so-glad to have avoided any scandal now that Ruth has been ousted in the community as a whore. What a total sap. Oh, and now Jemima looks whole and pure and oh-so-worthy. #flipflopper #wuss The only man I like in this story is Mr. B and Leonard (though he's a boy). ARGH!!! 1y

willaful I am happy for Jemima -- and was that an Emma and Knightly allusion I spotted? Poor Jemima, she can not pull off being Emma... but at least she figured it out.

I don't think Dick being home bodes well at all.... 😬🫣 1y

Bookwormjillk @dabbe He was a jerk to Ruth for sure but I thought he was kind of nice to Jemima. Granted my standards for the men in this book are very low. I'm even a little peeved at Leonard to be honest. 1y

dabbe @Bookwormjillk You're right. He's the less of a lot of evil men in this book, right? 🤩 1y

Bookwormjillk @dabbe It's a low bar 1y

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk the bar is so low 🙄 I think Ruth has scared Leonard to death about what the neighbours will think. F just needed to wait for Jemima to grow up and his ‘dodging the bullet‘ relief is a joke since no one but him knew of his crush on Ruth except Jemima and it‘s partly why and how she grew up #ibetdickisadick 1y

34 likes12 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 27: Bradshaw gives me Wormwood vibes #helecturesthurston #thurstonstandsuptohim #bradshawwontcometochurchanymore #ohdarn 🙄 #ruthtellsleonard #everyoneiscrying #ruthplanstorunaway #thurstontalksheroutofit #faithisthebiggestshockoftheday #fullsupportfromfaith #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Ruthiella It‘s so hard not to read ahead to see how this will be resolved ! 😬 1y

Cuilin IT TAKES TWO!! SHE WAS A CHILD!! Sorry for screaming but nobody even mentioned the fully grown adult male!! 😡 1y

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Cuilin @Ruthiella why do I think we will not get a happy ending? 1y

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin @Ruthiella I‘m wondering the same 😢 1y

AllDebooks @Cuilin yep, it's not looking great for Ruth, is it? 1y

willaful Ugh. I feel very sorry for Ruth and I know she's a product of her times, but as a mom, her conversation with Leonard made me want to scream. The worst way she could possibly have broken the news! Crying all over your kid and wishing you could die, so traumatic for him.

And the hypocrisy of Bradshaw! “Means to an end“ is fine when *he* does it! 🤬 1y

dabbe Patriarchy is MALARKEY!!! #bradshawsuckspondwater 😤 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin YES! Can we throw Bellingshit under the bus ?! He groomed a child to be his lover 1y

mcctrish @dabbe 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1y

currentlyreadinginCO @willaful cringed at Ruth's telling to her son, too ? - sad that she's this traumatized from the "sin" and now exposure. Certain people will definitely still ostracize a young pregnant girl with no means of support but at least we've progressed slightly from the Victorian era with the darkness of this shame.... 1y

Bookwormjillk Ugh these long frustrating chapters 1y

willaful @Bookwormjillk yeah, with no doubt more misery to come. 😣 1y

Aimeesue @willaful Right? So sad. And traumatic! 1y

31 likes14 comments

IndoorDame

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

It doesn‘t quite feel like this type of late August where I am yet, but I‘m so ready for it to. And I feel it in the air, any day now it will, and then… autumn!

dabbe 🎯🎯🎯. 😍 1y

40 likes1 comment

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 26: yikes #theshithashitthefan #butfirst #donneisgettingmarried #loveatfirstsight #asif #jemimaisalwayswatching #bradshawfindsoutaboutruth #thatseamstress 🙄 #ruthisthrownout #thurstonisgonnabeintrouble #jemimadefendsruth #didnotseethatcoming #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Cuilin I‘ve so many questions? How did he find out? The seamstress or Donne? Is Donne wanting to marry Ruth? I can‘t understand hating/blaming a child because of their parents, it makes no sense to me. 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin these are my thoughts too! Bradshaw wouldn‘t be going to the seamstress so who did she tell that it has made it to his ears ? The Donne marriage scenario, is that the backstory for marrying Ruth? And he told her tale so she‘d be in a pickle and have to marry him? But some people have seen her with the Bradshaw family so ?? (edited) 1y

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mcctrish Also why are all the men so stupid 1y

Cuilin @mcctrish I think you‘re right about Donne, he is going to try force Ruth‘s hand. I‘m hoping F is going to swoop in and rescue her and put them all to shame but I get the feeling this is not a happy ever after novel. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡 1y

Clare-Dragonfly If Donne did tell Bradshaw, I‘m even more pissed off because he‘s fully blaming Ruth and not saying Donne is a bad person at all. I know it was the way of things, but it still makes me mad! I hope he gets some comeuppance for his bribery hypocrisy. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @mcctrish Right? 😂😂😂😂 1y

IndoorDame He said the whole town was talking, but my bet is still on Donne starting the rumor mill going not the seamstress. Men like that don‘t like being told no and rarely think through the consequences. Unless he doesn‘t care at all about the kid, and is fine ruining them both and betting she‘ll agree to be his mistress if he makes her life miserable enough. 1y

mcctrish @IndoorDame there is no way Bellingshit isn‘t pissed off Ruth turned down his proposal and maybe if he‘d led with marriage instead of initially proposing to just pick up where they left off ( like WTF dude) 1y

IndoorDame @mcctrish 💯😡 1y

currentlyreadinginCO @Cuilin would be the best possibility but alas we will see 1y

willaful We knew it was coming but it's not a relief it finally happened. :-( 1y

dabbe Bradshaw‘s holier-than-thou sanctimonious crap after the bribery scene to get Donne elected is just 💩 without the smiley face. I am beyond enraged. 1y

Bookwormjillk I am thinking it had to have been Donne. It was just too close to his marriage announcement. I‘m wondering if he‘s trying to ruin Ruth so he and new wife can take Leonard. 1y

AllDebooks With the glee the seamstress showed in telling Jemima, I think it was her passing gossip onto her customers, and it spread like wildfire. Donne didn't need to tell her as she recognised Ruth from earlier. He's still an ass tho. 1y

rubyslippersreads @AllDebooks I agree. I think the gossip has spread through the town. Maybe Mrs. B heard it and told Mr. B. (Or Mr. BS, as I like to call him.) 1y

29 likes17 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 24: Jemima gets a little more than a bonnet #leonardisfeelingbetter #Fbroughthimsomanygifts #andwherewasdaddydearestnow 🙄 #jemimaissadthatflikesruth #mrsbradshawsendshertobuyabonnet #theseamstressmentionsrecognizingruth #jemimaknowsthetruthnow #whatcouldgowrong #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Bookwormjillk Ugh. I don‘t like this at all. I feel like there‘s no hope for Ruth. 1y

mcctrish This can‘t end well 1y

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willaful I'm glad that Jemima wasn't immediately vindictive and isn't letting jealousy blind her to Ruth's blamelessness re F, but, ugh, what a mess. 1y

Cuilin Poor Ruth. I hope Jemima keeps quiet but something tells me she won‘t. 1y

KAO Poor Ruth. It will all come out in the open soon, I fear! I‘m surprised that Jemima didn‘t blab right away, but it feels like a ticking time bomb now. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly Jemima doesn‘t exactly know the truth. Because of course the dressmaker blames Ruth for being a seductress, and not Bellingshit 🙄 1y

