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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A rather delightful, slice-of-life look at the peregrinations of one middle-aged, benevolent-if-slightly-daft, bachelor Mr Pickwick and his three younger but similarly inclined friends. Dickens provides a window - comical as it is - to how people spent their leisure time in the 1820s, drinking punch and telling stories to complete strangers in the roadside inn dining room. The story really picks up around Chapter 10 with the introduction of Mr. Samuel Weller - the always affable but streetwise and loyal valet to Mr Pickwick (and Mr. Weller Sr and his troubles when his wife “gets” religion). #teamSamuelWeller (I am also convinced that Sam Weller is Tolkien’s inspiration for the loyal Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings.)
I did this partly in print and partly on audio.
I did this partly in print and partly on audio.
I tried my hardest to read this and really did not enjoy it at all (after getting about 25% in). I do quite like Dickens, so I suspect the reason I don't like this one is attributable to it being his first long work. Perhaps I'll give it a try at a later date, but I suspect not. With so many wonderful books out there (including more by Dickens!) I find no reason to force myself to read something when doing so feels like a chore.
Quite good. Much more lighthearted than a lot of Dickens' work, downright hilarious at times, and has some great characters - particularly Sam Weller and his father. A bit disjointed, though (as might be expected from something originally published serially), and the mood whipsaws around sometimes, especially when the characters start telling stories of their own. In addition, the ending, like many Dickensian endings, is awfully convenient for all concerned. Still, a good read, and one that takes its place as one of my favorite Dickens books.
Dickens' entrance into fame (if not his first case for infamy) is a sprawling satire. Its episodic structure is a product of its release style, and it's arguably a weak point, but there is a through narrative if you squint hard enough. And you're not coming here for narrative, anyways: it's the memorable characters and the witty writing, which Dickens had even in the juvenile years of his career.
Thank God this is over! I had previously read six books by Dickens and I loved them all. I even gave 5*s to one or two. This one, however, was a painful read. I think part of the problem might have been my own current personal issues. Rather a lot of heavy stuff has been going on recently and I have been having problems focusing. So perhaps the vapid piffle just didn't work because I wasn't able to take it all in. To be fair, the book was a better read in the middle. I was sorely tempted to give up during the first 10-20%, but after that, I was interested enough to finish it up.
In reading this book, I was reminded of Harriet Vane's comment (in Strong Poison) that someone would like to marry Lord Peter Wimsey merely for the pleasure of hearing him talk piffle. Well, Dickens, who was 75 or so years before Wimsey, was a master at piffle. Normally, I like piffle. My very own spouse considers me to be a regular fountain of piffle. But, this book had a bit too much of it and a bit too little else. It basically had no point other than piffle. There's no real plot. Dickens just made up stuff for a year or two and eventually republished it wrapped all into a single volume as a novel. His first to be exact.
His later novels seem to have some point from the beginning and eventually, with lots of entertaining piffle along the way, get to their appointed ends. In this case, there was no point except for the piffle and Dickens eventually ran out. Something like that. He does show some signs of his future greatness. He has some rather interesting and quirky characters. He has shyster lawyers all over the place. He has blaggards and scoundrels, albeit in this novel they're not also physically marred in some way as per usual. I don't remember any orphans in this book, and not really any sickly innocents. But, I suppose for Dickens, it's a good beginning. Or something.
Perhaps the best way to view this book is akin to a modern sit com. There's a new episode each week that has some entertainment value in itself, but which is only marginally connected in any way with past or future episodes, other than that the characters remain the same and some of their past experiences are recounted in some way in the future. In essence, it's a Victorian-era version of the 1990s TV show, Friends.
-------------------------------------
As a side note, Amazon claims that the book contains 514 pages, the book itself says only 508, but the exact same edition on GoodReads has a more reasonable view of the page count, 914 pp. I checked that the ASIN numbers were the same on GoodReads and Amazon. Virtually all the dead-tree versions are closer to 1000 pages than to 500 pages. So why is Amazon so far off on it's alleged "real page numbers"? This isn't the first time I noticed that Amazon was page-count challenged. Why do I care?
In reading this book, I was reminded of Harriet Vane's comment (in Strong Poison) that someone would like to marry Lord Peter Wimsey merely for the pleasure of hearing him talk piffle. Well, Dickens, who was 75 or so years before Wimsey, was a master at piffle. Normally, I like piffle. My very own spouse considers me to be a regular fountain of piffle. But, this book had a bit too much of it and a bit too little else. It basically had no point other than piffle. There's no real plot. Dickens just made up stuff for a year or two and eventually republished it wrapped all into a single volume as a novel. His first to be exact.
His later novels seem to have some point from the beginning and eventually, with lots of entertaining piffle along the way, get to their appointed ends. In this case, there was no point except for the piffle and Dickens eventually ran out. Something like that. He does show some signs of his future greatness. He has some rather interesting and quirky characters. He has shyster lawyers all over the place. He has blaggards and scoundrels, albeit in this novel they're not also physically marred in some way as per usual. I don't remember any orphans in this book, and not really any sickly innocents. But, I suppose for Dickens, it's a good beginning. Or something.
Perhaps the best way to view this book is akin to a modern sit com. There's a new episode each week that has some entertainment value in itself, but which is only marginally connected in any way with past or future episodes, other than that the characters remain the same and some of their past experiences are recounted in some way in the future. In essence, it's a Victorian-era version of the 1990s TV show, Friends.
-------------------------------------
As a side note, Amazon claims that the book contains 514 pages, the book itself says only 508, but the exact same edition on GoodReads has a more reasonable view of the page count, 914 pp. I checked that the ASIN numbers were the same on GoodReads and Amazon. Virtually all the dead-tree versions are closer to 1000 pages than to 500 pages. So why is Amazon so far off on it's alleged "real page numbers"? This isn't the first time I noticed that Amazon was page-count challenged. Why do I care?
Lettura piacevolissima e mai noiosa, che spesso mi ha fatto ridere e sorridere, e che considero davvero sbalorditiva per essere stata scritta da un Dickens nemmeno venticinquenne. Questo forse è il motivo per cui a tratti il libro possa dare l'impressione di essere un insieme di racconti aventi gli stessi personaggi, ma il tutto è tenuto magistralmente insieme da una narrazione eccezionale e talmente ricca che le cinque stelline questo classico per me le merita davvero tutte.
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.