Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
34 used & new from £4.99

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Sylvia's Lovers (Penguin Classics)
 
 

Sylvia's Lovers (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Shirley Foster (Introduction) "On the north-eastern shores of England there is a town called Monkshaven,1 containing at the present day about fifteen thousand inhabitants ..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.50 (35%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, July 16? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
26 new from £5.32 8 used from £4.99
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 5 used & new from £34.07
Paperback (New edition) 13 used & new from £0.21
Library Binding Order it used
Audio Cassette Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

Sylvia's Lovers (Penguin Classics) + Ruth (Penguin Classics) + Wives and Daughters (Wordsworth Classics)
Price For All Three: £15.17

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Ruth (Penguin Classics)

Ruth (Penguin Classics)

by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
4.8 out of 5 stars (4)  £6.69
Wives and Daughters (Wordsworth Classics)

Wives and Daughters (Wordsworth Classics)

by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
4.6 out of 5 stars (12)  £1.99
North and South (Wordsworth Classics)

North and South (Wordsworth Classics)

by Elizabeth Gaskell
4.1 out of 5 stars (24)  £1.99
Mary Barton (Oxford World's Classics)

Mary Barton (Oxford World's Classics)

by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £6.29
Gothic Tales

Gothic Tales

by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.14
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (30 Sep 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140434224
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140434224
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 29,606 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #9 in  Books > Fiction > The Classics > Gaskell, Elizabeth
    #84 in  Books > Fiction > Women Writers & Fiction > Women Authors
  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Product Description
Elizabeth Gaskell’s only historical novel, Sylvia’s Lovers, is set in 1790 in the seaside town of Monkshaven (Whitby) where press-gangs wreak havoc by seizing young men for service in the Napoleonic wars. One of their victims is whaling harpooner, Charley Kinraid, whose charm and vivacity have captured the heart of Sylvia Robson. But Sylvia’s devoted cousin, Philip Hepburn, hopes to marry her himself and, in order to win her, deliberately withholds crucial information – with devastating consequences. With its themes of suffering, unrequited love, and the clash between desire and duty, Sylvia’s Lovers is one of the most powerfully moving of all Gaskell’s novels, reputedly described by its author as ‘the saddest story I ever wrote’.

About the Author
Elizabeth Gaskell wrote much social and realist fiction during the nineteenth century, having attracted the attention of Dickens when she wrote for his journal Household Works Shirley Foster is a Senior Lecturer in English and American Literature at the University of Sheffield. She has published widely, notably on Victorian women's fiction, Edith Wharton and female travel literature. Shirley Foster is a Senior Lecturer in English and American Literature at the University of Sheffield. She has published widely, notably on Victorian women's fiction, Edith Wharton and female travel literature.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
On the north-eastern shores of England there is a town called Monkshaven,1 containing at the present day about fifteen thousand inhabitants. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Sylvia's Lovers (Penguin Classics)
55% buy the item featured on this page:
Sylvia's Lovers (Penguin Classics) 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£6.49
Ruth (Penguin Classics)
16% buy
Ruth (Penguin Classics) 4.8 out of 5 stars (4)
£6.69
Wives and Daughters (Wordsworth Classics)
14% buy
Wives and Daughters (Wordsworth Classics) 4.6 out of 5 stars (12)
£1.99
North and South (Wordsworth Classics)
12% buy
North and South (Wordsworth Classics) 4.1 out of 5 stars (24)
£1.99

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A tragic tale of doomed lovers, 26 Mar 2009
By Mr. Paul R. Brodrick "Brodders" (Bromsgrove UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This historical novel, set in Whitby at the end of the 18th century but written in the middle of the 19th century, could be seen as Mrs Gaskell's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles', featuring as it does characters whose lives are torn apart by misunderstandings and fate. Sylvia loves Charley Kinraid but instead marries her cousin Philip, believing Kinraid to have been taken by a press gang or lost at sea. But she can never love Philip in the way she does Kinraid and when she discovers it was Philip's duplicity that led her to believe Kinraid was dead she cannot forgive him. Philip then abandons her to fight in the war against the French in Aden, later to return disfigured and destitute, living in abject poverty until fate finally reveals his presence to Sylvia only when he is mortally wounded. Only then does she find it in her heart to forgive him, having already been forsaken by the faithless Kinraid.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars my favourite ever book (and i've read lots of them!!), 7 Jun 2008
this is a true classic in every sense....beautiful characters, tragedy and joy, elation and despair...it is emotional rollercoaster in book and i highly recommend it. Don't let the size put you off, it is brilliant throughout
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Really Touching, 19 Mar 2007
This was the first Gaskell book I read and I was not disappointed. Gaskell has written in such a way you can't help but feel Sylvia's emotions. Even when we're certain she's acting in a way we would not advise, as readers we're made to sympathise with Sylvia. I honestly have to say though, had I been a character in this novel and found out Phillip's deception, I would have put a bullet through his heart, love is supposedly selfless, Phillip's love is selfish, I can only fault Gaskell by making Phillip the `hero'. He just came across as whiny and irritating to me.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Sylvia\'s Lovers

Sylvia\'s Lovers

This Elibron Classics book is a reprint of a 1886 edition by Smith... Read more
£9.99 £8.99

Find similar items

 

More From Andrew Sanders

A Tale of...

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

This popular series of readers has now been completely revised and... Read more
£1.99

 

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates