Wives and Daughters Reading Vlog & Literary Lake District Tour

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]It's currently Monday morning. It's about 10 to 9 and I'm about to start reading Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gascal, a novel that I have wanted to read for years. I'm currently in the Lake District on holiday for a week with my family. We've been here for 2 days already and I'm here until Saturday, so I have sixish days left. And I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to document reading Wives and Daughters. I have it on my Coobo. It probably won't come up on screen. Wives and Daughters is just over, I think, 700 pages.

[00:00:44]So, it's a lengthy one. If you're not familiar with the Lake District, it is in the north of England. And it is famous for its lakes, its fells and its mountains and its literary connections.

[00:00:59]It is where Betrix Potter lived and also William Wsworth and his sister Dorothy Wsworth.

[00:01:06]I think the plan for today is to get some lunch and take a ferry across Darwin water. We might have lunch at the Lingholm estate which is famous for where Betrix Potter used to holiday as a child. And the walled gardens in Lingome were the inspiration for Mr. McGregor's garden in the Tale of Peter Rabbit. If we do go there, I will try and film some bits and pieces because of the literary connections in the Lake District. You will hopefully see some lovely literary places throughout this vlog. Right, that's it for this introduction. Let's see how much reading I can get done today.

[00:02:01][music] >> [music] [music] >> I thought I would do an evening update on my reading and on the day. I did a little bit of reading this morning as I was waiting for my dad to arrive and a little bit more this evening. We took a lovely boat trip across Darwin Water which was so nice and we had lunch at the Linghome Estate and we got to see the Wald Garden that inspired um Mr. McGregor's garden in the Tale of Peter Rabbit. They had a lovely statue of Peter Rabbit um outside the wall garden and they had like lanterns on the entrance to it. It was really lovely.

[00:02:59]I've never been there before, but the garden and the grounds was so lovely and the food was amazing. So, I think I will definitely go back. [clears throat] Bed's part stayed there, I think, as a child for like over the course of like 20 years. She would visit most summers.

[00:03:18]That's enough about my day. Terms of my reading, I'm currently in the middle of chapter five and I'm kind of getting a handle on the book. I am familiarish with the plot of Wives and Daughters because a good few years ago, I watched the adaptation or part of the adaptation and so I've left it a good few years so I could um lose my grasp on the details so I could come to it the book with a fresh pair of eyes. Currently partway through chapter five. Um, the writing is very simple, surprisingly simple, I would say, even for somebody who is very familiar with Elizabeth Gasill's writing.

[00:04:10]Um, I've been introduced to Molly and her father. The relationship is really sweet. Molly has been to the towers.

[00:04:18]She's fallen asleep and been left behind. And now we're being introduced to all of the characters in the surrounding area. Like I said, I kind of know what's coming, but I'm can't really remember how the book ends, which is good. I'm going to have some dinner, I think. And then I will try and do a couple more hours of reading before I go to sleep. I won't film them cuz I'll just be in bed reading. And I will pick this vlog up tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we're going to Hawks Head, which has a museum of the grammar school that William Wessworth attended. And I think we're going to take a walk around Sway Water and go to Hilltop Farm, which is another Beatric Potter location. That's the most famous property that she lived in. And I will see you tomorrow.

[00:05:22]>> [music] [music] >> It is currently 20 4 on Tuesday and so I thought I would do a little bit of a reading update. This morning I had a little bit of traveling around to do because we went to Hilltop Farm which is Brix Potter's home. I'll talk more about that later. I'm currently on chapter nine of Wives and Daughters. I'm starting to get more into it. And in terms of what it's like, the most obvious comparison is, I think, like Dr. Thorn by Anthony Trroll. But like I said yesterday, the writing is very simple and very straightforward as Victorian novels go. Molly is currently at the Hamlley's and one of the brothers, Roger, has arrived. Getting the impression, um, that the two brothers that the novel is introducing to us, um, one of them at least, probably Osborne will be a little bit of a cad. Molly's father will be married very shortly and I think this is where the novel begins in earnest. I've just been reading for about half an hour. I'm going to carry on reading until we make dinner a little bit later on. This morning um we went to Hilltop Farm which is Brix Potter's home in a village called near Sor. We travel down from where we're staying in Kzik. Been to Hilltop Farm a fair few times. I pretty much go every single year. I absolutely love it. It's my one of my favorite places. One of my favorite National Trust properties. The gardens are really beautiful. Um you can't film inside the house in Hilltop Farm.

