What's On

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House Book Group Online

The friendly online Book Group at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House focuses mainly on reading classic works of fiction from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Our intention is to provide a varied and stimulating set of novels, all of which are well worth reading – or re-reading – and which cater for a diverse range of tastes. We warmly welcome newcomers to the group, whether to join in conversations about one or two particular novels, or to attend meetings on a more regular basis.

In 2026 the core of the programme consists of six 19th century classics taken from the canon of English literature. We’ll also be discussing one celebrated early English novel (Moll Flanders); an early 20th century novel (Victory); and three texts taken from other European literatures. These are Germinal (France), Dr Zhivago (Russia) and Star of the Sea (Ireland), which was published in 2002 but is set in 1847. We hope these carefully chosen novels will stimulate our readers’ interest, engage their empathy and provoke lively discussion.

Book group activities are co-ordinated by Mike Chidley, a volunteer at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, and the monthly meetings are all chaired by volunteers who are regular members of the group. We meet on Zoom (limited to 20 people) in order to facilitate the participation of readers from all over the UK and beyond. Our meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month from 1.00pm to 2.15pm, apart from August (holiday) and December (second Thursday).

**Sessions are held online via Zoom. You will be sent the login details on your e-ticket. Please check your spam folder for link email from Ticketsource**

£4.50 per session
Booking will close 1 hour before the group meets.

2025 Reading List

• November 20 2025 The History of Henry Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray (1852) Book via this link
• December 11 2025 A Legacy by Sybille Bedford (1956) Book via this link

2026 Reading List

• January 15         Felix Holt, the Radical by George Eliot, 1866 Book via this link here
• February 19        Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, 1838 Book via this link here
• March 19            Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, 1847 Book via this link here
• April 16                Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, 1722 Book via this link here
• May 21                 Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope, 1869 Book via this link here
• June 18               The Antiquary by Walter Scott, 1816 Book via this link here
• July 16                 Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, 1957 Book via this link here
• August    Holiday        
• September 17    Germinal by Emile Zola, 1885 Book via this link here
• October 15         Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor, 2002 Book via this link
• November 19 2026    The Manchester Man by Isabella Banks, 1876 Book via this link
• December 10 2026   Victory by Joseph Conrad, 1915 Book via this link

You can also support the House by buying books and gifts from our online shop via this link.

Keep the Pages Turning

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is run by Manchester Historic Buildings Trust (charity no. 1080606) and all money gained through private tours, talks, room hire and ticket sales goes towards the ongoing maintenance and running costs of the House. If you would like to support the House with an additional donation you can do so via this link.