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veenasoujanya's review against another edition
4.0
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
I personally feel that rating a Classic is very difficult. Though they are classics for a reason, reading certain stances and characters which are acceptable at that particular period is still hard as we can not accept them in the present time. Charles Dickens though is one of those writers whose works hit us hard even today and is relatable to any time period because of his genuine and perfect portrayal of human consciousness and emotions. I feel it works because of the idea that times and people may change but the internal conflict, emotions and certain attitudes of human behaviour are constant across time.
The Pickwick Papers is the first novel by the significant writer originally published in 19 issues over 20 months which popularised serialised fiction and cliffhanger endings. Shifted to the idea of entertainment rather than literature the novel has been a huge hit and in my opinion, it well deserved its popularity. Many of the short stories which are actually a part of the novel are later released as Dickens short fiction.
Coming to the story, Mr Samuel Pickwick a kind and wealthy old gentleman and the president of the Pickwick Club, makes a journey to the places remote from London to read and understand human nature and share his experience with other Pickwickians. He starts his journey with three other members of his club, Mr Winkle, Mr Snodgrass and Mr Tupman and on the way gains a valet Samuel Weller who gets loyally attached to Mr Pickwick. Their travels throughout the English countryside by coach provide the chief subject matter of the novel.
The novel is a brilliant comedy out and out and chiefly project the farce, dishonesty and pretentious attitude of people. His three companions create both problems and entertainment for Mr Pickwick who though projected as a silly man in the start turns out to be a man with a selfless attitude and friendly demeanour. My favourite part of the novel is the relationship of loyalty, trust and respect between Mr Pickwick and his valet Sam which Dickens presented beautifully. The novel ends with Mr Pickwick gaining experience of human attitude more than he expected and gaining some great friends and meeting some dreadful personalities in the process. He dissolves his club and moves to the calm countryside with Sam at the end and we see that he gathers great respect from people and leads a peaceful life in his future.
One of the most entertaining books I have read and I recommend this to classic book lovers and to people who has the patience to read huge books. (The novel is around 800+ pages) I assure you the time spent is well rewarded by the Pickwickians antics and experiences.
I personally feel that rating a Classic is very difficult. Though they are classics for a reason, reading certain stances and characters which are acceptable at that particular period is still hard as we can not accept them in the present time. Charles Dickens though is one of those writers whose works hit us hard even today and is relatable to any time period because of his genuine and perfect portrayal of human consciousness and emotions. I feel it works because of the idea that times and people may change but the internal conflict, emotions and certain attitudes of human behaviour are constant across time.
The Pickwick Papers is the first novel by the significant writer originally published in 19 issues over 20 months which popularised serialised fiction and cliffhanger endings. Shifted to the idea of entertainment rather than literature the novel has been a huge hit and in my opinion, it well deserved its popularity. Many of the short stories which are actually a part of the novel are later released as Dickens short fiction.
Coming to the story, Mr Samuel Pickwick a kind and wealthy old gentleman and the president of the Pickwick Club, makes a journey to the places remote from London to read and understand human nature and share his experience with other Pickwickians. He starts his journey with three other members of his club, Mr Winkle, Mr Snodgrass and Mr Tupman and on the way gains a valet Samuel Weller who gets loyally attached to Mr Pickwick. Their travels throughout the English countryside by coach provide the chief subject matter of the novel.
The novel is a brilliant comedy out and out and chiefly project the farce, dishonesty and pretentious attitude of people. His three companions create both problems and entertainment for Mr Pickwick who though projected as a silly man in the start turns out to be a man with a selfless attitude and friendly demeanour. My favourite part of the novel is the relationship of loyalty, trust and respect between Mr Pickwick and his valet Sam which Dickens presented beautifully. The novel ends with Mr Pickwick gaining experience of human attitude more than he expected and gaining some great friends and meeting some dreadful personalities in the process. He dissolves his club and moves to the calm countryside with Sam at the end and we see that he gathers great respect from people and leads a peaceful life in his future.
One of the most entertaining books I have read and I recommend this to classic book lovers and to people who has the patience to read huge books. (The novel is around 800+ pages) I assure you the time spent is well rewarded by the Pickwickians antics and experiences.
hyms's review against another edition
2.0
It had some good parts and some great parts, but it was soooo looong!
carmanj's review against another edition
4.0
So nice to read some Dickens that is mostly really funny. A collection of picaresque adventures, it’s quite incredible how Dickens’s first novel is so masterful and as fine an example of his brilliance as his later works. A delight!
leemac027's review
4.0
Such a delightful book. The English language has changed so much over time and reading The Pickwick Papers reminded me of this.
