The major obstacle she faced was the indomitable figure of Holtby's mother, Alice, the first woman alderman of the East Riding. We are members one of another": Holtby's message is all the more remarkable when one considers that it was written as she faced death.

There are people dying in childbirth - people dying of tuberculosis - there are social problems galore. Winifred Holtby was a committed socialist and feminist who wrote the classic South Riding as a warm yet sharp social critique of the well-to-do farming community she was born into. The dry as dust subject of council meetings brings to life the impact decisions have on individual lives, from making improvements to the local secondary school to where to build a new road or a new hospital.In this context with Carne there is one piece of information, a marital rape, which the reader knows (eventually), but This isn't a book about politicking, but it is a story involving local government during a time of economic depression, and Holtby's progressive beliefs do shine through in the way the characters think about their world and the effects of their decisions. South Riding deals with a range of social issues, including education, unemployment, local building programmes, poor relief and the treatment of the insane.

The councillors/aldermen are a mixed bunch, fallible human beings with mixed motives for what they do, but in general wanting to make a real improvement to the lives of local people and tackle issues head on. Shetakes the mundane workings of local government and makes of them, perhaps surprisingly, an unforgettable fictional world. In addition to the miniseries mentioned by others, there is a 1938 film directed by Victor Saville with Ralph Richardson as Carne. Rochester of Jane Eyre fame, and a fascinatingly both similar and very different one from the simultanously written and more well known update, Maxim de Winter in Rebecca.Winifred Holtby's masterpiece is a rich evocation of the lives and relationships of the characters of South Riding. The feminist themes are nicely done and delivered with a real sense of energy – much of which stems from Sarah’s natural drive for advancement. The character she informs is Joe, the sole socialist on the South Riding council; in the novel, Sarah meets him through a spirited political debate. The series won both the BAFTA and the Broadcasting Press Guild awards for Best Drama Series in 1975.

It’s definitely my favourite of the three I’ve read so far – so if you’re thinking of tackling any of them, this would be the one I’d recommend you try. In some ways I wish I’d discovered it as a young girl, closer in age to Lydia Holly than I am these days. Lydia Holly, the scholarship girl from the shacks, is the most brilliant student Sarah has ever taught, but when her mother’s health fails, her education must be sacrificed – there is nobody else to care for the children. Even without the help of the map on the jacket we could identify the estuary of the River Leame and recognize the great city of Kingsport on its northern shore. It’s really good, so involving and inspirational – the sort of book you can sink into and enjoy as the story develops.In fairness, he also lets Joe mention Roosevelt's New Deal program, but still, the difference is annoying. In both cases, said night takes place in a hotel and before it gets to anything sexual, he has a breakdown due to being sick with the result that they don't have sex but she nurses him through the night and they part being mutually highly embarrassed for different reasons. As she explains to Alderman Mrs Beddows (whose "racy tongue" was borrowed from Holtby's mother): "If the growth of civilisation means anything, it means the gradual reduction of the areas ruled by chance – Providence, if you like.