You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
The first part was nearly perfect. The second part dragged a bit for me, but I did love spending more time with Fanny. She is such a fascinating character to me and a great foil to Little Dorrit, who doesn't really live in the real world.
The Tattycoram plot was strange. I feel like it didn't go anywhere or mean anything. The ending of it did not make me like Mr. Meagles any more. Same thing with Pet and Henry Gowan. I think I'm supposed to care because I'm supposed to like Mr. Meagles and feel bad that his daughter(s?) made "bad choices" but I don't think he was kind to Tattycoram and I don't care about Pet at all.
The last hundred pages are really wonderful though and very heartbreaking and romantic.
I think I might feel differently about these side plots on a second reading. Although, I didn't feel that way about Bleak House. I still give it 5 stars though.
The Tattycoram plot was strange. I feel like it didn't go anywhere or mean anything. The ending of it did not make me like Mr. Meagles any more. Same thing with Pet and Henry Gowan. I think I'm supposed to care because I'm supposed to like Mr. Meagles and feel bad that his daughter(s?) made "bad choices" but I don't think he was kind to Tattycoram and I don't care about Pet at all.
The last hundred pages are really wonderful though and very heartbreaking and romantic.
I think I might feel differently about these side plots on a second reading. Although, I didn't feel that way about Bleak House. I still give it 5 stars though.
«Vedi quella signorina che era qui poco fa, quella creatura quieta, fragile, minuta? Guardala, Tatty. Tutti quegli uomini le cedono il passo, poveri disgraziati, e si tolgono il cappello davanti a lei. Ecco che entra da quella porta. La vedi, Tattycoram?»
«Sì, signore.»
«Mi hanno detto che una volta la chiamavano figlia della prigione; è nata qui e vi è vissuta per molti anni. A me manca il respiro qui dentro. Non ti pare una cosa molto triste, Tattycoram, essere nati in un luogo come questo?»
«Sì, signore.»
«Se avesse pensato soltanto a se stessa, se avesse pensato che chiunque entrasse qui dentro poteva rimproverarle la sua nascita come una colpa, avrebbe fatto una vita inutile e inquieta. Invece, Tattycoram, quella fanciulla è sempre stata buona, attiva, rassegnata e nobile, utile a sè e soprattutto agli altri. Vuoi che ti dica perchè quegli occhi hanno acquistato tanta espressione?»
«Ditemelo, signore»
«Perchè è sempre vissuta senza perdere di vista il suo dovere. Quando si compie il proprio dovere, non importano la nascita, l'origine o la condizione sociale; si rimane in pace con se stessi e col nostro Creatore.»
«Sì, signore.»
«Mi hanno detto che una volta la chiamavano figlia della prigione; è nata qui e vi è vissuta per molti anni. A me manca il respiro qui dentro. Non ti pare una cosa molto triste, Tattycoram, essere nati in un luogo come questo?»
«Sì, signore.»
«Se avesse pensato soltanto a se stessa, se avesse pensato che chiunque entrasse qui dentro poteva rimproverarle la sua nascita come una colpa, avrebbe fatto una vita inutile e inquieta. Invece, Tattycoram, quella fanciulla è sempre stata buona, attiva, rassegnata e nobile, utile a sè e soprattutto agli altri. Vuoi che ti dica perchè quegli occhi hanno acquistato tanta espressione?»
«Ditemelo, signore»
«Perchè è sempre vissuta senza perdere di vista il suo dovere. Quando si compie il proprio dovere, non importano la nascita, l'origine o la condizione sociale; si rimane in pace con se stessi e col nostro Creatore.»
challenging
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As with almost everything else by Dickens, it takes me over half the book to start to be interested in the characters and story. Little Dorrit, although too good to be true, like so many of Dickens’ women, dies at least have some strength of character. Arthur Clennam is clearly a man very damaged by his background and without quite enough strength of character to avoid being sucked into schemes about which he should have known better. The Meagles are lovely, if too psychologically naive to realise how Tattycoram must have felt. Although I cannot imagine how Mr Meagles was ever able to amass such wealth, given what we see of his personality. Gowan is thoroughly despicable. There are some enjoyable minor characters, especially Pancks, but also Doyce and some of the inhabitants of Bleeding Heart Court. Mrs Merdle is a fairly typical Dickensian society woman with some features in common with the second Mrs Dombey and Lady Dedlock, especially in how they present themselves to society. If society women really did behave like that (I’m not sure that you see it in Trollope), it must have been an extremely unpleasant world. The plot - well, fairly archetypally Dickensian. Onwards to A Tale of Two Cities.
This, according to my humble opinion, is Dickens masterpiece. I have read nearly all of Dickens and in Little Dorrit does he finally achieve a perfection of story-telling with social critique. The only other novel that comes as close is Bleak House but I think Little Dorrit is better. Bleak House tends to introduce superfluous characters and story lines that do not go anywhere, whereas everyone and everything in Little Dorrit has a point.