[00:07:46]Everything is pretty much as is as was in Batrix Potter's time. And so to preserve that, you can't have flash photography and you can't film. The house is beautiful on the inside. There are some incredible fruit trees, apple trees, um very old apple trees in the front of the building. Inside um the cottage, it is very Victorian and there are a lot of like little trinkets, a lot of little collectibles. So, that was lovely. Outside as well is one of my favorite things about Hilltop Farm, and it is the little Peter Rabbit stop sign.

[00:08:24]There's also a lovely coffee cart there as well. Um, if you're visiting the Lake District, I really recommend it. It's absolutely lovely. While we were at Hilltop Farm, I knew I wanted to pick up a Brix Potter print because I'm redoing the wall in the study room. And I got this Jamaima Puddle Duck print. I hope that's on camera. Jamaima Puddle Duck in the f in the fox gloves. And there's a little fox just hiding there reading the newspaper. It's such a beautiful print.

[00:08:56]There was so many to choose choose from, but Jamaima Puddle Duck is a favorite of mine. I am so happy with this. They're like numbered as well. So this one is 30 or 495.

[00:09:07]They're like special edition prints. I just need to get this home safely now.

[00:09:12]Um, I'm going to carry on reading this evening. I'm also going to try and light the fire. Before I forget, this holiday cottage that we're staying in has the book that I almost bought before we came and it is called A Literary Guide to the Lake District. when you're doing research online about literary places in Cumbria. This is considered to be the Bible. It's by Gravel Lindop and this is the third edition and it has so much information per place for everywhere that we've been to. I've had a look at it in here before we've gone and it has an index of places and also an index of people um like Sinclair Lewis is in here obviously the Wsworths are um Charlotte Bronte is there's just so many people listed in here Alfred Wayne it just goes on and on and on the list of people that's just kind of the first half of the alphabet is massive If I can find this in a bookshop, um there are bookshops here in Kzik.

[00:10:27]There's my favorite bookshop in Grassmia. I will definitely get a copy of this. The only downside to this book is that it's very textheavy with not a lot of photographs and images. So, it can kind of be difficult to read from, but it is it is a really fantastic book and I think it will definitely come in handy for future visits. When we got here and I saw this, I was so happy.

[00:10:51]Just wanted to mention that in case you're looking for a good guide to to the lakes.

[00:11:03][music] [music] >> [snorts] >> Good morning. It is Wednesday and it is 10 8. I am just waiting for the right train. So, I'm going to read out in the garden for a bit this morning. It's quite chilly out here, so if we have to grab a jacket, I [snorts] am currently about 25% through wives and daughters.

[00:11:54]Um, they're just preparing for the wedding now. I have to say, I'm definitely getting more into it now that the plot is starting to advance. It's quite slow to begin with. I think Molly's father, the doctor, is really starting to annoy me, but I am getting more and more into the story. The plan for today is I'm going to meet my dad in Silverdale, which is in Lanasher, just south of the lakes. And Silverdale was the inspiration for this reading vlog because that's where Elizabeth Gascal, author of Wives and Daughters, used to holiday.

[00:12:31]There is a place in Silverdale called Lindiff Tower where um she wrote ROF the novel and I think we were going to get lunch is the lodge where she used to stay. It's now like a cafe and holiday cottages. So if you see me eating lunch there, just imagine a young Elizabeth Gascal on holiday. I'm going to grab a jacket, do some reading, and catch the train.

[00:13:06]>> [music] [music] >> Welcome to an evening update. I have traveled to Silverdale and back to Kazik. I had lunch with my dad in one of the locations where Elizabeth Gasco used to holiday. It's now like a cafe and holiday cottages, but it's lovely. We also took a lovely walk and went past Lindiff Tower where Elizabeth Gasco wrote roof. So I had a lovely lovely time. I because I've been doing quite a lot of traveling on the train and also on the bus to get myself from the north of the Lake District down to um Lancaster just south south of the lakes where my dad lives. I remembered that I had that I [clears throat] have the audio book of wives and daughter of wives and daughters that I bought last year. I specifically got this one. It's the Penguin Black Classic one because it's narrated by I think it's Laura Atkin Alen potentially. She is the actress who plays Sonia and Gavin and Stacy.

