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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Dickens takes a lot of endurance sometimes, but I really liked this book. Also, as with most of Dickens's work, I found it infinitely helpful to watch the miniseries first.
I started this and got about 1/10th of the way in and found it really hard to read, so switched to a Librivox recording--you can download free public domain books at www.librivox.org.
This book was wonderful, even though it got very long at times. Great characters--not Dickens' funniest or quirkiest, but possibly his deepest.
This book was wonderful, even though it got very long at times. Great characters--not Dickens' funniest or quirkiest, but possibly his deepest.
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"No matter through what mistakes in discouragemens, what ridicule (not unkindly meant, but deeply felt) of her youth and little figure, what humble consciousness of her own babyhood and want of strength, even in the matter of lifting and carrying; through how much wearing and hopelessness, and how many secret tears; trudged on, until recognised as useful, even indispensable. That time came. She took the place of eldest of the three, in all things but precedence; was the head of the fallen family; and bore, in her own heart, it's anxieties and shames."
"This was the Life, and the history, of Little Dorrit ; now going home upon a dull September evening..."
-
Little Dorrit's home has been the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London where her father, William Dorrit, has been imprisoned. Little Dorrit loves her father and does all she can to protect him. But she also works as a seamstress and tries to help her brother and sister secure a living as well.
How has this young lady taken on the responsibility as head of her family? What will happen?
"This was the Life, and the history, of Little Dorrit ; now going home upon a dull September evening..."
-
Little Dorrit's home has been the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London where her father, William Dorrit, has been imprisoned. Little Dorrit loves her father and does all she can to protect him. But she also works as a seamstress and tries to help her brother and sister secure a living as well.
How has this young lady taken on the responsibility as head of her family? What will happen?
One of my favorite stories, and showcasing Dickens as a master of his craft. Endlessly quotable, of course, but my favorite was the last, “They went quietly down into the roaring streets, inseparable and blessed”.
Possibly my favorite Dickens novel. Perhaps a bit long-winded in the Circumlocution Office, but perhpas that is not to be avoided. Unlike many of Dickens' heroines, Amy is a good soul, likeable, AND believable. Flora Finching is one of my favorite minor characters in Dickens, and if Arthur seems a bit dull, he at least does not suffer the arrogance of Pip or the naivete of David Copperfield. The last paragraph of this book is one of my most favorite, most satisfying passages in literature. Ever.
Quite possibly one of my favorite Dickens' tales. Very romantic. Very much a social critique. Unfortunately the resolution of the plot is handled in a very confusing and brief manner at the very end of the book. It's still good even if you finish and don't understand why certain things happened. But if you read some online explanations after reading the book, it makes it an even richer story.
you can never prove that the only parts of this that I read were the parts I need for my thesis.....
My holiday pick. The read was inspired by both 'Hardcore Literature,' a YouTuber’s video essay on Charles Dickens, and Fran Lebowitz’s 'By The Book' interview with The New York Times in 2017. In the interview, Fran Lebowitz mentioned that her recent favorite classic was 'Little Dorrit,' and there was a nice little story for the reason.
**spoiler beware**
My favorite part of the novel was at around 87%, where one character commits suicide because his Ponzi scheme is not able to sustain itself, which instantly reminded me of Madoff. I didn’t predict that he was going to commit suicide during the reading.
Two things I now regret about this reading. One is I should have slowed down my speed. Charles Dickens originally published 'Little Dorrit' in monthly installments from December 1855 to May 1857. And I finished it in around 20 days. Throughout the read, I thought the text was going to make an interesting modern rewrite and TV adaptation.
Second is I might have read the original text. The translated text comes with annotations that are good but the translated text was not easy to read because of the length of paragraphs and complexity of wordings.
Dickens is fun to read (I like his humorous/mean writing with acute observations), and I might finish 'Demon Copperhead' this year's December to add to the festive spirit.
**spoiler beware**
My favorite part of the novel was at around 87%, where one character commits suicide because his Ponzi scheme is not able to sustain itself, which instantly reminded me of Madoff. I didn’t predict that he was going to commit suicide during the reading.
Two things I now regret about this reading. One is I should have slowed down my speed. Charles Dickens originally published 'Little Dorrit' in monthly installments from December 1855 to May 1857. And I finished it in around 20 days. Throughout the read, I thought the text was going to make an interesting modern rewrite and TV adaptation.
Second is I might have read the original text. The translated text comes with annotations that are good but the translated text was not easy to read because of the length of paragraphs and complexity of wordings.
Dickens is fun to read (I like his humorous/mean writing with acute observations), and I might finish 'Demon Copperhead' this year's December to add to the festive spirit.