Mr Harrison’s Confessions is a novella often described as a prequel to Gaskell’s longer novel, Cranford. Published in 1851, it’s the story of a young doctor and his adventures in the provincial town of Duncombe – and at just over 100 pages it can easily be read in an afternoon.
In the first chapter, Mr Harrison agrees to entertain his friend, Charles, with the story of how he and his wife met. While his wife goes upstairs to put the baby to bed, Mr Harrison begins his tale, starting with his arrival in Duncombe as a newly qualified surgeon. After becoming a partner in Mr Morgan’s medical practice, Mr Harrison gets to know his patients, many of whom are unmarried women. Needless to say, the appearance of a handsome young man in a small, rural community causes a lot of excitement and it’s not long before Mr Harrison has attracted the attentions of several of Duncombe’s female residents. Unfortunately, though, none of them is Sophy, the vicar’s pretty daughter and the only girl Mr Harrison himself is interested in…
Mr Harrison’s Confessions is a lovely, witty story and although it is not actually set in Cranford, but in a similar small town, it has all the humour and charm I remember enjoying when I read Cranford. There’s not a lot of plot, but what you’ll find instead is a mixture of domestic scenes, funny anecdotes and moments of poignancy and sadness: the same combination that makes Cranford such a success.
For such a short book, Gaskell also manages to incorporate a good variety of interesting characters into the story, from Mr Morgan, the traditional country doctor with a suspicion of modern medicine, to Mr Harrison’s friend, Jack, who is fond of practical jokes, and the widowed housekeeper, Mrs Rose, obsessed by the memory of her late husband. The only disappointment is that Sophy, the woman Mr Harrison loves, is kept in the shadows and we don’t have an opportunity to really see romance blossoming between them.
While this is the same type of book as Cranford, the characters are different and it’s certainly not necessary to read one before the other. For those readers who enjoyed Cranford and want to return to that world, Mr Harrison’s Confessions should satisfy your craving, but I also think it might be a good introduction to Gaskell’s work for newcomers who don’t want to commit to a longer novel.
Thanks to Hesperus Press for my copy of Mr Harrison’s Confessions.
She Reads Novels 
OOOh! A Gaskell I haven’t read. What a treat to look forward to.
I hadn’t even heard of it until I was offered a review copy of it a few weeks ago. There’s another book – My Lady Ludlow – which is also described as a ‘Cranford novella’ and which I’m also looking forward to reading at some point.
Thanks for the recommendation. I have yet to read anything by Gaskell. While I don’t mind committing to a longer book, I think this would be a good place for me to start.
I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Gaskell so far, so I don’t think you can go wrong wherever you decide to start!
I have never heard of this Gaskell but if it is similar to Cranford than I’m sure it’s delightful. I will have to see if I can find a copy.
Delightful is exactly the right word to describe this book! It’s very similar to Cranford, though the fact that it has a male narrator rather than female gives it a slightly different feel.
This is the second time.I have seen this mentioned and now I really really want it.
I think this is probably your sort of book. 🙂 Hope you get a chance to read it!
Thank you for reminding me about this. I loved Cranford, I knew there were other stories but that fact went right out of my head.
If you loved Cranford I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too. 🙂
I recently picked up Cranford at a used bookstore because you said it’d be a good Gaskell to start with; this sounds like a fun companion piece to that one. I’m looking forward to reading both! Thanks for the recommendations!
Oh, I hope you enjoy Cranford! If you do, then I’d definitely recommend reading this one too.
Very nice review, Helen, this goes to my TBR pile. I haven’t read anything by Gaskell yet but this seems like a perfect place to start.
Yes, I think this might be a good place to start, though if you want to try one of her full-length novels Cranford is great too.
This sounds delightful. I really must get on with reading something by Gaskell as they sound like my cup of tea.
I think you would enjoy both this book and Cranford, Jessica. 🙂