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naomileunis's review against another edition
2.0
Ik denk dat ik zo stilletjes aan kan zeggen dat Charles Dickens niet echt voor mij is.
lu2cy_i's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
franklyfrank's review against another edition
2.0
This was such a chore to get through the book- It might have been because it was an ebook, but definitely not one of my favorite dickens books. I might re-read this one day in actual book form, but the length of it, and the entire plot- and characters were so difficult to get through. I really liked Oliver Twist so much more, and I'm hoping when I get to "The old curiosity shop", I'll like that more than this behemoth of a title.
emilyjoy828's review against another edition
5.0
Perhaps 5 stars is too high, but this book will always have a special place in my heart, as the titular character is basically the literary personification of James Carl Housworth. I’ve always thought so.
P.S. I will never forgive the 2002 film for casting Anne Hathaway as Madeline.
P.S. I will never forgive the 2002 film for casting Anne Hathaway as Madeline.
anneofgreenplaces's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Full of clever and entertaining caricatures, which I enjoyed (though they sometimes got old/belabored, especially the ones completely inessential to the plot like the acting troupe) and not much else--noticeably less coherent plot than any of the other Dickens books I've read. So it took a bit more work. But still fun.
Full of clever and entertaining caricatures, which I enjoyed (though they sometimes got old/belabored, especially the ones completely inessential to the plot like the acting troupe) and not much else--noticeably less coherent plot than any of the other Dickens books I've read. So it took a bit more work. But still fun.
bkdrgn303's review against another edition
4.0
What a rollick! If more students were required to read this rather than A Tale of Two Cities, more would actually enjoy Dickens. Very funny.
musicdeepdive's review against another edition
4.75
For as massive a work as this is, it's absolutely chock-full of plot. The characters aren't quite as vivid as those in Oliver Twist, but the narrative surrounding Nicholas and all his surrounding characters is a genuinely stunning one, with a death scene that's a real tear-jerker and a villain who meets his downfall in an utterly satisfying, *complete* way. The length may be a turn-off, but stick with it: it's worth the time commitment.
lgpiper's review against another edition
4.0
It seems that I'm destined to read all of Dickens...eventually. So, I can now check off yet another of his lengthy, but engaging stories. This is the third of his novels, and the eighth or ninth one I've read. Dickens can be a bit long winded at times, but he never fails to entertain.
As with most Dickens that I've read, we have the struggle between good and evil, between malevolent and benign. Nicholas Nickelby is a young gentleman whose father lost his fortune. He, his mother (who is so silly that she makes Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice seem like a sane, rational, intelligent woman) and his sister (obviously intelligent, lovely, and saintly, right?) are thrown upon the good graces, so to speak, of Nicholas uncle Ralph, the avaricious brother of his father. Ralph is a miser and usurer who doesn't do anything without thought of personal gain. So he farms Nicholas out as an assistant schoolmaster at a boarding school in Yorkshire. The sister is sent to work for a dress maker. Naturally, both endeavors are somewhat sketchy.
So, we have a long, engaging tale of Nicholas' slow rise in fortunes and Ralph's slow descent into the pit, so to speak. Along the way, we meet all manner of strange characters, the good and righteous ones eventually succeeding and living lives of happiness and good fellowship, and the malevolent ones, failing. But the victory of good over evil is not at all obvious until we near the end. Before then, we've oodles of worries and tension. Dickens is rather a nineteenth-century version of a sit-com. The episodes appeared at regular intervals, and Dickens' readers found themselves totally engaged in finding out what happened next.
As with most Dickens that I've read, we have the struggle between good and evil, between malevolent and benign. Nicholas Nickelby is a young gentleman whose father lost his fortune. He, his mother (who is so silly that she makes Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice seem like a sane, rational, intelligent woman) and his sister (obviously intelligent, lovely, and saintly, right?) are thrown upon the good graces, so to speak, of Nicholas uncle Ralph, the avaricious brother of his father. Ralph is a miser and usurer who doesn't do anything without thought of personal gain. So he farms Nicholas out as an assistant schoolmaster at a boarding school in Yorkshire. The sister is sent to work for a dress maker. Naturally, both endeavors are somewhat sketchy.
So, we have a long, engaging tale of Nicholas' slow rise in fortunes and Ralph's slow descent into the pit, so to speak. Along the way, we meet all manner of strange characters, the good and righteous ones eventually succeeding and living lives of happiness and good fellowship, and the malevolent ones, failing. But the victory of good over evil is not at all obvious until we near the end. Before then, we've oodles of worries and tension. Dickens is rather a nineteenth-century version of a sit-com. The episodes appeared at regular intervals, and Dickens' readers found themselves totally engaged in finding out what happened next.