*** Please note that this event is now online only, via Zoom.***

Our Chair, Dr Diane Duffy will be discussing Sylvia’s Lovers  for the 2023-24 Knutsford season.

Gaskell’s only historical novel, Sylvia’s Lovers is set in the fictional coastal town of Monkshaven, against a backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.

Sylvia Robson lives a simple enough life on the farm, when she meets Charlie Kinraid, a dashing seaman. After their secret engagement, Kinraid vanishes and Sylvia is left broken-hearted and abandoned. Is her faithful cousin Philip telling the truth? Will his lie be found out before it’s too late?

Published in 1863, Sylvia’s Lovers is one of  Gaskell’s lesser-known novels, which she described as “the saddest story I ever wrote.”

In this, the first of six sessions, Diane will be covering Chapters 1-7 inclusive. Read her discussion Points to Ponder here. 

Diane has compiled a list of quotes from the first seven chapters – read it here.  

You’ll receive a Zoom link with your ticket. 

Everyone is most welcome. £5 members, £6 non-members