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ketutar's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting. It's a collective work, written by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Procter. Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins started it, very nicely. Elizabeth Gaskell wrote the next part and I like that part the least. It kind of has nothing to do with the rest of the story and Wilkie Collins had to work hard to make any sense of it :-D Adelaide Anne Procter's little poem in the middle... uh. Well. Then Dickens and Collins finish it wonderfully off. All in all, it's a very entertaining story.
bernab's review against another edition
3.0
It is like a collection of short stories. I liked all of them but some were more exciting, still a good read.
allylu's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a very interesting concept - to have 4 writers collaborate on one book. I had read Wilkie Collins before and, of course Dickens. The poet was also easy to spot. All the pieces fit so well and made for a lively story. I recommend it. And it's only 93 pages!
nadyne's review against another edition
3.0
Other thoughts/reviews:
Iris on Books: http://irisonbooks.com/2010/11/23/a-house-to-let-by-charles-dickens-wilkie-collins-elizabeth-gaskell-and-adelaide-anne-procter/
Iris on Books: http://irisonbooks.com/2010/11/23/a-house-to-let-by-charles-dickens-wilkie-collins-elizabeth-gaskell-and-adelaide-anne-procter/
bookhound's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story written by several of my favorite 19th century novelists. I wish I could see them collaborating in person! A puzzling series of stories that come together in a mystery. The audio narrated by Michael Ward is a delight.
cheshta's review against another edition
4.0
First published in the year 1858 in Dickens' magazine- Household Works, "A House to Let" is a collaborative work involving chapters from Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Anne Procter. While the first 3 remain well known to this day, Procter has been quite forgotten; although her poetry was quite famous in her own time, in fact, she was Queen Victoria's favourite poet!
Its a novella about Sophonisba, an old lady who is advised by her doctor to get a change of air and scenery. She thus decides to lodge in London for some months. However, she soon finds herself worrying about the story of the House opposite to her's which is 'not to let'. Her long-time admirer Jarber and faithful servant Trottle are employed by her to find out the mystery of the House.
A cozy mystery with an amazing build-up and satisfying end, even if some parts were quite disjointed and sad. The first and last chapters are written jointly by Dickens and Collins. Though I am yet to read Collins' works, I loved their joint forces in writing! The second chapter, my favourite, is written by Gaskell (I hadn't read her before either). The third chapter is by Dickens and is the odd-one-out because it didn't really flow smoothly with the other chapters but it was thoughtful, pondering, and thus quite enjoyable in a different way. Fourth chapter is a sad poem by Procter which I'm sure I need to re-read to grasp its full depth but otherwise, I very much liked it! Lastly, Collins contributed the fifth chapter which brings us to the resolution and was quite pleasant to read.
I'm so glad that we decided to read it as a part of #DickensDecember! I particularly loved the characters Mr Openshaw and Jarber. I must say that most of the main characters felt very Dickensian and I adored them for that! The mention of dates and the overall feel of the story made it easy to connect it with Christmas.
Its a novella about Sophonisba, an old lady who is advised by her doctor to get a change of air and scenery. She thus decides to lodge in London for some months. However, she soon finds herself worrying about the story of the House opposite to her's which is 'not to let'. Her long-time admirer Jarber and faithful servant Trottle are employed by her to find out the mystery of the House.
A cozy mystery with an amazing build-up and satisfying end, even if some parts were quite disjointed and sad. The first and last chapters are written jointly by Dickens and Collins. Though I am yet to read Collins' works, I loved their joint forces in writing! The second chapter, my favourite, is written by Gaskell (I hadn't read her before either). The third chapter is by Dickens and is the odd-one-out because it didn't really flow smoothly with the other chapters but it was thoughtful, pondering, and thus quite enjoyable in a different way. Fourth chapter is a sad poem by Procter which I'm sure I need to re-read to grasp its full depth but otherwise, I very much liked it! Lastly, Collins contributed the fifth chapter which brings us to the resolution and was quite pleasant to read.
I'm so glad that we decided to read it as a part of #DickensDecember! I particularly loved the characters Mr Openshaw and Jarber. I must say that most of the main characters felt very Dickensian and I adored them for that! The mention of dates and the overall feel of the story made it easy to connect it with Christmas.
tarajoy90's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lachesisreads's review against another edition
4.0
A House to let is a novella-length mystery collaboration between Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Wilkie Collins and Adelaide Anne Procter. Despite these Victorian heavyweight authors, it is, I believe, pretty unknown. It's certainly nearly impossible to track down in print as a single volume, although I am sure you could probably find it in a collection of Dickens' shorter fiction. I read the free public-domain version available for the Kindle.
And it's so undeservedly forgotten! It's a really fun and fast read with an intriguing mystery at its core. Guessing who wrote which part added to the fun, although I find I was pretty wrong about most of it.
And it's so undeservedly forgotten! It's a really fun and fast read with an intriguing mystery at its core. Guessing who wrote which part added to the fun, although I find I was pretty wrong about most of it.
lnatal's review against another edition
4.0
I am reading it as an e-book at Gutenberg Project.
Contents:
Over the Way
The Manchester Marriage
Going into Society
Three Evenings in the House
Trottle’s Report
Let at Last
Page 5:
All at once—in the first-floor window on my right—down in a low corner, at a hole in a blind or a shutter—I found that I was looking at a secret Eye.
Page 28:
“O, sir, you must go. You must not stop a minute. If he comes back he will kill you.”
Page 52:
Or, to put it in plainer terms still, the subject was no other than the mystery of the empty House.
Page 67:
To make short of a long story—and what story would not be long, coming from the lips of an old woman like me, unless it was made short by main force!—I bought the House.
Contents:
Over the Way
The Manchester Marriage
Going into Society
Three Evenings in the House
Trottle’s Report
Let at Last
Page 5:
All at once—in the first-floor window on my right—down in a low corner, at a hole in a blind or a shutter—I found that I was looking at a secret Eye.
Page 28:
“O, sir, you must go. You must not stop a minute. If he comes back he will kill you.”
Page 52:
Or, to put it in plainer terms still, the subject was no other than the mystery of the empty House.
Page 67:
To make short of a long story—and what story would not be long, coming from the lips of an old woman like me, unless it was made short by main force!—I bought the House.