AllDebooks Crikey, it's all coming to the boil now. I just wish Ruth would stop being so good and passive and just tell all the judgemental buggers to feck off for once 🤬 1y

dabbe I am so exceedingly grateful that I was born in the 20th century. How unbelievably frustrating it must have been to have been born a Victorian woman. I think I'm still reading because I'm hoping that Ruth will (like @AllDebooks so aptly said) tell all of them to f*ck off and live her life on her terms. AUGH!!! 1y

jewright @dabbe I think about this often. 1y

julieclair @Clare-Dragonfly 🎯 1y

dabbe @jewright 🎯! 1y

AllDebooks @dabbe 😊 I was annoyed! 1y

dabbe @AllDebooks #ditto! 😂 1y

35 likes14 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 24: y‘all I just can‘t. So here are some damson plums that they were making into jelly 🤷🏻‍♀️ #thisfreakingguy #idonttrusthimatall #thisisntover #soproudofruththough #shestooduptohimandbrokedownafter #neverletthemseeyousweat #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

CatLass007 I love damson plums💖💖 1y

TheBookHippie I CANNOT #BOOKFLIESACROSSROOM 1y

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Librarybelle He‘s such a jerk and has triggered all of my emotions about controlling men and stalkers. Ugh. 1y

Ruthiella @TheBookHippie That‘s how I felt about Tess of the D‘Urbervilles too! WHOOSH! 😡 1y

mcctrish @TheBookHippie @Librarybelle @Ruthiella when he threatened Ruth to meet with him because Leonard‘s well being depended on it and then he got Bradshaw to take him round to see Leonard OMG 😱 (edited) 1y

Librarybelle @mcctrish I know! He‘s the worst! 1y

IndoorDame Who knew it was possible for Bellingshit to continue to drop in my estimation 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish RIGHT?!?! OMG 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame 🤬🤬🤬 1y

tpixie Pretty 💜💜💜 1y

TheBookHippie @Librarybelle 🎯 1y

mcctrish @IndoorDame RIGHT?! What has happened that he‘s gone from being self centred, spoiled, and thoughtless to cruel and vindictive 1y

Cuilin @Librarybelle yes!! I feel triggered. He is despicable. 1y

Aimeesue Sleeze. Bag. Capital SLEEZE. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I love—in an angry way—how Bellingshit tried to bribe Leonard into liking him and Benson took it as an attempt to buy his vote. It probably never even occurred to Bellingshit that you could buy a man‘s vote by giving a gift to someone he cared about! 1y

Bookwormjillk I just caught up. Oh wow. So much to say about that man. Clueless and threatening all at once. 1y

James263 Hi 1y

jewright Damsons do make the best jelly ever!!! We had a tree when I was a kid. I was hoping he would have grown up a little, but he‘s still terrible. It‘s almost like he knew she would be pregnant, but he thought she might have died. He‘s almost surprised to see her alive and thriving. 1y

dabbe @mcctrish Well, he now has a SON. Nevermind that he's so far illegitimate ... now he'll want HIS son and might take him away from Ruth. I. Can't. Even. #steamsnortingmad 😤😤😤 1y

mcctrish @dabbe it‘s like @IndoorDame said, my mind is blown that Bellingshit is even worse than before 🤯 but I am curious why the name change ? 1y

mcctrish @jewright right? He left her, after he ruined her, how could she have not perished or become a whore on the street ? 1y

julieclair @mcctrish Ditto about the name change. What‘s up with that? 1y

julieclair I so admire Ruth‘s strength and self control. 1y

mcctrish @julieclair probably did some shady shit and needed a new identity 1y

julieclair @mcctrish That makes total, slimy sense. 1y

51 likes26 comments

dabbe

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Thanks for the tag, @Yuki_Onna! 🤗

Hoping to get caught up with these two! 🤩🤩🤩

Share your reads? @AmyG @wanderinglynn @barkingmadread

wanderinglynn Thanks for the tag! 1y

AmyG Sure. Thank you 😘 1y

TheBookHippie Ruth 😬😵‍💫 1y

See All 6 Comments

dabbe @wanderinglynn 🤩😀🤗 1y

dabbe @AmyG 🤩🤗😘 1y

dabbe @TheBookHippie Holy crap, I don't know what to think! 😱 1y

60 likes6 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 23: my face when we meet Mr Donne, even though we all knew anyway #wtf #theballsonthisguy #ruthishandlingitwell #imean #aftertheinitialhissyfit #whichshewasentitledto #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Librarybelle It was almost hard to read—such a jerk! 1y

Cuilin The audacity of this man!! WTF? He really thinks he can explain why he abandoned her. 1y

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Bookwormjillk When the thing we all knew would happen actually happens. Ugh. Why did he change his name though. Such a shady guy. 1y

mcctrish I‘m so angry and upset! This chapter 🤯 and the restraint I had to show to not throw my kindle! ‘He‘ can‘t believe she is an esteemed governess after he doomed her to a life in the gutter, he keeps trying to talk to her knowing it will put Ruth into further trouble with Bradshaw and then his final outburst! The only good thing about Bellingshit is he makes Bradshaw look good 1y

julieclair Donne/Bellingham is too awful to believe! What a selfish, supercilious cad. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I was NOT expecting that! I‘m impressed with Ruth‘s strength and ability to stay cool in public. I am NOT impressed with any of the awful things Donne-Bellingham is up to 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡 He doesn‘t want to apologize. He doesn‘t even want anything to change. He just wants to force her to listen to him and he‘s going to take advantage of Leonard to do it. UGH!!!!! 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Hard to read, I just wanted him to leave her alone !! 1y

Ruthiella Oh, the double standard reflected in this chapter is particularly infuriating. 😡 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish Bellingshit is a whole word. 1y

TheBookHippie @Cuilin the akin to I assaulted you but you asked for it gaslighting troupe was a throw the book moment. 1y

mcctrish @Ruthiella absolutely infuriating (edited) 1y

TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead #theballsindeed 😳 1y

mcctrish @TheBookHippie I hated him before and now I‘m apoplectic 1y

mcctrish @currentlyreadinginCO the whole time I‘m reading I‘m muttering “stop fucking talking to her” 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish Seriously😡 1y

mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly he is so awful 1y

IndoorDame @mcctrish apoplectic is THE word! 1y

Cuilin @mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly @TheBookHippie @indoordame @currentlyreadinginCO it does beg the question Why did he change his name? 1y

TheBookHippie @Cuilin Indeed. WHY?! 1y

currentlyreadinginCO I'm so curious! Did he give her a false name initially bc he had malintent w her?? Did mommy make him change his name so that Ruth couldn't find him?? @Cuilin 1y

mcctrish @currentlyreadinginCO the innkeeper knew the family as Bellingshit, has he changed it to Donne to run for office ? Or does he have two names ? Family name and lordship entitled twat name ? 1y

willaful It was murder waiting for this post, because all i wanted to do is reach into my book and yeet him into the sun! The only way he could redeem himself is to marry Ruth and then instantly die, leaving her a good reputation and lots of money. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @Cuilin Yes!!! I‘m waiting for that reveal. Maybe he was adopted by a rich relative like one of Jane Austen‘s brothers? 1y

dabbe @willaful I hope for the same outcome! 1y

33 likes25 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

I almost forgot to post!
Ch 22: Mr Donne has arrived #ruthandthegirlsarelovingthesea #elizabethfeelsbetteralready #ruthmisessleonardmissesruth #anyway #morepolitics #donneshowsup #heisperfection #everyoneelsepalesincomparison #obviouslyhemustmarryjemima 🙄 #jemimaalmostgetsalongwithF #bradshawwantstoahowoffthebeachhouse #totallynotbribery 🙄 #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Cuilin Why does Leonard look like Donne? Related to Bellingham? This is not good. 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Oof waiting for the other shoe to drop 1y

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Clare-Dragonfly Who are they even bribing??? 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin I missed this, who thinks Leonard resembles Donne? Leonard isn‘t even there. I‘m still queasy over Bradshaw asking Ruth to go with his girls to the sea but not let Leonard come 1y

