If you had to describe "North and South," it would probably be something like "Jane Austen with more sociopolitical content." 
 That sounds painfully dry and unromantic, but Elizabeth Gaskell managed expertly to wind together a tempestuous romance with a story about mills, workers and unions in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. While the beginning is a bit slow, and the ending a bit abrupt, the rich prose and passionate central relationship really make this an arresting piece of work. 
 After a decade living in London, Margaret Hale returns to the idyllic country village of Helstone to live with her parents. But then her father declares that he is leaving the Church of England out of vague religious scruples, and is instead becoming a classical tutor. Unfortunately for Margaret, this means moving to the dirty, hardscrabble northern town of Milton, which contains several mills and manufacturing businesses. 
 Her father's first pupil is Mr. Thornton, who worked his way up out of poverty through brains and hard work, and now owns a cotton mill. Thornton considers Margaret proud and snobby, and she dislikes him because she believes he's unfair and harsh to his workers. 
 And she's not the only one -- the dissatisfied workers of Milton have begun to rebel against their employers, forming a union and going on strike. Thornton finds himself in the middle of the conflict, even as Margaret struggles to help her ailing mother -- and despite being on different sides of the increasingly heated conflict, the two of them begin to fall in love. But misunderstandings, class differences and tragedy stand in their way. 
 "North and South" is relatively obscure, compared to works by the Brontes or Jane Austen. That's a shame, because Elizabeth Gaskell's story can be considered as gripping and romantic as theirs -- a love that has to triumph over snobbery, class differences, prejudice and the whole weird situation with Margaret's brother. Like the immortal Lizzie and Darcy, Thornton and Margaret start off disliking each other, but gradually see each other's worth in their actions and passionate debates. 
 What sets this book apart from other period romances is the whole plot about the workers and industrialists. This book was published after the flowering of the Industrial Revolution, when labor in mills and factories was cheap and dangerous, and there were no laws or safety regulations to protect people. It would be easy to just demonize the big nouveau riche guys like Thornton, but Gaskell makes a genuine effort to show both sides of the conflict -- neither side is all nobility or all villainy. 
 And it deepens the relationship between Thornton and Margaret, because their clash is over real societal issues. In Austenian style, both of them must change their attitudes before they can find happiness -- the strong-willed Thornton must learn more compassion and understanding for his workers, and the fiery, romantic Margaret must learn to appreciate people not for what their profession is, but who they truly are. 
 This applies to some of the other characters as well, who are given plenty of dimension -- the bombastic Higgins, a leader of the unions who is softened by Margaret's kindness; Thornton's crusty mother; and Margaret's dying friend who gives her time in Milton some purpose. 
 Gaskell's writing can be a little dense at times, like most Victorian novels where people were paid by the word. But she manages to use them pretty effectively, scattering moments of bleak poetry ("Senseless and purposeless were wood and iron and steam in their endless labours") amidst the dramatic dialogue and intricate descriptions. The only problem is the ending -- while it finishes in a satisfactory way, the final scene is so... abrupt. Boom, it's over. You'd expect a final epilogue to tell you what happens next, but it never happens. 
 Despite the abrupt ending, "North and South" is a rich, layered novel where romantic passions clash with serious societal issues -- think "Pride and Prejudice," but with class issues and lots of factories.