Milli, I like Elizabeth Gaskell, too. Some time ago, I read a number of her novels and thought they were really absorbing. She made the women of her time come alive. Thanks for the mention.
Not only did she make the women of her time come alive as you said, but she also painted a detailed portrait of the different classes of her time and exposed the huge gap between the upper classes and the poorer than poor who died of hunger on the streets .. I believe she was branded a communist at some point..
If you haven't already seen the BBC adaptation of the books I mentioned, do. I am sure you'll love 'em.
~M