[00:14:45]And when I listened to the preview of her narrating, I knew it was going to be the audio book for me. So, I've listened to quite a lot of that on the train. Um, what I do sometimes is when I have the audio book of something that I'm also reading, um, I can't read on the bus or the train because I get really badly travel sick. I will just then come back and line up my Coobo. So, I'm now about 40% of the way through Wives and Daughters. I'm absolutely loving it now and I'm so glad that that's the case because I was a little bit worried at the beginning that this might not be the book for me. But now I'm absolutely hooked and I've fallen in love with Molly as a heroine. There's just something about novels set in like 19th century provincial England that I absolutely adore. And this is making me more than anything want to reread Middle March. Um, I'm actually planning on going to see there is a theater production of Middle March in Stratford upon Haven in October and November. It's in two parts. They've wisely split it up. So, I'm going to go see that in October hopefully for VTober and I want to reread the book ahead of that. And this is just putting me so in the mood for it. In terms of plot, I'm about to give a little bit of a spoiler. So, if you've not read Wives and Daughters, please skip ahead like 30 seconds. But I now know that Osborne Hamley is a little bit of a card. And because this is a Victorian novel, he has of course rung up debts with every tradesman in Cambridge. Molly's father has now married Cla or Mrs. Kpatrick and her daughter Cynthia has arrived in Hollingford. Um, I when I got back on the train on my way home, I was just so excited to carry on listening to the audio book. So, I can see now why so many people love this one. And also, I think that this is a really accessible classic because it's just so easy to read. I think probably easier than North and South. I think probably Northern South still has the number one spot for me in terms of my favorite Elizabeth Gasco novels, but I am thoroughly enjoying myself now. We're going to go out and get some dinner um at a lovely pub just down the road called the Royal Oak whose menu looks amazing. And then tonight, I think I'm going to I just got some more logs and some fire lighters.

[00:17:16]I'm going to light the fire, read downstairs, and then have a read in bed.

[00:17:21]I would love to I don't want to be too prescriptive with this reading vlog.

[00:17:26]Like I don't want to push myself to rush through the novel to have it finished by [clears throat] Saturday, which is when I plan this reading vlog to end. Um but I would like to get to about 50 or 60% this evening, which I think will take the pressure off towards the end of the week. If I don't finish the novel by Saturday, I will carry on this vlog and finish it at home. But I am having a lovely time reading this. And I'm actually really enjoying doing the reading vlog as well. So hopefully I will do some more of these. Right, I will stop blabbering on and I will see you probably tomorrow morning for a reading update.

[00:18:17]>> [music] >> Good [snorts] morning. It is 10 10 on Thursday morning. Last night we watched Miss Potter, which is a film about Bertrix Potter. Um did a little bit of reading before bed. Done a good amount of reading this morning.

[00:18:37]Um, the plot is advancing quite quickly now. Cynthia is in Hollingford and there's a little bit of in intrigue between her and Mr. Preston. I'm still really enjoying it. Um, the only thing I would say about Wives and Daughters is is that I don't think that the town of Hollingford is as vivid as I would like it to be.

[00:19:01]Like there's not a lot of detail on the town or the surrounding areas. It's mainly focused on the characters. That's just personal preference, but obviously my comparison for this type of novel will always be Middle March, which to me is perfect. Travel into Grassmia. So, when we're on the bus, I will listen to my audio book for a little bit. We're going to go for a little walk. I think there's a lovely bookshop in Grassmia called Sam Reads. One of my favorite bookshops. So, have a little look in there. And then I think we're just going to take it easy for the day. Probably get some lunch. Then I'll come back here and do a little bit more reading. The only other thing of note is that Osborne Hamley, who I think a few days ago I said was the kind of generic Victorian CAD, I think he's more useless than a CAD. He actually seems quite sweet now. So, um, yeah, potentially a little bit weak and a little bit hopeless, but I don't think he's a CAD.