Cuilin @mcctrish Mrs Bradshaw said it to Jemima. And then Jemima said he looked like a horse. 1y

mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly Bradshaw is to give Donne money ? But it‘s not to touch either of their hands ? They both think it‘s wrong but has to be done ? Is this just more of EG ‘s social commentary ? 1y

Cuilin @Clare-Dragonfly sounds like they are paying for votes. 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin I remember the resembles a race horse part, I thought she meant that positively ; power, grace etc 1y

Cuilin @mcctrish it‘s Mrs Bradshaw saying Leonard looks like Donne that stood out to me. Why include that? 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin I went back and read and I see it now, is it cuz he‘s excitable ? They both seem to be talking about mannerisms or are they ?! 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish trying to work this out as well …. @Clare-Dragonfly 1y

Bookwormjillk I‘m hoping tomorrow will clear up some things because I‘m a bit confused 1y

julieclair @Cuilin @Clare-Dragonfly I, too, think they‘re paying for votes, but I‘m confused as to how they‘re doing it. (edited) 1y

julieclair The Donne-Leonard similarities are making me nervous. 1y

BarkingMadRead Ch 23 coming tomorrow @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Librarybelle @BarkingMadRead 👍 1y

dabbe @mcctrish @Cuilin ... Or what if Donne and Bellingham are related? I mean, Donne “gives“ $4000 to Bradshaw (if I read that right ... the politics part makes me go 💤), so if he's an a-1 a**hole, he'd fit right in with the Bellinghams. He is coming from somewhere else, and we have no idea where. Yet. #duhduhduhduhdah 1y

rubyslippersreads @Cuilin @mcctrish Maybe she should have specified which end of the horse. 😂 1y

Bookwormjillk @BarkingMadRead sounds good! 1y

AllDebooks @rubyslippersreads 🤣🤣🤣 1y

AllDebooks @dabbe the 'politics' frustrates me so much. There is no mention of what either candidate stands for. However, Gaskell's strength is her social commentary. She uses her plot to highlight the inconsistencies and corruption of UK politics. You could 'buy' a constituency through bribes, and this was often the case. So few people had the right to vote it was easily done. 🤬 1y

Cuilin @rubyslippersreads lol 😂 1y

julieclair @AllDebooks That‘s interesting info. And was it okay for the person “buying” the constituency to live outside its borders? 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @AllDebooks I get the impression it doesn‘t matter what each side stands for. There are two sides and that‘s what is important to Bradshaw! 1y

rubyslippersreads @AllDebooks @dabbe @julieclair @Clare-Dragonfly The political stuff reminds me of Trollope. (edited) 1y

AllDebooks @julieclair I think so. If you had the money, you could 'buy' any constituency 1y

dabbe @rubyslippersreads Which is why I've tried him but have never been able to get through a book! 🤩😂🤗 1y

42 likes28 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 21: drama #Fgoesstrawberrypickingwithruthandco #theybringleonardthenextday #jemimarefusestogo #sherealizedtoolatethatshelovesF #Fmovedon #yasnoozeyalose #toomuchfreshairmakeselizabethsick #offtotheseasidetheywillallgo #oh #blahblahblahpolitics 🙄 #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Librarybelle Off to the sea we go! 1y

Bookwormjillk Politics blah when did this turn into Middlemarch? 1y

See All 22 Comments

dabbe And now we have a new guy coming to town. Who's this Mr. Donne person going to be? #newmanintown 😱
1y

dabbe @Bookwormjillk 😂😂😂 I tried reading that last part in bed last night and just 💤 my way through it! 1y

mcctrish In my usual #worstcasescenario vein I assume Donne knows Bellingshit and Ruth will be exposed. I feel bad for Jemima, one can only take so much control. Half of her troubles would be solved by just talking to people but these are the times we are in so no talking allowed. Bradshaw is such a pompous asshole - he‘d rather someone went to debtors prison than offer credit for a month so they could avoid it 1y

TheBookHippie @Bookwormjillk MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY 😵‍💫🫣 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 1y

mcctrish @TheBookHippie not to conflate modern politics with these olden days, but I feel like Bradshaw‘s descendants are trying to have a go right now 🤬 1y

TheBookHippie @dabbe one paragraph and zzzzz finished just now 🫣 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish WORD. 🎯 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @Bookwormjillk I keep thinking of the hypocritical banker guy from Middlemarch. Bradshaw doesn‘t seem to be that much of a hypocrite but I‘m reserving judgment… 1y

Aimeesue All that stuff in the chapter and I‘m just sad that Leonard didn‘t get to pick strawberries. 🍓 1y

dabbe @mcctrish Oh, Mr. Bradshaw's allowed to talk. A. Lot. 🙄 He fits the category of someone with logorrhea, my #weirdwordwednesday word. 😂 1y

mcctrish @dabbe Bradshaw has got entitled white male-itus but I love your #weirdwordwednesday word ( steam literally comes out my ears whenever I read him speaking, no wonder Jemima is losing her shit ) 1y

dabbe @mcctrish Agree 💯. 1y

willaful What a depressing chapter! Jemima is so young and stupid. On the other hand, maybe she could never be happy married to someone so closely associated with her father. 1y

rubyslippersreads @mcctrish I bet you‘re right. Ruth‘s past has to be revealed somehow, so Mr. Bradshaw can shame her. 1y

mcctrish @rubyslippersreads that‘s what he lives for 1y

julieclair @dabbe Logorrhea! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 That might be my new favorite word! 1y

julieclair @mcctrish Oh my... Your prediction about Mr. Donne is probably right. 😢 Poor poor Ruth. 1y

dabbe @julieclair I've had it in my head all day! 🤩😂🤗 1y

45 likes22 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 20: well, that took a turn #FisntlikingJeminasattitudelately #bradshawasksruthtospeaktoher #ruthwantstowitnessthebehaviorfirst #whatcouldgowrong #well #Flovesruthnow #bradshawthinksitworked #hewantstobuyruthafancydress #becausethatsnotweird #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

rubyslippersreads Wouldn‘t Bradshaw giving Ruth something as personal as a dress be considered extremely improper? Maybe if Mrs. Bradshaw had given it to her, or Mr. & Mrs., or even as a gift from the two little girls (not Jemima, though!) 😏 (edited) 1y

mcctrish Bradshaw is absolutely the most pompous self interested patronizing ass in the history of literature 🤯 he wants to buy a dress for Ruth because her best realty isn‘t and it would be totally okay if she told everybody that he treated her @rubyslippersreads no, because he‘s a righteous prick so no one could think that 🙄 1y

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AllDebooks Not a fan of Bradshaw and his manipulations 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Not a fan of any of this!! 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I don‘t like Bradshaw, but he‘s not that awful—he just wants the whole world to see him as rich and generous! @rubyslippersreads He already gave her fabric and the Bensons persuaded her to accept it—I‘m pretty sure that‘s what the gift would be this time as well, silk fabric, and she can make it into a dress herself. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly Also, I‘m now worried that F is going to propose to Ruth and either she‘ll accept and go down Tess‘s road, or tell him why she can‘t accept him and be thrown out of her job. There‘s no winning for poor Ruth! 1y

willaful Getting a Mr. Knightly/Emma vibe here, though neither of them is nearly as interesting. And inviting Ruth definitely backfired. 🙄

I wonder what a “red-hot Valentine“ consisted of in Gaskell's time. 😂 1y

Bookwormjillk Whelp 1y

rubyslippersreads @Clare-Dragonfly @mcctrish You‘re right; he‘s set himself up as being completely righteous and beyond contempt. 😠 1y

