Unmapped Country: the story of North & South continues

Think of Manchester in the mid Nineteenth century and mention Margaret Hale & John Thornton to people and many will immediately tell you how they fell in love with North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell. For them this will be an extension of the extreme pleasure they had first time round.
However, readers unfamiliar with this enduring classic, need not turn away. The novel stands alone and only entices them to discover the back-story. As the author has discarded Mrs Gaskell€s much disliked ending (even by herself), John and Margaret€s struggles continues. Will they ever truly understand one another? Or will their opposing ethics and social prejudice force them to seek companionship with more appropriate partners?
Written in the original€s Victorian style, the frenetic city and the original participants all stay true to Mrs Gaskell€s creation, while contemporary events and new characters both help and hinder John and Margaret€s progress towards a conclusion.