{"product_id":"2026100012117-secondhand-cranford","title":"Cranford","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePages: Yellowed\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the quiet, genteel village of Cranford, where the social order is lovingly maintained by a community of independent women, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Gaskell chronicles a world of small ceremonies, tender friendships, and gentle comedy that belies the sweeping changes of Victorian England. Narrated with warmth and sharp wit by Mary Smith, the novel presents the daily lives of its inhabitants — most notably the indomitable Miss Matty Jenkyns — as they navigate financial hardship, lost loves, and the encroachment of modernity with remarkable dignity and grace.\n\nFirst serialised in Charles Dickens' journal Household Words between 1851 and 1853, Cranford stands as one of Gaskell's most beloved and enduring works, illustrating her masterful ability to find profound humanity in the seemingly ordinary. Her prose is at once intimate and observational, capturing the rhythms of small-town life with an affection that never tips into sentimentality. This Heron Books edition, complete with an introduction by David Ascoli, invites readers to discover why this quietly radical portrait of female community and resilience has captivated generations of readers — and what secrets the drawing rooms of Cranford have yet to reveal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51070622269659,"sku":"2026100012117-SECONDHAND","price":12.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/afdd8699-90e2-47f5-a1e5-d97a387f897d.png?v=1794188107","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100012117-secondhand-cranford","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}