Ruthiella Honestly I find Jemima a breath of fresh air in her temper Ruth is just too GOOD. I know Gaskell had her reasons, but for this modern reader, she‘s a little too perfect. 1y

julieclair @currentlyreadinginCO 💯! 1y

julieclair The deeper we get into this book, the sadder I‘m becoming. Ruth is so good, and she just seems trapped by her past (most of which was beyond her control). I hope @willaful is right and we get a Knightly/Emma ending. 1y

rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella I agree with you about Jemima. Ruth is sweet, but such a goody-two-shoes, she seems almost one-dimensional. 1y

36 likes14 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Sorry this is so late! #travelday #delayedflight
Ch 19: 6 years later #leonardtellstales #thurstanisprettymuchthesame #sallyissassyasever #faithisfeelingold #ruthisprettyasever #bradshawstoo #kindofboring 🤷🏻‍♀️ #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Bookwormjillk It was kind of boring. And long. Hoping the next chapter picks up a bit. 1y

TheBookHippie @Bookwormjillk I agree… looong.. 1y

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dabbe 😴 ... excuse me, what? Bring on the next chapter, please! 🤩 1y

mcctrish So where will we go from here ? 1y

willaful I think we got some interesting set up. Ruth's employer will definitely throw her to the wolves if he ever discovers the truth, and his son is even worse, because he's a hypocrite. 1y

AllDebooks With the last few paragraphs, I think someone is about to croak 🥀 #dontletitbeSally 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Ohhh no is that why we got her will @AllDebooks 1y

rubyslippersreads @currentlyreadinginCO @AllDebooks Not Sally! 😩 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @AllDebooks Oh no!!! 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I didn‘t realize the Bensons were so old. Earlier on I was thinking maybe Thurstan would be a good match for Ruth. I guess not 😅 1y

Cuilin The whole opening of the chapter with the switch, 😞 that needed a trigger warning. 1y

AllDebooks @Cuilin it was awful. I can't quite believe that Thurston was actually going to do it. I thought it seemed out if character. Sally to the rescue, thankfully. 1y

rubyslippersreads @Clare-Dragonfly I also thought that‘s where the story was going. 1y

rubyslippersreads @Cuilin @AllDebooks I was shocked by that. I‘m glad Thurstan didn‘t go through with it, but the fact that it was even considered by anyone … 😳 (edited) 1y

44 likes15 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 18: Ruth‘s new job? #sallyhasawill #thatwassorandom #bradshawwantsruthasgoverness #whatcouldgowrong #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

TheBookHippie #whatcouldgowrong anyone else talking to their book?!? 🫣 1y

BarkingMadRead @TheBookHippie yelling at my book…. 1y

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Aimeesue @TheBookHippie So much!! 1y

Bookwormjillk @TheBookHippie yes I have a lot to say to this book 1y

mcctrish 1. Sally is like a whole other story going on 2. Once again, nobody talks to Ruth 3. I‘m disappointed in Mr Benson 4. Brother and sister will sink this ship 5. If Mr Bradshaw doesn‘t want a #bwithb ( I‘m still not sure) is his moral radar piqued and he‘s trying to out Ruth? 6. Basically I don‘t trust Bradshaw 1y

Cuilin @mcctrish I‘m not trusting the Bradshaws, including Jemima. 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin yes, she‘s a nosy posey 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I thought Sally was going to inspire Ruth to also have a will, but no, that went nowhere 😂 The Bradshaws, on the other hand… I fear that Ruth will be thrown in with the young rake Bradshaw, and he will seduce her! 😨 1y

rubyslippersreads In spite of all she‘s been through, I think Ruth is naive enough to fall for another cad. 😏 1y

currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish Sally really is a whole other story! 1y

currentlyreadinginCO @Clare-Dragonfly @rubyslippersreads I am also fearing this turn, but really hope that's not what happens ... 🙈🙈🙈 1y

currentlyreadinginCO @TheBookHippie 🙋🏻‍♀️ I have much to say to this book! 1y

rubyslippersreads @currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish I think Sally is my favorite character. 🐷 1y

TheBookHippie @currentlyreadinginCO RIGHT?!?! 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 1y

37 likes1 stack add15 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 17: a christening #leonardafterruthsgramps #missbradshawattends #givingmecharlottevibes #thiscouldbitethemintheasslater #bradshawtriestobuyruthmoregifts #sheturnsmostdown #mrFisanewaddition #meantforjemima #interstingnewcharacter #possiblysomeforeshadowing #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

mcctrish The Bensons talk too much 🤣🤣🤣 what is up with Bradshaw?! 1y

Bookwormjillk This was an interesting chapter. I feel like Gaskell is sewing the seeds for total destruction in a chapter or two. 1y

See All 16 Comments

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk I 💯 agree 🤣 1y

Aimeesue Oh, that Jemima and her pesky questions! 😂 (edited) 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I‘m worried about that hypocritical Bradshaw son! 1y

Ruthiella @Clare-Dragonfly Oh yes! Richard Bradshaw is Chekov‘s gun…😱 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Same 😂😂 @Bookwormjillk 1y

Cuilin @Ruthiella there was only one reason he was mentioned!!! 😣 1y

dabbe @mcctrish IKR? Isn't he married? Does he have the hots for Ruth? Does it matter in that time period that he's married? He creeps me out! 😂 1y

mcctrish @dabbe exaclty! Does he want to be a benefactor with benefits? So many alarms are going off 1y

dabbe @mcctrish A so-called #bwithb 😂 1y

Bookwormjillk @mcctrish benefactor with benefits 🤣🤣🤣 1y

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk #bwithb thx to @dabbe 1y

willaful @Ruthiella Yup! Like his dad isn't creepy enough... 1y

rubyslippersreads Is Richard Bradshaw going to be another Bellingham??? 🙀 1y

37 likes16 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 16: an interesting chapter #sallysalmostengagement #mrcollinsvibes #ruthwantstoleave #theyconvincehertostayforoneyear #shesdepressed #shedecidestolearnenoughtoteachbaby #whohasnoname #namethatbabby #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

IndoorDame Hahaha definite Mr. Collins vibes! 🤣 1y

Bookwormjillk Mr Collins vibes 😂 1y

See All 21 Comments

AllDebooks 🤣🤣Mr Collins, absolutely 🤣🤣 1y

AllDebooks It was common practice not to baptise infants until at least 6 months, due to infant mortality. Could still call him somrthing other than baby, tho! 😅 1y

Cuilin Oh, you‘re a teenage mother postpartum, you have no prospects, you have no family, you are an orphan, but could stop crying and just learn how to make a bed cheerfully. Thanks 🙄 1y

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin right? Omg 1y

TheBookHippie 🏆 Mr Collins indeed 🤣 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I love Sally 😂 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin 🤣🤣 although moving out to live in squalor taking in dressmaking that is doomed to be subpar isn‘t the greatest plan 1y

mcctrish Sally rocks 1y

dabbe #sallyisasassylassie 😂 1y

rubyslippersreads I love that the only thing that tempted Sally about the proposal was the 🐷. 1y

BarkingMadRead @rubyslippersreads it‘s all about the 🥓🥓 1y

Cuilin @mcctrish agreed 1y

currentlyreadinginCO At this moment I feel like things COULD be okay and this could be the end of the story -- Ruth has shelter, support, she's working on her education and the cover story seems to be working ... not ideal, but something made of a bad situation. And yet 71% remains. 1y

Cuilin @rubyslippersreads 🤣🤣 1y

BarkingMadRead @currentlyreadinginCO #whatcouldgowrong #betterbesomething 🤣 1y

Cuilin @currentlyreadinginCO there‘s a storm a brewing 🌪️ 1y

julieclair I‘m listening on audio, and whoever is narrating Sally‘s part is a gem! Even if I do have to replay it sometimes because her accent is pretty thick. 😎 1y

