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happylilkt's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
Oh, Dickens.... I read [b:Great Expectations|2623|Great Expectations|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327920219l/2623._SY75_.jpg|2612809] my first year of high school and it was not bad but it was not amazing for me like it is for some Dickens fans*, but then sometime as a young adult (after I watched the BBC film of David Copperfield with a young Daniel Radcliffe, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, et al) I decided to read [b:David Copperfield|58696|David Copperfield|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461452762l/58696._SY75_.jpg|4711940] and found myself on a Dickens binge with [b:A Tale of Two Cities|1953|A Tale of Two Cities|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344922523l/1953._SY75_.jpg|2956372], [b:Hard Times|5344|Hard Times|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348651243l/5344._SX50_.jpg|6751955], and [b:Oliver Twist|18254|Oliver Twist|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327868529l/18254._SY75_.jpg|3057979]. But the latter was my least favorite and I must have moved on. Since then I've read [b:A Christmas Carol|5326|A Christmas Carol|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406512317l/5326._SY75_.jpg|3097440] a few times and, honestly, felt that I had ticked the Dickens box, if you know what I mean? I still reread A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield (and A Tale of Two Cities) because they are just so wonderful, but not sure I felt the need to read more. I mean, who reads EVERY Dickens book...?**
And so it stood. But then one of the most enduring and endearing book clubs I have been a part of elected [b:Nicholas Nickleby|325085|Nicholas Nickleby|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1352758388l/325085._SY75_.jpg|4993095] for our December/January read. Shame on me for doubting you, Charles Dickens! I was reminded of why he and [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588941810p2/1265.jpg] are the master and mistress of amusing side-characters. Yes, Dickens makes his heroes perfect and his villains the worst; yes, everything is very episodic (hello, serials!), amusing, and at times sentimentally tragic. But I am not embarrassed to say that I laughed, I cried, and I bored my husband by reading passages aloud (tip: it's not usually entertaining for those who haven't been reading with you).
yearbook notes for my favorite characters:
Mrs. Nickleby, you got me shaking my head. John Browdie, you are the best that Yorkshire could ever offer. Tim, may your heavenly ledgers be legible and accurate. Newman Noggs and Smike, you both have my heart!
*I think it's kind of like Wuthering Heights. Some love it and others don't really get it. For me, it's Jane Eyre and David Copperfield. Sorry, Pip.
**I'm not committing myself or anything, but I will now freely acknowledge that it could happen to me.
Oh, Dickens.... I read [b:Great Expectations|2623|Great Expectations|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327920219l/2623._SY75_.jpg|2612809] my first year of high school and it was not bad but it was not amazing for me like it is for some Dickens fans*, but then sometime as a young adult (after I watched the BBC film of David Copperfield with a young Daniel Radcliffe, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, et al) I decided to read [b:David Copperfield|58696|David Copperfield|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461452762l/58696._SY75_.jpg|4711940] and found myself on a Dickens binge with [b:A Tale of Two Cities|1953|A Tale of Two Cities|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344922523l/1953._SY75_.jpg|2956372], [b:Hard Times|5344|Hard Times|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348651243l/5344._SX50_.jpg|6751955], and [b:Oliver Twist|18254|Oliver Twist|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327868529l/18254._SY75_.jpg|3057979]. But the latter was my least favorite and I must have moved on. Since then I've read [b:A Christmas Carol|5326|A Christmas Carol|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406512317l/5326._SY75_.jpg|3097440] a few times and, honestly, felt that I had ticked the Dickens box, if you know what I mean? I still reread A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield (and A Tale of Two Cities) because they are just so wonderful, but not sure I felt the need to read more. I mean, who reads EVERY Dickens book...?**
And so it stood. But then one of the most enduring and endearing book clubs I have been a part of elected [b:Nicholas Nickleby|325085|Nicholas Nickleby|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1352758388l/325085._SY75_.jpg|4993095] for our December/January read. Shame on me for doubting you, Charles Dickens! I was reminded of why he and [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588941810p2/1265.jpg] are the master and mistress of amusing side-characters. Yes, Dickens makes his heroes perfect and his villains the worst; yes, everything is very episodic (hello, serials!), amusing, and at times sentimentally tragic. But I am not embarrassed to say that I laughed, I cried, and I bored my husband by reading passages aloud (tip: it's not usually entertaining for those who haven't been reading with you).
yearbook notes for my favorite characters:
Mrs. Nickleby, you got me shaking my head. John Browdie, you are the best that Yorkshire could ever offer. Tim, may your heavenly ledgers be legible and accurate. Newman Noggs and Smike, you both have my heart!
*I think it's kind of like Wuthering Heights. Some love it and others don't really get it. For me, it's Jane Eyre and David Copperfield. Sorry, Pip.
**I'm not committing myself or anything, but I will now freely acknowledge that it could happen to me.
v_andbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Maybe one of the weaker stories by Dickens, but still with a satisfactory ending.
kari13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
smugpeanut's review against another edition
Mental block - couldn't deal with classic language at the time
dragonwasrobot's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tobymacl's review against another edition
5.0
Tremendous. Loveable, credible, complex, satirical characters. And a sense the story could, if dickens wished it, continue forever. “I will not spare you if you drive me on!” Cries Nicholas. He is young and headstrong; Ralph is mean and dastardly but also human; and the plotting that takes Nicholas through so many walks of life allows a commentary on society that is classical and ageless.
Long but I wanted it to last even longer. Hard to know where to look next.
Long but I wanted it to last even longer. Hard to know where to look next.
yourfavebookhoarder's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
angelamichelle's review against another edition
2.0
I do love Dickens--but oh the silliness! the asides! the meaningless plot turns! for hundreds and hundreds of pages!
pbraue13's review against another edition
4.0
A fun ride once you get used to Dickens' style. Like "Pickwick Papers" I don't think reading this all at once was smart, but I did feel more engaged and had more fun here than with "Pickwick". I think because this is his third book so Dickens was able to refine his style and not put everything and the kitchen sink into his book (or newspaper serial, lol).