This short novel was written in 1853, and it definitely reads that way. Centered on the small English town of Cranford, the book explores the inner lives of several gentrified "spinsters". Important for its time, the story diverts from the typical romance, and celebrates the value of all women in a time when women's personal value was defined by their marriage and children. While the first half of the book is slow, everyone agreed that it was worth slogging through it. What initially appears meandering is in fact deliberate and highly structured.