BarkingMadRead @julieclair I love when audiobooks have different actors for each character! 1y

38 likes21 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 15: the baby is born #somuchtounpack #bradshawsendsagift #becausehesanassapparently #hefavorsruth #😳 #ruthmakesbabyclothes #clothesforthepoor #itsaboy #faithimmediatelyrainsonherparade #ruthworriesthathewillbelikehisdad #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Librarybelle The dress present was creepy, and the fact that he watches her while she prays…I‘m not sure where this will lead. 1y

Bookwormjillk Yeah a lot going on here. We‘re not all that far into the book and so much has happened already. (edited) 1y

See All 16 Comments

TheBookHippie Only chapter 15 😳🤯 whew. 1y

Ruthiella @Librarybelle Oh yeah. Mr Bradshaw = creepy. 😱 1y

Cuilin My prediction is the Bradshaws will be Ruth‘s doom. Mr. Bradshaw using gifts as a controlling device, gave me the ick. 1y

AllDebooks @Librarybelle total creep. 1y

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin 💯 1y

mcctrish I agree @Cuilin Bradshaw wants a side gig 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Sigh leave Ruth alone 1y

dabbe I want Ruth to grow a spine! I want her to get tough like Tess! It seems like everything is happening TO her and that she's not doing anything to FOR herself. Maybe that's why there's still more ... I hope so. 1y

AllDebooks Did anyone else think this chapter went from 0-60? Ruth was newly pregnant and dumped, and then she has a baby boy and a new lurking pervert! I'm looking at you, Bradshaw. 🤮 I hope we really start to see her character develop now she's a mother. 🤞 1y

KAO I did like that in the last part of this chapter, Ruth finally looks back on Bellingham and becomes aware of his “selfish, worldly nature, unnoticed at the time” and recognized in his speeches “a low standard, of impatient self-indulgence, of no acknowledgment of things spiritual and heavenly.” I was hoping that a spine was born—but then came self-reproach for “judging the absent father.” Oy! 1y

Bookwormjillk @AllDebooks yes, seemed really abrupt 1y

rubyslippersreads I‘m glad Ruth finally recognized Bellingham for the cad he truly is. Now if she can just fend off the icky Bradshaw. 😠 1y

julieclair I hope you‘re wrong, @Cuilin , but I‘m afraid you‘re right. 😕 1y

40 likes16 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 14: Faith full gets on board with the lying 🙄 #andnowBwasasurgeon #thosebradshawsworryme #ruthprayinginthechurch #thishasdidasterwrittenalloverit #whatcouldgowrong #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Bookwormjillk These people are kind of terrible at lying. 1y

AllDebooks When Faith started embellishing Ruth's 'story', I couldn't help feeling she was looking to out her, even if subconsciously. An embellished lie is always going to catch you out. It would be better to keep it simple. 1y

See All 16 Comments

mcctrish I‘m still in shock over hacking off all of Ruth‘s hair 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish SAME. 1y

currentlyreadinginCO don't trust these people at all 🙄🙄 1y

Cuilin Faith, the truth will out, what are you doing? 1y

Ruthiella Oh dear. “What could go wrong ?” EXACTLY!!😬 1y

Clare-Dragonfly And now Faith has to remember all her lies—and so do Ruth and Thurstan. And I don‘t think anyone has told Ruth! 1y

mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly nobody actually tells Ruth anything 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @mcctrish New subtitle for this book 😂😂😂 1y

rubyslippersreads @mcctrish 😂😂😂 1y

mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly @rubyslippersreads I mean, look where we are in this story and it‘s all based on a lack of sharing information with Ruth 🤯 1y

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish you just summed up the entire plot in one sentence 🤣 1y

rubyslippersreads @mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly If only someone had at least told Ruth about the birds and the bees. 😏 1y

mcctrish @rubyslippersreads @Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead #donttellruth 1y

35 likes16 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 13: Sally is not a fan of Ruth #butalso #isitherfaultThatBisdeformed #droppedhimonhishead #yikes #sheknowsthesecret #byebyehair #ruthtakesitwell #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Cuilin Does anybody else feel like in order to make this more palatable to a Victorian reader Ruth had to be punished in some way? Hence the hair being cut, almost like she‘s in prison???? 1y

IndoorDame @Cuilin I think you‘re right 1y

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IndoorDame When it says Faith switched to the informal you with Ruth and she didn‘t notice at first… is the implication supposed to be that Faith lost respect for her when she found out about the pregnancy, or that she‘s trying to make the fiction of their distant “family connection” convincing since they gave her a family name and now their reputations are on the line too? 1y

Ruthiella I think also that Sally is protecting her naive employers. She‘s saying, “if I can see through this ruse, so will others. Let‘s make it work”. 1y

TheBookHippie @Cuilin YES!!!! This exactly. 1y

AllDebooks @Cuilin absolutely. 1y

AllDebooks I have read a lot of Victorian fiction and history and never heard of widows cutting their hair. I went down a Google rabbit hole and found this quite interesting 🤔 https://journalofantiques.com/features/the-evolution-of-mourning-wear/ 1y

currentlyreadinginCO I felt that, too, and how the punishment failing to shame Ruth changed Sally's desire to punish her in the first place @Ruthiella 1y

dabbe @Ruthiella Agree 💯. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I was skeptical that Sally dropping him could have caused his “deformity” but I searched Wikipedia for “hunchback” and it *can* be caused by trauma! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyphosis 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @IndoorDame I read it as Sally using the formal “you” with her employers—the Bensons, not Ruth—when they arrived, but as she got comfortable again, switched to the informal “thou” she is used to. I don‘t think she switched pronouns with Ruth. 1y

IndoorDame @Clare-Dragonfly oh, makes sense. Thanks 1y

mcctrish “Men on the other hand weren‘t expected to follow the rigid mourning rules” @AllDebooks the world really hates women! Imagine if we didn‘t just want equality and autonomy and decided to get even 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @AllDebooks Fascinating, thanks for sharing! I‘d heard of deep mourning and half-mourning but somehow I‘d missed the existence of second mourning! 1y

willaful @Clare-Dragonfly Interesting... I was skeptical too. 1y

willaful @Ruthiella Also a good point. 1y

julieclair Such an interesting article, @AllDebooks ! Thanks for sharing. 1y

40 likes18 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 12: Eccleston (pretend the roads aren‘t paved 🤣) #ruthsendsbackthemoney #shepaysherbillwithawatchfromB #timetoplaythewidow #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

AllDebooks This is all very convenient. 1y

Cuilin Why would they send the money back? 😑 That baby is going to need some things!!!! 1y

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BarkingMadRead @Cuilin I would have kept it for her, and not let her know. She has no concept of money! 1y

Cuilin @BarkingMadRead exactly! 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead That‘s what I thought was going on and was a bit annoyed with Faith for lying to Ruth! But instead I‘m annoyed with her for giving back such a large amount of money 😂 I can‘t fault Ruth‘s principles but you got it exactly right—no concept of money. 1y

Crinoline_Laphroaig I'm behind after the weekend. Catching up! 1y

mcctrish Faith is all “she gives the money back, what a wonderful girl! “She gives the money back, does she have any idea of the cost of things?!” Somebody have sense here, please!!! Keep the money and ask for MORE! Bankrupt the Bellingshits 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🎯 1y

TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead yes!!!! 1y

Bookwormjillk I kind of admired Ruth sending the money back, but also yeah it was dumb. They should have kept it for her. 1y

currentlyreadinginCO They should have kept it for her, but they were going to take it without telling her anyway?? I'm surprised that they even sent it back and didn't pocket it for the trouble.... 1y

mcctrish @currentlyreadinginCO yes 1y

AllDebooks @BarkingMadRead I honestly think Ruth hasn't a clue about anything. Her vulnerability and naivety are utterly terrifying. Off she trots with more random strangers, who, yes, have been good to her so far, but she's so trusting. 🫣 1y

AllDebooks @mcctrish #Bellingshits 😂 1y

dabbe @currentlyreadinginCO That's exactly what I thought! If the minister and his sis are able to lie that Ruth is a widow, surely they can keep the money without telling Ruth and use it to help her. #plotholehere 1y

willaful I wonder if this was convention at the time or if this book was part of starting the convention. I can't tell you how many romance heroines have gotten up my nose by refusing to take support for their secret babies... 1y

Aimeesue @mcctrish Yes! Bankruptcy is too good for them. 1y

rubyslippersreads Ruth‘s principles might be in the right place, but I‘d still like to shake some sense into her. 1y

mcctrish @rubyslippersreads her principles haven‘t really been working in her favour 1y

Bookwormjillk @AllDebooks that‘s a really good point! She doesn‘t know these people at all! 1y

jewright I just wonder when things are taking a turn for the worse. It‘s super early in the book. 1y

37 likes22 comments

AllDebooks

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

I'm catching up on #Pemberlittens buddy read with my best furry pal for company. I'm sitting outside hoping for a chance to glimpse the Aurora Borealis and Perseid meteors as we have the first clear night of the weekend.

#Hyggehour

IuliaC 😻 1y

rubyslippersreads What a cutie pie. 😻 1y

IndoorDame 😻😻😻 1y

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Ruthiella 😻😻😻 1y

AnnCrystal 💕😻💝. 1y

dabbe #photocontestwinner 🖤🐾🖤 1y

46 likes6 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 11: Benson calls his sister #wasthiswise #bensonisaminister #thisexplainssomuch #faithisverynononsense #willsheacceptruth #wellshedoes #untilruthishappyaboutthebaby 🤰 #andyetshecomesupwiththeplan #williitwork #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

mcctrish Well there‘s no question now what Ruth and Bellingham were up to 🤣🤣🤦🏻‍♀️ Faith is going to have her faith and judgment tested 1y

TheBookHippie #nonsenseindeed #idontlikethesister 1y

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TheBookHippie @mcctrish took me way too long to go OHHHH. 😵‍💫🤷🏻‍♀️ yes. Now we know. 1y

mcctrish @TheBookHippie it‘s hard to go against the patriarchy when they call all the shots but maybe Faith will turn the tide 🤞🏼 Ruth needs all the help and people in her corner she can get 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 1y

IndoorDame Sooo… Just how long were they at that inn? I mean these days we need about a month to confirm a pregnancy, but just how far along would a petite teenager have to be for a doctor to see a pregnancy back then? 1y

Ruthiella @IndoorDame I think this is a doctor who serves the plot over the patient. 1y

BarkingMadRead @IndoorDame I wondered the same, I didn‘t think they were there for more than a couple of weeks, but where were they before that? I‘ll have to check the timeline 1y

mcctrish @IndoorDame so now I am thinking, remember when Bellingshit said he wanted to take Ruth to her family home but didn‘t want to take his carriage cuz he‘d miss their ‘walks‘ maybe walk means shenanigans?! 1y

IndoorDame @mcctrish ooo, sneaky! On his part and the author‘s. That never occurred to me, but if it‘s true her loosing her job that day isn‘t quite as much of an overreaction as I thought 1y

IndoorDame @Ruthiella definitely a possibility! 1y

BarkingMadRead @IndoorDame @mcctrish I consulted the Google and apparently they were at that inn for “a number of months” 1y

mcctrish @IndoorDame exactly what I‘m thinking #noinnuendotohelpmewiththisbook 1y

mcctrish @BarkingMadRead so Bellingshit knew a bun in the oven had to be a possibility sooner or later and he‘s cutting his losses on purpose 🤬🤬🤬 1y

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish oh, for sure, and why not? Mum will take care of everything 🙄 1y

mcctrish I am further enraged 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish I‘m thinking WALKS in a whole new light. @IndoorDame I too was thinking short time in Inn. 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish @BarkingMadRead 😭poor girl 1y

IndoorDame @mcctrish 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 is right! 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish I wasn‘t thinking this devious but of course… 🤦🏻‍♀️ (edited) 1y

mcctrish @TheBookHippie he knew she‘d be ruined on multiple levels ( did it anyways) and now he‘s too tired to deal 1y

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie @mcctrish we must start to be much sneakier in our thinking as we read this. Like a mystery novel. Nothing anyone says is to be trusted! 😂 1y

mcctrish @IndoorDame I actually just thought “I have to think harder with this book than a mystery!” 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead Months?! Was Ruth never suspicious that they were in Wales, not London and Europe like he said he had to go to? Sheesh. I wish someone had taught this child something. 1y

Cuilin I‘m having a hard time with all the faith discussion of “Ruth‘s sin” like she did this alone. WTF?? @mcctrish #Bellingshit lol 1y

Cuilin @IndoorDame 🕵️‍♀️ 1y

Aimeesue @mcctrish Absolutely yes about crossing the patriarchy when you‘re swimming in it with no real way out. A lot of time people don‘t even realize they hold ridiculous sexist beliefs until they confronted with a situation that forced them to think deeply about it. 1y

Aimeesue @Cuilin The “boys will be boys” trope goes deep. It also sets women up as the force responsible for upholding morality, and that hasn‘t even ended today. #MeToo made a dent, but it‘s still everywhere. 1y

Cuilin @Aimeesue I hate when people say, girls mature quicker than boys. No you‘re just holding them to different standards. 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin thanks to shit like this girls have to mature quicker aka understand all the fuckery afoot or they lose 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Hoping that Benson's sis's plan works but suspecting that it won't and Ruth is going to be one tragedy after another like our girl Tess. Interesting discussion today , Im also viewing the previous innuendo in a new light🧐 1y

Aimeesue @Cuilin Yep. It‘s ridiculous. But effective, because it sets less powerful people above the power holders in a single aspect which was seen as significant at the time. Double edged sword because it‘s also a method of control if any female steps out of bounds, like Ruth. 1y

Aimeesue @mcctrish And then they call us manipulative! 🙄 1y

mcctrish @Aimeesue I‘m watching the latest season of Bridgerton and Colin and Penelope have had a falling out right before the wedding and he says he‘s going through with the wedding cuz he‘s a gentleman and they‘ve been intimate, although she could have planned that to entrap him! OH MY GOD! 1y

Aimeesue @mcctrish Yeah, dude, sure. 🙄 1y

willaful I like how Faith is written. You can tell she's good people because when she realizes she's in the wrong she doesn't get defensive and convince herself she's right after all.

