diff --git a/docs/readers.md b/docs/readers.md
index fefb4e5..bdb23e8 100644
--- a/docs/readers.md
+++ b/docs/readers.md
@@ -32,6 +32,18 @@ Example:
 
     {{ read_csv('assets/tables/basic_table.csv') | add_indentation(spaces=4) }}
 
+!!! info "Multiline cells"
+
+    A markdown table row has to fit on a single line, so newlines inside a cell are
+    replaced with `<br>`. Note that such a cell needs to be quoted to be valid CSV:
+
+    ```csv
+    id,description
+    23456,"Some description.
+
+    With a line break."
+    ```
+
 
 ### `read_fwf`
 
diff --git a/src/mkdocs_table_reader_plugin/markdown.py b/src/mkdocs_table_reader_plugin/markdown.py
index 856a3c6..2ec24e8 100644
--- a/src/mkdocs_table_reader_plugin/markdown.py
+++ b/src/mkdocs_table_reader_plugin/markdown.py
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@
 
 import pandas as pd
 
+# Table formats that render each row on a single line, and therefore cannot
+# contain literal newlines. See https://github.com/timvink/mkdocs-table-reader-plugin/issues/83
+SINGLE_LINE_TABLE_FORMATS = ("pipe", "github")
+
 
 def replace_unescaped_pipes(text: str) -> str:
     """
@@ -19,29 +23,53 @@ def replace_unescaped_pipes(text: str) -> str:
     return re.sub(r"(?<!\\)\|", "\\|", text)
 
 
+def replace_newlines(text: str) -> str:
+    """
+    Replace newlines with <br>.
+
+    A markdown table row must fit on a single line, so a cell that contains a
+    newline (as multiline CSV cells do) would otherwise break up the table.
+
+    Args:
+        text (str): input string
+
+    Returns:
+        str: output string
+    """
+    return re.sub(r"\r\n|\r|\n", "<br>", text)
+
+
 def convert_to_md_table(df: pd.DataFrame, **markdown_kwargs: dict) -> str:
     """
     Convert dataframe to markdown table using tabulate.
     """
+    if "index" not in markdown_kwargs:
+        markdown_kwargs["index"] = False
+    if "tablefmt" not in markdown_kwargs:
+        markdown_kwargs["tablefmt"] = "pipe"
+
     # Escape any pipe characters, | to \|
     # See https://github.com/astanin/python-tabulate/issues/241
-    df.columns = [
-        replace_unescaped_pipes(c) if isinstance(c, str) else c for c in df.columns
-    ]
+    # And replace newlines with <br>, but only for table formats that need it:
+    # formats like 'grid' display multiline cells just fine.
+    escape_newlines = markdown_kwargs["tablefmt"] in SINGLE_LINE_TABLE_FORMATS
+
+    def escape(value):
+        if not isinstance(value, str):
+            return value
+        value = replace_unescaped_pipes(value)
+        if escape_newlines:
+            value = replace_newlines(value)
+        return value
+
+    df.columns = [escape(c) for c in df.columns]
 
     # Avoid deprecated applymap warning on pandas>=2.0
     # See https://github.com/timvink/mkdocs-table-reader-plugin/issues/55
     if pd.__version__ >= "2.1.0":
-        df = df.map(lambda s: replace_unescaped_pipes(s) if isinstance(s, str) else s)
+        df = df.map(escape)
     else:
-        df = df.applymap(
-            lambda s: replace_unescaped_pipes(s) if isinstance(s, str) else s
-        )
-
-    if "index" not in markdown_kwargs:
-        markdown_kwargs["index"] = False
-    if "tablefmt" not in markdown_kwargs:
-        markdown_kwargs["tablefmt"] = "pipe"
+        df = df.applymap(escape)
 
     return df.to_markdown(**markdown_kwargs)
 
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/example_multiline.csv b/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/example_multiline.csv
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..61afa22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/example_multiline.csv
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+id,severity,description
+23456,low,"Sometimes the cell text is quoted.
+
+But not always"
+34567,high,Single line description.
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/index.md b/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/index.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a470812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Test page
+
+This test is related to this issue: https://github.com/timvink/mkdocs-table-reader-plugin/issues/83
+
+## Table with a multiline cell
+
+A cell containing newlines, which are rendered as `<br>`.
+
+{{ read_csv("example_multiline.csv") }}
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/mkdocs.yml b/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/mkdocs.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ba92b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/mkdocs.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+site_name: test git_table_reader site
+use_directory_urls: true
+
+plugins:
+    - search
+    - table-reader:
+        data_path: "docs"
diff --git a/tests/test_build.py b/tests/test_build.py
index 004250b..77a5ffb 100644
--- a/tests/test_build.py
+++ b/tests/test_build.py
@@ -347,8 +347,12 @@ def test_wrong_path(tmp_path):
 
     result = build_docs_setup(tmp_proj)
     assert result.exit_code == 1, "'mkdocs build' command succeeded but should have failed"
-    assert "[table-reader-plugin]: Cannot find table file" in result.output
-    assert "non_existing_table.csv" in result.output
+    # Assert on the raised exception rather than on the captured log output.
+    # mkdocs logs the error and then re-raises it, and whether that log record
+    # makes it into result.output turns out to be flaky on windows.
+    assert isinstance(result.exception, FileNotFoundError)
+    assert "[table-reader-plugin]: Cannot find table file" in str(result.exception)
+    assert "non_existing_table.csv" in str(result.exception)
 
 
 def test_mixed_quotation_marks(tmp_path):
@@ -408,3 +412,30 @@ def test_non_utf8_encoding(tmp_path):
     # read_raw() inserted the cp1251 encoded markdown file
     assert re.search(r"539956", contents)
     assert re.search(r"Сыр", contents)
+
+
+def test_csv_with_multiline_cells(tmp_path):
+    """
+    A CSV with a quoted, multiline cell should render as a single table row.
+
+    See https://github.com/timvink/mkdocs-table-reader-plugin/issues/83
+    """
+
+    tmp_proj = setup_clean_mkdocs_folder(
+        "tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/mkdocs.yml", tmp_path
+    )
+
+    result = build_docs_setup(tmp_proj)
+    assert result.exit_code == 0, "'mkdocs build' command failed"
+
+    page_with_tag = tmp_proj / "site/index.html"
+    contents = page_with_tag.read_text()
+
+    # The multiline cell is kept together on one row, separated by <br>
+    assert re.search(
+        r"Sometimes the cell text is quoted\.<br><br>But not always", contents
+    )
+    # Both CSV records became a table row, and no newline split them up
+    table = re.search(r"<table>.*?</table>", contents, flags=re.DOTALL)
+    assert table is not None, "no table was inserted"
+    assert len(re.findall(r"<tr>", table.group())) == 3
diff --git a/tests/test_markdown.py b/tests/test_markdown.py
index 9425820..238ab11 100644
--- a/tests/test_markdown.py
+++ b/tests/test_markdown.py
@@ -1,11 +1,24 @@
 import pandas as pd
-from mkdocs_table_reader_plugin.markdown import convert_to_md_table, replace_unescaped_pipes
+
+from mkdocs_table_reader_plugin.markdown import (
+    convert_to_md_table,
+    replace_newlines,
+    replace_unescaped_pipes,
+)
 
 
 def test_unescaped_pipes():
     assert replace_unescaped_pipes("hi|there\\|you|there") == "hi\\|there\\|you\\|there"
 
 
+def test_replace_newlines():
+    assert replace_newlines("one\ntwo") == "one<br>two"
+    assert replace_newlines("one\r\ntwo") == "one<br>two"
+    assert replace_newlines("one\rtwo") == "one<br>two"
+    assert replace_newlines("one\n\ntwo") == "one<br><br>two"
+    assert replace_newlines("no newlines here") == "no newlines here"
+
+
 def test_convert_to_md_table():
 
     df_bad = pd.read_csv("tests/fixtures/csv_with_pipes/docs/example_unescaped.csv")
@@ -16,4 +29,31 @@ def test_convert_to_md_table():
     # Because we escape pipes, the 'bad' df
     md_bad = convert_to_md_table(df_bad, **{})
     md_good = convert_to_md_table(df_good, **{})
-    assert md_bad == md_good
\ No newline at end of file
+    assert md_bad == md_good
+
+
+def test_convert_to_md_table_multiline():
+    """
+    A multiline cell should not break up a markdown table.
+
+    See https://github.com/timvink/mkdocs-table-reader-plugin/issues/83
+    """
+    df = pd.read_csv("tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/example_multiline.csv")
+    assert df.shape == (2, 3)
+
+    md = convert_to_md_table(df, **{})
+    assert "Sometimes the cell text is quoted.<br><br>But not always" in md
+    # A header, a separator and one line per record
+    assert len(md.split("\n")) == 4
+
+
+def test_convert_to_md_table_multiline_other_tablefmt():
+    """
+    Table formats that display multiline cells themselves are left alone.
+    """
+    df = pd.read_csv("tests/fixtures/csv_multiline/docs/example_multiline.csv")
+
+    md = convert_to_md_table(df, tablefmt="grid")
+    assert "<br>" not in md
+    assert "Sometimes the cell text is quoted." in md
+    assert "But not always" in md