[00:20:01]Um, I don't want to give away too many spoilers in this. So, yeah, still enjoying it. I think I'm over the halfway mark now, which is fantastic.

[00:20:10]Um, a nice chilled out day. So, hopefully we'll get a few books and we'll do quite a lot of reading. I will see you all um later on for an evening reading update.

[00:20:30]>> [music] [music] [music] >> It is half 7 on Thursday night. I've not done that much reading today, so we don't have too much to add in terms of an update on wives and daughters, but I did want to go through some of the books that I bought while I while I've been here. On Sunday, I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but on Sunday, we went to Brandtwood, which is the home of John Ruskin. That's on Connisson Lake. John Ruskin was a Victorian historian, poet, um, naturalist. Um, Brentwood is really interesting. He is quite the Victorian eccentric. And while I was there, I got this book by Susan Suzanne Cooper to see clearly why Ruskin matters. I'm not sure if that'll pick up on screen. This is a work of non-fiction and it's split into chapters. So there's a chapter on his um writings on architecture, on drawing, on seeing um on working. Um, it looks really it looks like a really sweet book and I am curious to know more about him. So, I got that from Brandtwood. I also got from Brandtwood Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransom. That is because to get to Brandwood you have to get yourself to Connissson which is a lake in the Lake District. And then to get to Brandwood you have to get the boat over there. Um, and the boat is a tour around Conniston Lake and it goes past the island that is Wildcat Island in Swallows and Amazon's Offer Ransom use Conniss and Water as the inspiration. I've never read this, but I really feel like I should have done. Um, and so I'm quite curious to get to it, especially now I've seen Wildcat Island. Um, so that is a children's classic for me to read. I might read that after wives and daughters actually as a little bit of light relief. And then from today in Grassmia, I picked up the faximile edition of To the Lighthouse by Virginia Wolf. This time last year exactly, I picked up Mrs. Doway and a room of review in the exact same editions. These are the original Vanessa Bell illustrated edition. So everything from the cover down to the tight face and this um matches the original. These were published for her centinery last year.

[00:23:33]Um so I'm really happy happy I have this. I almost ordered this about a month ago online. So when I walked into Sam Reed, which is a bookshop in it, I knew I would have to get it. And the cover is so lovely. And then I also got another of the mermaid collection um books. This is Lucy Carmichael by Margaret Kennedy. If you watched my um classic crime for spring, I had three recommendations and one of them was a part of the mermaid um series which was Answer the Negative by Henrietta Hamilton. I'm really keen to get to the rest in the series and this is one I had my eye on. Um, so I'm delighted that they had it. It's longer than I thought it would be. Um, Margaret Kennedy is probably most famous for the concert nymph. So, yes, I'm very excited to get to this one. I would love to read a good few of the ones in the mermaid series.

[00:24:31]So, I could do Oh, I have a free bookmark. So, I could do a video on which ones I recommend. So, four books in total. I think that's probably all the books I will get on this trip cuz I will try and behave myself. Um, I'm going to just have a nice evening and try and do some reading in bed. So, I will see you all tomorrow.

[00:24:57]It is around4 9 on Friday the 8th of May. Um, we have a really chilled out day planned today. We're going to head to Bassin Lake and on Bassin Lake is one of my favorite churches called St. Bea.

[00:25:13]That was a church originally built, I think, in the 12th or 13th century. It was restored in the late 19th century.

[00:25:22]It's a beautiful church. It's on the shores of the lake. The churchyard is stunning, and they actually leave the church open um all day and all night for walkers and travelers to visit. So, that will be lovely. I think we'll also get a coffee and a cake in um Maya House Cafe as well. One of the things I didn't mention yesterday was that in Grassmia they have Grassmia gingerbread which you should have seen. So I did get some.

[00:25:51]This is what it looks like. Grassmia gingerbread is famous because they use the same recipe that they did um in the 19th century in the Victorian era. Um I bought myself some which I'll take home with me for a little treat when I go home and also my dad some as well. You have to dip it in your tea otherwise it's a little bit hard and crumbly but is absolutely lovely. If ever you're in the Lake District and you know Grass Mia I definitely recommend it. It's in a beautiful old um school room schoolhouse as well. So it's lovely. While we were in Grassmia we also went to the church in the churchyard and they have the graves of William Wdsworth and Dorothy Wdsworth. They're kind of indistinct now. Um, but you should see them on screen if I insert a little bit of footage.

