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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Unbeknownst to me, I picked the wrong time to read The Pickwick Papers. I began during the holiday season when time was limited. Due to interruptions, I started the book three times. The third was truly a charm because I was able to stick with this comical story. Do not be discouraged by its length. The chapter titles, narrative & fun characters keep a reader interested. I was confused at first because there was more than one character named "Sam". Once I set them straight, I was enchanted by Mr. Pickwick & his travels.
Friendship, loyalty, love, honour.
All of these in episodic format.
Mr. Pickwick is so cute and lovable!
All of these in episodic format.
Mr. Pickwick is so cute and lovable!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I knew this was going to be more episodic and lighthearted than Dickens' novels that followed. With that in mind I adored this. And it was fascinating to watch Dickens find his feet over the course of the instalments.
After reading this book the first time, years before Goodreads, I hoped to never read it again, though I knew I would eventually “have to” with the local Dickens Fellowship. I always look forward to the meetings (tea, treats, and talk with the most generous people you can imagine) and this stayed true during the dreaded reread. Our intrepid leaders posited a different format than the usual for these monthly meetings, and having a different member present each month (starting in September) worked very well. In order to fully understand other viewpoints and to participate in the ensuing discussions, I “had to” reread, so I’m glad I did for those reasons only, because...
… yes, I know this is Dickens’s first novel and he was very young at the time and he was teaching himself how to write while writing. Yes, I know how popular this series was at the time of original publication. Yes, Sam Weller is humorous. So was the court scene: I even chuckled out loud once. A few of the stories-within-the story were okay, even moderately entertaining. But none of that remotely comes close to ameliorating how much of a slog this was for me to read, so much so that I can’t conceive how I managed reading it straight through the first time without the benefit of a monthly schedule, so much so that I had to force myself some nights to read at least two pages before putting it aside until the next day.
When I originally added this book to my Goodreads account, I gave it my default three stars. But if a three-stars rating means I “like” a book (and it typically does for me), I can’t give it three stars. I didn’t like it.
… yes, I know this is Dickens’s first novel and he was very young at the time and he was teaching himself how to write while writing. Yes, I know how popular this series was at the time of original publication. Yes, Sam Weller is humorous. So was the court scene: I even chuckled out loud once. A few of the stories-within-the story were okay, even moderately entertaining. But none of that remotely comes close to ameliorating how much of a slog this was for me to read, so much so that I can’t conceive how I managed reading it straight through the first time without the benefit of a monthly schedule, so much so that I had to force myself some nights to read at least two pages before putting it aside until the next day.
When I originally added this book to my Goodreads account, I gave it my default three stars. But if a three-stars rating means I “like” a book (and it typically does for me), I can’t give it three stars. I didn’t like it.
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
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This one was so different from Dickens' other novels. Light-hearted and silly. Yet, you can see the beginnings of so many future characters and stories in its pages. It took a little time for me to find the plot, but by the end I had fallen in love with Mr. Pickwick and his ever faithful servant, Sam. Beautiful language and imagery as always.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is actually a collection of short stories/chapters that follows the adventures of the Pickwick Club as they head off to research life by travelling around England. The stories rely more on the characters than their adventures and there is much description of the places they go rather than what they do, which is interesting but not worth the many hundreds of pages that results. This Dickens' first work and it is certainly nowhere near his best but it does give an insight into Britain at the time and into Dickens' emerging talents. I think I would've enjoyed this more if I could relate to some of the characters but as this is based on the ol' boys club, this did prove a little difficult and some of them were just down right annoying which reduced my enjoyment somewhat. Not a bad read but not sure it is one I'll read again.