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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I suppose it doesn’t take a genius to imagine what kind of a mess is bound to happen when a group of blundering men get together on their own without the womenfolk to keep everything in order. Certainly one of my least favourite of the Dickins novels; it is more focused on farcical vignettes the sticking to a general plot, which kind of happens in the overarching background in the second half of the book. A sheer serial novel by name, like an episode of the week kind of deal. It was a mouthful to complete, I found. Overly descriptive, as a typical Victorian novel, and a typical Dickens’, but it could not maintain my interest like some of his other works.
First the disclaimer: This book is LONG. However, I so thoroughly enjoyed it, that I hoped it would never end! The adventures of the delightful Mr. Pickwick and his companions are memorable, touching and very, very funny. Sam Weller is a particular favorite, along with his irascible father. While there is a lot of miscommunications, misadventures, and elements verging on tragedy, all is done in the name of satire and irony. In the end, everything comes out alright, and even in the most bitter sections, there is nothing that is truly vicious or mean. I will remember this book for a long time, and look forward to reading more of Mr. Dickens in the future! Highly Recommended.
I haven't read a lot of Dickens yet and I'm currently in the process of rectifying that by attempting to read all his novels this year. I really enjoyed the fun, lightheartedness of this book and the wide range of fascinating characters.
Narrator Patrick Tull is perfect for this story filled with delicious language and perfectly drawn characters. Mr. Pickwick starts off as a bit of a buffoon, but he develops into a very warm-hearted and responsible character as the story develops. Mr. Jingle is a favorite, and Tull recites his stuttered dialogue with panache. The sad fate of this scoundrel brought a tear to my eye (particularly in the 1952 film version, which eliminates lots of plot but gets right to the point). I was struck by how much this book must have influenced Three Men in a Boat and other British humor (pity my ignorance and despise me, as Dickens himself would say). I can't say enough about this - I listened to it for ages but never wanted it to end.
Quite funny and well written series of stories about Mr. Pickwick and his friends. It felt like a kind of sitcom, where the same four characters with caricatured personalities constantly end up in some sort of trouble, from which they then need to find a way out.
It was okay at first, but painfully long to finish.
It was okay at first, but painfully long to finish.
“Poetry makes life what lights and music do the stage.”
— 3 ★
It took me two whole months to finish The Pickwick Papers . I even almost forgot how to write a review because I did not read anything else in between. I think I chose a wrong time to read it, I had a lot to study for finals and finish some assignments for uni. My stress levels were never so high. So, obviously, a major reading slump was coming up.
The thing is, it isn’t an easy book to be read. I say that in the sense that it wasn’t meant to be read as a novel. It was originally serialized, thought to be read periodically throughout time.
However, despite not having a strong plot, it was tremendously entertaining. Last week, I finally got over my reading slump and finished the last 700 pages without realizing it. This was Dickens first novel, but you can already see what an amazing writer he would become in later years. He subtlety introduces themes such as poverty, law and politics, which he develops more in his following works.
One of the things I really loved about it was Dickens ability to create memorable characters and his humor, that relies mostly on stereotypes. Sam Weller and Mr. Pickwick were definitely my favourites. Let me share this hilarious quote from the famous hat scene:
“There are very few moments in a man's existence when he experiences so much ludicrous distress, or meets with so little charitable commiseration, as when he is in pursuit of his own hat.”
Unfortunately, women were reduced to weak-minded, “hysterical” characters, extremely prone to fainting. They were there only as mere objects of romantic conquest, which is really discouraging. However, I know Dickens remedies this in his later works, so I’ll just attribute it to his youth (I believe he wrote this book in his twenties).
All in all, I found this book to be a cozy read. Surprisingly, it saddened me quite a lot when I finished the last chapter, the ending was really sweet.
cawpile rating: 6.93
A pompous, overpopulated romp. But it taught me the word ‘posthumous,’ and it introduced me to the lighter side of Dickens when I was immersed in his heftier stuff and it gave me the opportunity to look at a good writer writing wildly. In short, for me - it was an essential part of being 13.
DNF p. 85
Style isn’t working for me right now. I’m enjoying bits of this but there are so many characters and so much satire that’s going right over my head...every time I pick it up I’ve completely forgotten everything from the previous chapters. Putting this one on indefinite hold.
Style isn’t working for me right now. I’m enjoying bits of this but there are so many characters and so much satire that’s going right over my head...every time I pick it up I’ve completely forgotten everything from the previous chapters. Putting this one on indefinite hold.