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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
More memorable characters from Charles Dickens. I particularly liked Mr Macabre and Mr Dick.
Rating this book was very difficult for me. I liked Dickens' "Pickwick Papers" and "Oliver Twist" so this was the next read on my list and oh boy was I conflicted.
Characters: 4
Setting: 2
Plot: 3
Total: 3 Stars
Characters were probably the best part of the story and it was due to Dickens writing style more then he actual characters. I find Dickens irony very funny. Plenty of times through the book I found myself laughing out loud so naturally I got attached to Nicholas and Smike and the ever good Brothers, really all of them even the villains. It was fun to read about what would happen to them next.
Setting was the most lackluster. I think if Dickens took them all out and stuck them on the moon, or in the middle of France, or south eastern side of Minnesota I would have cared less...
Now the plot is where my indecisions came onto me hard. Dickens has a LOT of parallel stories happening in this book and I didn't feel like he wrapped them all up in a way I would have liked.
Also this book is LONG! As much as I enjoyed it, and I did, I had to split it into a trilogy and read other books in between. (Maybe that's why it was released as a serial, I don't know). For someone who's not sure if they would like Dickens writing style, this would not be a good book to start with.
All in all I though it was a good and solid 3 stars.
Roman "Ragnar"
Characters: 4
Setting: 2
Plot: 3
Total: 3 Stars
Characters were probably the best part of the story and it was due to Dickens writing style more then he actual characters. I find Dickens irony very funny. Plenty of times through the book I found myself laughing out loud so naturally I got attached to Nicholas and Smike and the ever good Brothers, really all of them even the villains. It was fun to read about what would happen to them next.
Setting was the most lackluster. I think if Dickens took them all out and stuck them on the moon, or in the middle of France, or south eastern side of Minnesota I would have cared less...
Now the plot is where my indecisions came onto me hard. Dickens has a LOT of parallel stories happening in this book and I didn't feel like he wrapped them all up in a way I would have liked.
Also this book is LONG! As much as I enjoyed it, and I did, I had to split it into a trilogy and read other books in between. (Maybe that's why it was released as a serial, I don't know). For someone who's not sure if they would like Dickens writing style, this would not be a good book to start with.
All in all I though it was a good and solid 3 stars.
Roman "Ragnar"
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Libro molto bello, edizione un po' meno per via di note a piè di pagina alquanto inutili e messe a casaccio
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Non sapevo bene cosa aspettarmi da questo libro dato che di Dickens ho letto relativamente pochissimo, ma ora che l'ho finito posso dire senza dubbio di averlo amato tantissimo! Nonostante la "dispersività" famosa dell'autore, che non conosce il dono della sintesi e tende spessissimo a perdersi in ragionamenti di cui il libro potrebbe fare a meno senza problemi - un po' come Hugo ne I miserabili: così spesso l'autore si perdeva in altre descrizioni e racconti che alcuni li ho addirittura saltati facendo finta che non esistessero - l'intera vicenda è comunque riuscita a prendermi tanto. Mi sono affezionata da morire ai personaggi, soprattutto a Nicholas e Smike, e mi ha resa felicissima il finale che è anche questo tipico della scrittura di Dickens: fin da subito i buoni sono ben diversi dai cattivi e già questo ci aiuta a capire come finiranno le cose. I buoni, anche se dopo mille sofferenze, verranno premiati; i cattivi riceveranno tutti le punizioni che meritano. È successo (anche) qui e davvero non potrei esserne più felice! L'unica pecca è il finale dato a Smike: essendo il mio personaggio preferito avrei gradito che le cose per lui andassero diversamente, ma se mi sforzo posso anche capire il perché della scelta fatta da Dickens - se davvero tuttotutto fosse finito "bene" allora la storia avrebbe perso quel tocco di realismo onnipresente che tanto me l'ha fatta amare.
“For I hold that in this, as in all other cases where people who are strangers to each other are thrown unexpectedly together, they should endeavor to render themselves as pleasant, for the joint sake of the little community, as possible.”
— Dickens
— Dickens
I loved the first 500 pages, the characters were great, I felt so much for them! Dickens is just a great story teller, ya know. But the last third could have been cut, really. The love story felt contrite and I'm sorry but if that was my father... see ya and good luck, I'm outta here... but whatever. It still had some good bits, but overall the book dipped at the end.
1st 250 pages = ★★★★★
2nd 250 pages = ★★★★★
last 250 pages = ★★★☆☆
1st 250 pages = ★★★★★
2nd 250 pages = ★★★★★
last 250 pages = ★★★☆☆
OK, Nicholas Nickleby probably isn't really a five-star read -- it's not a masterpiece like David Copperfield or Bleak House or Great Expectations. But I am so fond of it I cannot be objective. I reread it every few years and it remains--much like Mrs. Nickleby--funny and cheerful and good-hearted, if a bit verbose.
The last quarter drags as Dickens mostly abandons the humor and hastily throws in a plot to tie everything up. I could do without the section in which Nicholas and Kate congratulate each other on their high-mindedness. But still and all, I love this book a great deal.
The last quarter drags as Dickens mostly abandons the humor and hastily throws in a plot to tie everything up. I could do without the section in which Nicholas and Kate congratulate each other on their high-mindedness. But still and all, I love this book a great deal.
This is a comic tale of a young man and his pursuits as he matures. The novel contains many Dickensian themes of various social injustices. A great joy to read.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with Smike being one of the most endearing characters I have encountered in Dickens so far. Though I think it lacks some depth compared to his later novels, there are some wonderful passages in here and I am sure I will enjoy rereading it in years to come.