Cranford

An old-fashioned comic novel, Cranford is a portrait of the residents of an English country town in the mid-1800s. Miss Deborah and Miss Matty, two unmarried middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances, are the main characters. The story is told through a series of vignettes, which describe events such as the raising of money for new organs in the parish church or Captain Brown's death. Written with acute observation, Cranford is affectionate, moving, and darkly satirical.