Even though it was written almost 200 years ago, it is an entertaining and at times hilarious read. The norms of the time seem otherworldly (and this is a good thing in certain circumstances) but what I enjoyed was the way Dickens wrote. So many words, so much detail and such a reflection of the way things were done in the 1830s.
The members of the Pickwick Club - or Pickwickians - have so many adventures but I think my favourite involved poor Mr Tracy Tupman and his lost love of the old Spinster Aunt to Mr Jingle. The despair of the taunted Tupman, the chases by horse and carriage, the discovery of the runaway pair was a joy to read.
This is not a short read, but a very entertaining one.
Even though it was written almost 200 years ago, it is an entertaining and at times hilarious read. The norms of the time seem otherworldly (and this is a good thing in certain circumstances) but what I enjoyed was the way Dickens wrote. So many words, so much detail and such a reflection of the way things were done in the 1830s.
The members of the Pickwick Club - or Pickwickians - have so many adventures but I think my favourite involved poor Mr Tracy Tupman and his lost love of the old Spinster Aunt to Mr Jingle. The despair of the taunted Tupman, the chases by horse and carriage, the discovery of the runaway pair was a joy to read.
This is not a short read, but a very entertaining one.
ericadbentley's review
5.0
5 very large stars. This is such a wonderful example of deep character development at its finest... the kind of book where you are sad to say goodbye to the characters by the end of the book because you feel that you deeply know them and will miss them. I give unreserved recommendations to read this book!
thewintersings's review against another edition
funny
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
4.0
zenithharpink's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I really love Dickens, so I had high expectations walking into this, but I was not disappointed - of course, Dickens never does! It took a minute for me to get used to the format of the book, it was a bit like soaking into a very warm bath. It was just a touch too hot, but I was slowly able to sink in and thoroughly enjoy myself.
Mr. Pickwick was an enjoyable character, and his friends were stolid, engaging types. It was a new change of pace, a up-beat Dickens novel, but there were moments of this book that had me laughing out loud. It was reminiscent of Wodehouse, though with a fair bit less levity.
I was certainly hoping for a little more satisfaction or even revenge on a couple plot lines, but I was to be disappointed. This book wonderfully ties up loose ends as Dickens always does, but I am clearly more petty than Mr. Dickens & Mr. Pickwick. This book was still thoroughly enjoyable.
I recommend this book to all fans of Dickens or great English literature. While not my favorite of his novels, this was still a great read.
Mr. Pickwick was an enjoyable character, and his friends were stolid, engaging types. It was a new change of pace, a up-beat Dickens novel, but there were moments of this book that had me laughing out loud. It was reminiscent of Wodehouse, though with a fair bit less levity.
I was certainly hoping for a little more satisfaction or even revenge on a couple plot lines, but I was to be disappointed. This book wonderfully ties up loose ends as Dickens always does, but I am clearly more petty than Mr. Dickens & Mr. Pickwick. This book was still thoroughly enjoyable.
I recommend this book to all fans of Dickens or great English literature. While not my favorite of his novels, this was still a great read.
gjmaupin's review against another edition
4.0
Dickens for Greg, Dickens for Greg. What would summer be without it?
This one is all over the place, but once I got into it it started to tear along and I read the last half of it (350-ish pages) in less than two days. Vacation helps.
I love the bizarre and entirely digressive short stories interspersed throughout. Hard not to put Harry Secombe in the main role...
This one is all over the place, but once I got into it it started to tear along and I read the last half of it (350-ish pages) in less than two days. Vacation helps.
I love the bizarre and entirely digressive short stories interspersed throughout. Hard not to put Harry Secombe in the main role...
klela's review against another edition
5.0
Infinito! Questa era l’idea che avevo in testa mentre leggevo questo libro. Non solo per la sua lunghezza, ma perché non avendo un filo comune, il libro sarebbe potuto andare avanti in eterno! E’ il resoconto del viaggio di alcuni membri del Circolo Pickwick e delle loro dis-avventure. All’interno di questo racconto poi, fanno capolino tantissimi personaggi, ognuno con la sua storia da raccontare e con la sua vita vissuta. Sembra quasi un libro a cerchi concentrici, buona metafora della vita di ognuno di noi dei suoi incontri e come questi possono influenzare o meno il nostro percorso. Mr Pickwick, un vero gentleman. L’ho adorato sin dall’inizio grazie anche al suo meraviglioso ottimismo. Punto centrale di tutta l’opera è comunque l’ironia, con l’intento di rendere maggiormente concreti i vari personaggi e di sdrammatizzare la situazione dell’Inghilterra del periodo. Uno spasso il modo di parlare di Mr Jingle!