Gaskell's witty and poignant comedy of country town life A gently comic picture of life in an English country town in the mid-nineteenth century "Cranford" describes the small adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah two middle- aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances. Rich with humor and filled with vividly memorable characters -- including the dignified Lady Glenmire and the duplicitous showman Signor Brunoni -- "Cranford" is a portrait of kindness compassion and hope.