[00:26:39]I read a little bit um before bed last night. So, currently Roger Hamley and Osborne Hamley are trying to get up some money so that their father, the squire, who isn't in the best state, um they're all a bit languid, a bit depressed, can carry on with his drainage works. with Wives and Daughters being a Victorian novel, there's an awful lot about um drainage and trains and [laughter] all of that, which actually I find really fascinating. So, that's not too much of a problem. Um going to head off and then I think I'm going to come back and just read for the rest of the day and just really take it easy. So, I will see you all a little bit later.

[00:27:37]>> [music] [music] [music] >> It's Now about4 3 we went to St. beers this morning and that is the church that you will see have seen on the footage um which is on the shore of bassinet lake that is a famous location it's next to my house historic house and gardens the words visited there tennis just so many of the famous kind of lake romantic poets um think I mentioned earlier it's from the 12th or the 13th century and I think it got renovated in the Victorian era would definitely recommend. I've got a lovely card from there to frame as well.

[00:28:34]While we were on the way, I also got some new tea from the High Summit Tea Company in Kzik. I got the Black Rose Tea, Rose Emperor, and I've tried it already and it is really lovely. I also really wanted the cream L gray, but they only had them in the big sizes, so I picked up this one. just been sat reading for about an hour and a half and I have about four and a half hours left of wives and daughters.

[00:29:04]This is a really interesting one because it's quite focused on the appearance of things, first impressions, hasty marriages. Um there is in terms of the plot quite a lot going on now. It has kind of sped up a little bit. Um my thoughts haven't really changed. I really like Molly as a heroine. I think Cynthia, her uh stepsister, is really interesting. Quite keen to crack on and finish this today.

[00:29:34]We don't have anything else planned for today. My only aims I have are to finish my book, to light a fire, and to make some dinner. We go home tomorrow. I think I probably can get this finished if I crack on by this time tomorrow. I also wanted to mention that my favorite Pphanie book cover which I now have been using for my Kindle. This was in my I think my bookish favorites from earlier this year. This has come so in handy with coming away from home and with traveling a lot around the lakes. I absolutely adore this. Going to get a second one so I can keep my commonplace journal and my journal in it as well.

[00:30:18]Right, let's crack on and do some reading.

[00:30:25][music] [music] It's about 10 to 8 on Saturday the 9th of May. I did finish Wives and Daughters yesterday. I think all told I did about 6 and 1/2 hours of reading yesterday, which after a week of bubbing around here, there, and everywhere was actually lovely. And I had a lovely evening just sat by the fire reading. I need to wrap this up quite quickly because I do have to go and catch my train home. But I think all told I enjoyed reading Wives and Daughters. I actually think it was the perfect choice for a holiday read because it's not too serious. It's mainly about the plot and the kind of intrigue and the romance. So all of those factors I really enjoyed. I will say that um North and South definitely remains my favorite Elizabeth Gascal novel. I know for a lot of people it is wives and daughters. I just didn't feel like for me on a first reading this one had the same like depth and texture.

[00:31:53]Everything from Hollingford not really being as vividly realized as Milton. So, I'm definitely currently in the north and south camp. In terms of how things wrapped up, I was aware that Elizabeth Gascal died as she was writing the ending to Wives and Daughters. So, I knew that it would um have kind of an an abrupt kind of wrapping up ending as somebody else stepped in to finish it off. But in terms of the plot, things ended as I expected they would be. I think one of the things that I wasn't as keen on for me, Roger Hamley wasn't as engaging as a hero as I would have liked him to be. Um, I did love Molly as a heroine and I also really loved um the squire as well, the Squire of Hamley. I liked how his story ended. There's probably all types of things I could go into, but this isn't a standalone alone review, so I'll save them potentially for another video to talk about my favorite Elizabeth Gasal novels, short stories. Um, that is it for this reading vlog. Thank you so much for watching if you've made it to the end. I hope you've enjoyed it, and I will see you all in the next video. Bye.