Reviews

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

rissaleighs's review against another edition

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4.0

I think the older I get, the more I appreciate Dickens. His characters seem wildly entertaining, preposterous, and larger than life, I think, to a kid; but when you begin to see something of the world, you begin to recognize, "Oh my word. This absurdity is real. I know Mrs. Nickleby!" Greatly enjoyed it. :) Especially the Mantalinis, Newman Noggs, and Kate.

idesofmarch's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad 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? Yes

3.75


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bookishwendy's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a joy--perfect summer reading. Some parts are riotously funny--The Infant Phenomenon, Dickens' takedown of 19th Century theater, Mrs Nickleby's unerring pride in a madman's amorous advances--and unlike [b:The Pickwick Papers|229432|The Pickwick Papers|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360795072s/229432.jpg|3315230] there's actually a plot. As one might expect, my favorite moments of high drama involved Nicholas taking his fists to the faces of horrible schoolmasters and creepy stalkers. It's also interesting to see how Dickens has already started developing weightier themes that he'll go on to wield to greater effect in [b:Bleak House|31242|Bleak House|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1280113147s/31242.jpg|2960365], [b:A Christmas Carol|5326|A Christmas Carol|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406512317s/5326.jpg|3097440] and others. Though he manages to stave off sentimentality for a while--there are some hilarious false starts to the romance plot, for example--it's all tied up too nicely what with the convenient deaths, inheritances, not to mention poor Smike. Overall, a fun romp and a quick read for an 800 page book.

raalux's review against another edition

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I'm not in the right state of mind for this right now. I just can't connect with any of the characters or get into the flow of the story

mrsjackflash's review against another edition

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2.0

Dropped at 46%

Truthfully, the story really did peak with the ridiculous political campaign about the muffins, but otherwise the comedy didn’t hit as well as it should’ve, and the story seems rather too tame to hold interest. Not one of Dickens’ better works.

vlbayliss's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

anam11's review against another edition

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This must be the funniest classic I've ever read. I've chuckled a lot while reading this, and sometimes even laughed out loud. Dickens is a master of criticizing society in a humorous and lighthearted way. Lots of irony, sarcasm, all the good stuff. Some of the characters are outrageously ridiculous. And there are LOTS of characters and a lot of random stuff happens in the book, it doesn't really have a plot in a sense, but is more of a description of some random dude's life in 19th century Britain.

caittothelin's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0


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wickerparkgirl's review against another edition

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5.0

Not quite as good as David Copperfield but very enjoyable and just as full of wonderful characters.

mia_48419's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5