Paperback
A fallen woman’s secret and struggle for redemption.
Pre-Order

$46.68

  • Paperback

    480 pages

  • Release Date

    8 December 2026

Check Delivery Options

Summary

This overlooked, prescient masterpiece from the author of North and South is a revolutionary and tenderhearted portrait of a “fallen woman”-now featuring a brilliant introduction by Rufi Thorpe.

When good-natured yet headstrong orphan Ruth Hilton catches the eye of a society man—Henry Bellingham—she feels like her life is finally beginning. Leaving behind the dressmakers shop where she stitched her life away with the other girls, she allows Mr. Bellingham’s love and attention nourish …

Book Details

ISBN-13:9798217197408
Author:Elizabeth Gaskell, Rufi Thorpe
Publisher:Random House USA Inc
Imprint:Modern Library Inc
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:480
Release Date:8 December 2026
Weight:359g
Dimensions:132mm x 203mm
Series:Modern Library Torchbearers
A-Format
B-Format
Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell - ISBN: 9798217197408
132 × 203 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Ruth’s impact runs as deeply as it did when it inspired such outrage upon its publication. Its story of a young woman living under the tyranny of social propriety feels fresh and compelling, yet the spiritual depth and grace of its main character is timeless. Ruth is a skillfully told, deeply flavored piece of enriched outrage, a reminder that we can all work to transcend the senseless cycles of shame and scorn our societies use to yoke women—and it should be a classic.”—Kayla Rae Whitaker, author of Returns and Exchanges

About The Author

Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell was born in London in 1810. In 1832 she married William Gaskell, with whom she had four daughters. For over a decade, she wrote for Charles Dickens’s magazine Household Words, where she serially published North and South in its first format. Her other works include the novels Mary Barton, Cranford, Ruth, and Wives and Daughters, as well as a biography of Charlotte Bronte. She died in 1865.

Rufi Thorpe is the author of five novels: The Girls from Corona Del Mar, Dear Fang, With Love, The Knockout Queen, and Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which has been adapted for television by A24 and Apple TV. She received her MFA from the University of Virginia, and now lives in California with her husband and two sons.

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.