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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hard to know how to rate this because it's one of those books N read aloud to me before bed over the course of years and I often fell asleep mid-chapter so I know I missed parts. I really enjoyed the journey, though. I'll miss you, Trot!
I have a vague memory of a former English teacher telling us that Dickens got paid by the word. After listen-reading this, I’d 100% believe that. The dude can go ON. Everybody needs an editor.
I “read” it because I never have and I want to read Demon Copperhead, so I wanted to be up to speed. But I was not super impressed by it. My big issues:
David exerts so little agency over his own life. While fascinating things and characters happen all around him, he is blithely boring and kind of oblivious. He was shocked — shocked, I tell you! — at everything that transpired at every moment. For someone supposedly so observant, he never seemed to think critically about what he observed. It was sympathetic when he was 7. But he doesn’t seem to ever grow up. Grow up.
I could not, for the life of me, figure out why this milquetoast dude was our hero. Any of the other characters would have made for a better story. Namely: the aunt. A novel of her life story would have been wildly more interesting.
The “child wife” bullshit. I know i need to leave allowances for olde timey sexism. But COME ON. The aunt is independent. Other female characters have sense and the competence to function as grown adults. So, what irked me was the glorifying and acceptance of the learned helplessness of his wife as totally cool and not at all something that should cause ongoing strife. And then giving him a super-easy out with that relationship so he never actually has to deal with the consequences of making TERRIBLE life choices.
I get Uriah Heap is the villain and is bad… but he’s not actually worse than some of the other horrible people David/Dickens totally let off the hook. Like the terrible “friend” about whom he can’t say a bad word… but who ruined the lives of several people he considers family. WTF. You are just the worst judge of character, kid.
There were parts I liked, of course. But it started to really drag as he got older and it was wildly repetitive.
I “read” it because I never have and I want to read Demon Copperhead, so I wanted to be up to speed. But I was not super impressed by it. My big issues:
David exerts so little agency over his own life. While fascinating things and characters happen all around him, he is blithely boring and kind of oblivious. He was shocked — shocked, I tell you! — at everything that transpired at every moment. For someone supposedly so observant, he never seemed to think critically about what he observed. It was sympathetic when he was 7. But he doesn’t seem to ever grow up. Grow up.
I could not, for the life of me, figure out why this milquetoast dude was our hero. Any of the other characters would have made for a better story. Namely: the aunt. A novel of her life story would have been wildly more interesting.
The “child wife” bullshit. I know i need to leave allowances for olde timey sexism. But COME ON. The aunt is independent. Other female characters have sense and the competence to function as grown adults. So, what irked me was the glorifying and acceptance of the learned helplessness of his wife as totally cool and not at all something that should cause ongoing strife. And then giving him a super-easy out with that relationship so he never actually has to deal with the consequences of making TERRIBLE life choices.
I get Uriah Heap is the villain and is bad… but he’s not actually worse than some of the other horrible people David/Dickens totally let off the hook. Like the terrible “friend” about whom he can’t say a bad word… but who ruined the lives of several people he considers family. WTF. You are just the worst judge of character, kid.
There were parts I liked, of course. But it started to really drag as he got older and it was wildly repetitive.
Smiled, laughed, cried. Dickens knows how to write characters.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
What a journey, what a life. Surprised how much I laughed but also that I got emotional at the end. An incredible novel.
As Dickens is not my favourite classic author, I have great dlsatisfaction in finishing this book with good humour. May the adventures of DC be a warm homecoming to all who read it.
“I went away, loving you. I stayed away, loving you. I returned home, loving you.”