And she kind of represents what girls like Ruth are up against, because she's not a cruel person but is a part of her culture (as are we all.) It takes someone like her brother to be able to see beyond the usual. 1y

Bookwormjillk I got a late start today and now that it‘s confirmed I‘m questioning everything. And I want to read Tess again and the rest of Gaskell‘s books. 🤯 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish UGHHHHHH. 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame I was reading this with too much innocence!!! LOLOLOLOL 1y

TheBookHippie @Aimeesue UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 1y

TheBookHippie @Aimeesue Power and control. The evil twins. 1y

mcctrish @willaful me too 1y

33 likes43 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 10: I hate these Bellinghams #bensonasksforhelp #mrsBsmaidtrashtalksRuth #Masonhasthemoney #whew #theywantherinapenitentiary #outofsightoutofmind #whatwillbensondo #hashtagbrigade
#also #dinklageasbenson #yayornay

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

mcctrish 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻#peterasbenson 1y

mcctrish Also “get thee to a penitentiary” is a bit extreme FFS! The Bellinghams are awful people. I‘m not sure which I want more, ‘Mr‘ Bellingham to die OR for him to live and get his ducks in a row 🤞🏼his mother catches the plague next 1y

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Cuilin @mcctrish “get thee to a penitentiary” lol 1y

Cuilin A girls life hangs in the balance, but heaven forbid we let Mr. Bellingham get annoyed. 😳 1y

IndoorDame I thought even at this time a penitentiary was a prison. Is there another meaning? 1y

BarkingMadRead @IndoorDame I looked it up, it‘s more of a charitable institution for fallen women, it‘s basically a rehab to make them “fit for society” 🙄 1y

IndoorDame @BarkingMadRead 😬 better than prison I guess, but we all know those places have super shady track records historically… 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I was thinking a penitentiary must be more like a workhouse. A place for “fallen women” makes sense—a place for penitents… I‘m disappointed in my Penguin Classics edition having endnotes, but not one that explains “penitentiary.” 1y

mcctrish @Cuilin YES! Heaven forbid the boy is annoyed 1y

Cuilin @IndoorDame @Clare-Dragonfly it‘s giving Magdalene Laundries Scandal. 1y

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤞🏻 his mother catches the plague 😵‍💫🤣👀 1y

Clare-Dragonfly @Cuilin yuuuuuup 1y

BarkingMadRead @TheBookHippie can we please try and keep current politics out of the discussion? 1y

TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead yes. Sorry. 1y

Bookwormjillk Can someone get that money from Mason PLEASE 1y

dabbe @Cuilin Or accuse HIM of anything in appropriate. It's ALWAYS the woman hussy, isn't it? 🙄 1y

BarkingMadRead @dabbe @Cuilin obviously she was all by herself when the unspeakable happened 🙄 1y

Cuilin @BarkingMadRead @Dabbe I overheard a woman say there would be no bad men if it weren‘t for bad women! I had to just walk away. (edited) 1y

dabbe @Cuilin Oh, lordy be. 😮 #speechless 1y

rubyslippersreads @Cuilin Definitely. 1y

rubyslippersreads @Cuilin 😳 1y

julieclair @Cuilin You‘re joking. In real life? Present day? How is that even possible? 🤯 1y

Cuilin @julieclair It was the 90‘s, my teenage self bristled. 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Mrs B is the worst 🤮, def Dinklage as Benson 🤣🤣 1y

jewright I‘m wondering if Benson will marry her. 1y

julieclair @Cuilin Your teenage self had every right to bristle! 1y

36 likes27 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 9: why is this who I picture for sweet Mr Benson?! #shortchapter #ruthissick #shecantcatchabreak #bensonisasaint #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

mcctrish Not only did that stupid entitled manchild leave her without a backward glance, he‘s given her the plague 1y

Aimeesue @mcctrish Right? Dispicable boy. 1y

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TheBookHippie @mcctrish BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DID. 😵‍💫 1y

Ruthiella I‘m picturing Peter Dinklage. I understood dwarf before hunchback… 1y

mcctrish @Ruthiella I am very pro Peter Dinklage in this role 1y

BarkingMadRead @Ruthiella ohhhhhhh I love that. Yes! 1y

TheBookHippie @Ruthiella ohhhhh yes. Good pick. 1y

Bookwormjillk Did Baby B get her sick or is she just heart broken? I guess we'll find out. 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Same 🤣 @Ruthiella 1y

currentlyreadinginCO Wondering the same! @Bookwormjillk 1y

Clare-Dragonfly Ahh so perfect! A sweet, generous hunchback! 1y

julieclair #BensonOfNotreDame is the sweetest, kindest man. 💝 1y

rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella Perfect casting! 1y

AllDebooks I'm so glad he now has a name cos I was getting really hacked off with deformed/hunchback. So demeaning 1y

34 likes15 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 8: holy heck, so much happened in this chapter! #henrygetsbetter #mrsBgivingoffLCDvibes #lecturinghimaboutruth #hedefendsher #forlikefiveseconds #heasksmomtosendruthaway #coward #sneaksawayimmediately #mrsBsendsruthanastyletterwithapayoff #ruthrunsafterthecarriage #totalmeltdown #thedeformedmanfindsher #justasshesabouttodosomethingdrastic #hesavesherfromherself #amitheonlyoneworriedthatsheleftthatmoneybehind 🤷🏻‍♀️ #whew #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Bookwormjillk That 5 seconds of defending her was more than I thought she was going to get. Yes very worried about the money. 1y

Cuilin @Bookwormjillk I thought the money may have been for the bill at the Inn? His behavior is unforgivable. 1y

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IndoorDame 🙋🏻‍♀️ Having major anxiety about the money! 1y

AllDebooks Urgh, he's so awful. Sending Mummy in to clean up his mess, no doubt, again!! 1y

mcctrish @IndoorDame I totally said “take the money with you dumbass” in a Jennifer Coolidge voice 1y

IndoorDame @mcctrish I was doing the horror movie thing, but substituting “don‘t go into the dark creepy basement!” for take the money!/go back and see if the money is still there!” She may have no experience with men, but she has some experience with poverty already, so she it‘s not naïveté that keeps her from realizing how close she is to slipping into abject poverty and what that is. I‘ve decided to blame this character flaw on her being a teenager. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly Mrs. B is so awful!! She is absolutely determined to see Ruth as bad and Henry as totally innocent, even though Henry tells her straight-up that it‘s his fault (which is far better than I expected of him). I‘m sure Gaskell is just using her to show the prevailing attitude of the time but I can still hate her 😡😡😡 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I‘m not worried about the money—it‘s in her own room and I‘m pretty sure the landlady and her servants are honest, good people. I‘ve been wrong before though 😂 And I love the “deformed man” saving Ruth by needing help himself—just like when Clarence jumps in the river in It‘s a Wonderful Life! 1y

willaful LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one freaking about the money. The people in this book are very good at justifying their own terrible behavior, so I just see it being taken. 1y

mcctrish @willaful I totally think it could be taken to cover Ruth‘s extra expenses or Mrs B could be charged enough to cover all of it #inaperfectworld and Ruth will have a small sum to start just above the gutter. Ruth is a bit too Blanche Dubois for me (although women can‘t actually do anything for themselves so of course they have to depend on the kindness of men/strangers #somuchforasisterhood ) 1y

currentlyreadinginCO things really took a turn here 😳😳😳 1y

Ruthiella OMG Please keep the money Ruth! I remember Tess also being stupid/too proud/too timid to go to Angel‘s family once they were married. 1y

Aimeesue Excellent pic of the awful Mrs. B! That‘s her all over. 1y

jewright Good grief this chapter made me so angry. The double standard is awful. 1y

willaful @mcctrish She's a lot, lot younger than Blanche. 1y

julieclair There was so much going on I. This chapter that I never even thought about the money! 😂 1y

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BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 7: Mrs B is here #whatcouldgowrong #sheseemsdelightful 🙄 #ruthhangsaroundforinfo #mrsbisnthavingit #shewantsruthtoGTFO #poorruthwaitingforBtocallforher #notlikelywithmomaround #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

willaful It's so hard to stick to just one chapter! 1y

mcctrish @willaful absolutely especially when I do not understand the nature of the relationship between Ruth and Sir B who have obviously been sharing a room so it must be more than I think it is 🍆🍑😱 1y

