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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
3.5. My ‘expectations’ for this book were not met. I found it hard to read at first, and hard to get into, and honestly for the most part, it wasn’t an enjoyable read. But the parts that were good, were oh so very VERY good. The characters were alright and the story felt very nonsensical. Half the time I wasn’t 100% sure what was going on, but I am a sucker for a bit of tragedy.
Beautifully written, full of humor and quips, somewhat loquacious. Took a while to finish but definitely worth it.
I listened to the audiobook of this read by Simon Vance. Simon Vance is good, but I must admit, having had a Dickens phase some years ago and read a few of his novels (not this one), I did expect to enjoy this more than I did. I don't think it helped listening to it on audio, as there were times I found myself getting a bit lost with regards to who certain characters were and what was going on. If I was to reread it, I would definitely opt for physical rather than audio, just to be able to concentrate properly.
A slow, masterful plots ticks along nicely and there are one or two surprise reveals along the way. The cast of characters are interesting, morally grey in some cases, downright horrible in others, and a few are adorable; while the main character Pip is frustrating for most of the book but his arc is fairly well developed, and Not my favourite Dickens book but enjoyable nevertheless.
A slow, masterful plots ticks along nicely and there are one or two surprise reveals along the way. The cast of characters are interesting, morally grey in some cases, downright horrible in others, and a few are adorable; while the main character Pip is frustrating for most of the book but his arc is fairly well developed, and
Spoiler
he does redeem himself in the end...
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Yes
This is Dickens’ penultimate complete novel. Like almost all his others, I found I needed to get a very long way into the book before I really felt much interest in the characters. And, like almost all his other novels, I’m more interested in the peripheral characters than the protagonists. So Herbert, Joe, Biddy and Wemmick, perhaps especially Wemmick. It is a much shorter book than many of his works and I felt there were aspects which could have been expanded. Mrs Pocket is a hideous character, but only appears briefly and then disappears from view, and it would have been nice to have seen more of the little Pockets. (They have something in common with the Jellaby family in terms of how they are neglected.) Magwitch is, of course, a triumph. Miss Haversham is chilling. And the settings, especially the marshes, are superbly done.
I do wonder if Dickens was running out of originality as he seems to replay ideas from earlier works. Not just the large neglected Pocket/Jellaby family but also Mr Wopsle on stage is reminiscent of the thespians in Nicholas Nickleby and Pip himself seems a fairly similar character to David Copperfield.
Anyway, on to Our Mutual Friend. And then, I suppose, Edwin Drood, even though unfinished. And then I will have worked through the whole canon of novels.
I do wonder if Dickens was running out of originality as he seems to replay ideas from earlier works. Not just the large neglected Pocket/Jellaby family but also Mr Wopsle on stage is reminiscent of the thespians in Nicholas Nickleby and Pip himself seems a fairly similar character to David Copperfield.
Anyway, on to Our Mutual Friend. And then, I suppose, Edwin Drood, even though unfinished. And then I will have worked through the whole canon of novels.
What a fascinating book! And funny! This is the first Dickens I've read since reading A Christmas Carol in middle school, and I certainly understand why people like him. He's excellent at crafting a compelling story that makes you want to find out more. He'd be good at making, like, a Netflix show. And Pip is such a great character to explore the tension of hating yourself growing into disdain for where you came from and finally leading to real human growth and unlearning that self-hatred at last to replace it with true humility. I really appreciated how the story went.
as usual with classics, took me a minute, but WOW, the third book/section of this sucked me right in. as all the puzzle pieces started coming together and we got a bit of action going, I could hardly put it down when I got a chance to read it. I blew through the last 80 pages in an hour, I cried, and the ending was so very satisfying. Dickens never fails to create a cast of characters with beautiful relationships and wonderful personalities, and this book was no different. do yourself a favour and read this one because you’re missing out without it
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had to read this book for a class, so I had to finish it—with my newfound refusal to finish books if they’re dreadful I would probably have stopped reading otherwise and I would definitely have missed out. The book is excruciatingly slow moving for a very big part of it, and Dickens’ verbosity is painful, but if you can get past that there is a lot to be found in this novel. The characters are fascinating, at times repulsive and at other times endearing. Pip’s changes made me furious with him, and his later growth helped me like him again. The other characters likewise evokes strong emotions and that is one of the signs of great writing.
The plot is interesting although slightly predictable at times. The best parts of the novel are definitely the insights into the lives of the different broken people and how many of them manage to pick up the pieces and find peace after all.
I wasn’t sure which ending I preferred but after thinking about it, the original ending does seem to fit best with the rest of the story and it would be nice to think that Pip found peace and some happiness by letting go of Estella.
The plot is interesting although slightly predictable at times. The best parts of the novel are definitely the insights into the lives of the different broken people and how many of them manage to pick up the pieces and find peace after all.
I wasn’t sure which ending I preferred but after thinking about it, the original ending does seem to fit best with the rest of the story and it would be nice to think that Pip found peace and some happiness by letting go of Estella.