Set in a coastal English town during the early phases of the Napoleonic Wars in the 1790s,
Sylvia’s Lovers follows the complicated love life of a young woman. Sylvia Robson lives a very happy life with her parents on a farm. Her cousin, a kind but dull Quaker man named Philip, loves her dearly, but Sylvia’s heart is captured by a handsome sailor named Charlie. As they grow closer, Charlie and Sylvia become secretly engaged. However, when Charlie is forced into enlisting in the Navy, he tells Philip, who witnesses the event, about their engagement and asks him to give Sylvia a message. Jealous and heartbroken, Philip decides not to tell Sylvia what happened. After a while, Sylvia assumes that Charlie’s abrupt disappearance must mean that he had died. Filled with sorrow, Philip helps Sylvia through her mourning. Thankful for his support, Sylvia decides to marry Philip and together they have a daughter. They live a happy life together until the inevitable happens—Charlie returns. After hearing Charlie’s story, Sylvia is enraged and rejects Philip, kicking him out of their house. He becomes desperate to redeem himself, though Sylvia is deeply hurt by the manipulation and betrayal, feeling unable to forgive him. However, as she reunites with Charlie, entertaining the idea of the two living their life together as planned, something feels off. Realizing that both she and Charlie have changed, Sylvia is conflicted as her choices each feel wrong in different ways. As the Napoleonic wars rage on, tensions grow as Sylvia tries to decide between her lovers.
Featuring beautiful and dramatic prose, Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell is a powerful and moving piece of literature. Though it is lesser known than some of her other work, Gaskell’s mastery shines through with the novel’s incredible heart and interesting and authentic depictions of working-class characters. With themes of love and sacrifice, Sylvia’s Lovers continues to reach even modern-day audiences.
This edition of Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell is now presented in an easy-to-read font and features a striking new cover design. With these accommodations, modern audiences are provided a lavish and accessible reading experience.
