Mary Barton is the daughter of a proud and militant trade unionist. When she finds herself torn between two men, one a workingclass friend and the other the son of a wealthy mill owner, it becomes clear that class and love are deeply, if regretfully, connected in Victorian Manchester.

With its vivid depiction of 19th-century Manchester and its stirring study of the struggles of the working class, Mary Barton remains a timeless classic that continues to resonate with contemporary audiences.

Elizabeth Gaskell [1810 - 1865], born in London, England, grew up with her aunt in Knutsford, just outside Manchester. She later married William Gaskell, who was a pastor in Manchester. Among her circle of friends were Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë. Among her most famous works are Cranford and Wives and Daughters.