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BarkingMadRead @mcctrish I knowwwww like did they or didn‘t they?!? They must have, but it‘s not even alluded to! We want to know!!! 1y

dabbe I'd love to wipe the holier-than-thou attitude off Mrs. B's face. Things are going from bad to worst for our Tess. I mean Ruth. 😂 1y

mcctrish @dabbe apparently that‘s how women of worth are supposed to act and how Ruth outed herself immediately 1y

currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish @BarkingMadRead I am confused, too! Is everyone this bent out of shape bc they're just sharing a room together!? Or are we just supposed to understand that they're sleeping together and if so why isn't Ruth conflicted about that ? 1y

Bookwormjillk @willaful YES 1y

Bookwormjillk @currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish @BarkingMadRead I am confused too. I would have expected a little more inner monologue from Ruth. 1y

IndoorDame @BarkingMadRead @mcctrish right? I keep feeling like I missed the reference and wanting to go back, but aside from just how rude the locals were and the fact that he fussed with her hair and she didn‘t react, I saw nothing. And he‘s rich, his room could have a sitting room or something, right? 1y

willaful I think we're seeing stylistic conventions. Ruth is supposed to be too innocent to even understand but we're supposed to get it. 1y

Librarybelle I agree, @willaful . I think Gaskell is playing up that Ruth is that naive that she doesn‘t understand what‘s happening. She‘s in love; she thinks B is in love with her. She also keeps thinking B will call for her. Gaskell I think also writes this in that we as the audience can infer what has happened. 1y

mcctrish Good lord @Librarybelle @willaful I can appreciate this isn‘t a romance novel but it feels like Ruth is too dumb to know what‘s going on or I guess I am 🤣🤣 1y

Librarybelle @mcctrish Oh no! I come to this reading knowing a little bit about Gaskell—this book was very controversial when it was published, as Gaskell wanted to show society how cruel they were to women like Ruth—and I keep getting Tess vibes from this. I‘m also incredibly jaded and have read enough 19th century lit to guess what‘s going on. I think Gaskell is trying to show that sheltering your daughters from the world leads them to situations like this. 1y

Librarybelle ⬆️ If I didn‘t have prior knowledge, I‘d be wondering the same things as everyone else! 1y

mcctrish @Librarybelle I commend Gaskell for her mission 1y

Librarybelle @mcctrish Me too! She strikes me as a woman who was strong and was willing to make people think. 1y

Bookwormjillk @Librarybelle major Tess vibes! 1y

Clare-Dragonfly I agree with @willaful and @Librarybelle. It reminds me of Sister Carrie—I read it knowing it was supposed to be super scandalous and not knowing why, and then I was so confused when it became clear to me she‘d had sex with a man, and went back a few chapters trying to figure out when that was mentioned. I think neither Gaskell nor Dreiser could have published anything more explicit; a man and woman sharing a room was enough for their readers. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly

Sister Carrie

1y

BarkingMadRead @Clare-Dragonfly @Librarybelle that makes total sense 1y

willaful @Librarybelle overly sheltering on the one hand, but also selfishly putting them potentially in harm's way and then abandoning them, like her mistress did. And.. Thomas was it? He had no words to explain to her what he was (very rightfully) afraid of. Keeping people ignorant keeps them powerless. 1y

Librarybelle Agreed, @Clare-Dragonfly . I think the audience of Gaskell‘s time would immediately draw a conclusion about sharing a room at the inn. 1y

Librarybelle Yes, @willaful ! Completely agree! 1y

Crinoline_Laphroaig I'm find Ruth's naivete annoying. I yelled at page stop being so clueless. Also she was given a room stop skulking in the hallway. And stay out of the Dragons way. 1y

rubyslippersreads I think sharing a room with a man was enough to ruin Ruth, whereas for Bellingham, although his mommy didn‘t like it, “boys will be boys.” 1y

34 likes26 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 6: everyone knows about Ruth #littlepitchers #whatalittlebrat #ruthissosad 😢 #bellinghamisaspoiledbrattoo #andnowheissick #ruthcantcatchabreak #leechkarma #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Ruthiella Poor Ruth. I do, however wish she had a little more spunk. She‘s so GOOD. 1y

Cuilin Oh my gosh, her lack of experience makes her so naïve. That is what Bellingham is taking advantage of and why are others blaming her not him.? 1y

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currentlyreadinginCO The most naive!! And Bellingham is a baby too 🙄🙄 1y

Bookwormjillk I can't decide if it's better or worse for Ruth if Baby B dies. 1y

mcctrish @Ruthiella me too! Bloody little brat punches her and she doesn‘t want to upset BELLINGHAM?! Karma is biting his ass ( and I don‘t think they are having sex, she‘d know that‘s what‘s going on wouldn‘t she ?) 1y

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish I wondered the same, like that‘s yet to come 1y

willaful @BarkingMadRead @mcctrish I don't see why he would wait.

1y

mcctrish @willaful true, should I just consider the deed done since everyone else in ‘town‘ does? 1y

willaful @mcctrish I imagine we'll find out when it becomes very horribly obvious. 😔 (edited) 1y

dabbe @willaful @mcctrish And if the deed has been done, it makes me want to 🤢 when she still calls him SIR. 1y

mcctrish @dabbe that‘s another reason why I don‘t think it‘s done ( I‘m not saying he isn‘t grooming her ) 1y

Clare-Dragonfly Ugh. I was looking forward to Bellingham abandoning Ruth when he‘s tired of her, causing her to recognize his true character. But now he‘s probably going to just die and his mom will show up and blame her for being a fallen woman and she‘ll still idolize him, when it‘s his fault that she‘s in this terrible position. 😡 1y

TheBookHippie 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢 1y

AllDebooks Ruth's naivety is so grim in the face of having to deal with Bellingham. If only she had left the inn and gone back to her childhood home instead of getting in the carriage with B 1y

rubyslippersreads Bellingham‘s mother is even more revolting than he is. 😠 1y

41 likes16 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 5: Ruthie? Also, I‘m trapped in Orlando until early Tuesday morning because our flight was cancelled due to the storm. This chapter made me a little salty 🤣 #anyway #ruthandbellinghamataninn #hereallylikesgettinghisway 🙄 #petulantlittlebaby #ruthhasasoloadventure #ilovehowsheviewedthestranger #ofcoursebellinghamseeshimdifferently #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1y

Cuilin Of course Bellingham would use the narrow social position definition of a gentleman.🙄 ugh what a charlatan. 1y

AnnCrystal 🙏💝. 1y

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currentlyreadinginCO The reading party sounds delightful, though!! 1y

Bookwormjillk @currentlyreadinginCO Yes I wanted more info on the reading party

Safe travels @barkingmadread (edited) 1y

Clare-Dragonfly A reading party sounds great, but if they were bored being stuck in the inn due to weather, I don‘t think the point of the reading party was actually reading 😂 I‘m not thrilled with the way Gaskell describes the “deformed” man, but for the time it was probably pretty good, especially since he actually seems to be a decent guy, unlike Bellingham. 1y

Clare-Dragonfly Also, I guess we‘re supposed to infer that Ruth and Bellingham are having sex at this point? The only hint is the fact that they‘re sharing a room. 1y

willaful Aww, the Foxglove Fairy!
1y

BarkingMadRead @Clare-Dragonfly probably? I wondered the same thing 1y

mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly I wondered too, but even if they aren‘t everyone assumes ( Jennie does) so Ruth is ruined 1y

Bookwormjillk @Clare-Dragonfly I think so? I wasn't sure either. 1y

rubyslippersreads I‘d like to know what a reading party really is. If it involves lots of books, tea, and snacks, it sounds delightful. But it also sounds too dull to suit the odious Mr. Bellingham. 😏 1y

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