Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell
Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell
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Ruth

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrator: James Harrington

Unabridged: 15 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/11/2025

Synopsis

"Ruth" by Elizabeth Gaskell is a poignant novel exploring morality and societal judgment in 19th-century England. Ruth Hilton, an orphaned seamstress, is seduced and abandoned by wealthy Henry Bellingham. Shunned after giving birth out of wedlock, she finds kindness from Mr. and Mrs. Benson, who offer her refuge. As Ruth strives for redemption through hard work and compassion, her past haunts her, threatening her newfound life. Gaskell challenges Victorian hypocrisy, portraying Ruth as a sympathetic victim of circumstance rather than a sinner, while emphasizing the power of forgiveness and humanity.

About Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) was born in London but grew up in the north of England in the village of Knutsford. In 1832, she married the Reverend William Gaskell and had four daughters and one son who died in infancy. Her first novel, Mary Barton, was published in 1848 and won the attention of Charles Dickens; most of her later work was published in his journals. Among her notable works are the novels North and South and Cranford, as well as her famous biography The Life of Charlotte Bronte.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily May on September 29, 2025

I so wanted to like this one. I'm a sucker for a classic "fallen woman" tragedy and all the horror and unfairness that goes with it-- the sexism, the hypocrisy, the double standards! But nope, this book very quickly becomes boring and the titular Ruth is the issue. The problem is actually really eas......more

Goodreads review by Cindy on September 03, 2025

Perhaps this is a book to be read at the right time. For me it was like a fresh breeze amid all the clamor and confusion of modern life. It was almost devotional. Cathartic.......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on October 10, 2023

I finish this with tears on my cheeks. A heartbreaking ending, but a deeply redemptive one, a radiant close. ** A friend of mine noted that Elizabeth Gaskell's novels are so different from each other. I have read North and South, Cranford, Wives and Daughters, and now Ruth, and I agree. I knew Elizabe......more

Goodreads review by Katie on March 01, 2017

Gaskell as always is brilliant. I love her characterisation and dialogue and Ruth is a fascinating, interesting read, especially in terms of its discussion of morality, gender and sexuality in Victorian society.......more

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