Wives and Daughters is Mrs Gaskell's last novel (doesn't the name Mrs Gaskell make her sound a little different from JANE Austen, or CHARLOTTE Bronte?!) and is in fact unfinished. But don't let that put you off as only the final chapter is missing. The story follows Molly Gibson, a young, contemplative and slightly 'worthy' young girl. Her father remarries, bringing a new step-mother and -sister to Molly. The book concentrates (as with many Gaskell books) on the relationships of the three women. Molly's step-mother is a painfully weak and manipulative woman, but by far the most interesting character is the step-sister Cynthia. With Cynthia, Gaskell walks the line between an often likeable character and someone who seems at heart selfish. This intriguing characterisation makes the book, because it removes the predictability there might otherwise have been. Elizabeth Gaskell died before finishing the novel, but only the tying up of ends remains and she communicated her plans to her editor and these are included in the book. This story has depth and deft charactisation and is a joy to devour!