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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SPOILER ALERT
The Positives…
The Positives…
Given the amount I read I had never read a Dickens novel until Hard Times. I don’t quite know why… I had Oliver Twist sitting on my bookshelf but never had the inclination to read the thing. This novel really is a great way to introduce oneself to Dickens; blending social inequalities, class and humour into a brilliant novel.
We meet Mr Gradgrind and his dear friend Mr Bounderby (of Coketown!) The early characterisations are superbly portrayed, the irritating preoccupation with logic and statistics whilst shunning fancy and imagination as out of hand. Dickens brings his characters to life in a multitude of ways, from his use of repetition to the small quirks of each key figure. There are character arcs galore whilst other characters remain unlovable in their attitude toward each other, themselves and the world around them.
Dickens reminds us that it is not class and background that moulds person; nobody can predict the criminality of a person based solely on their class. Although I personally saw the twist relating to the robbery from a mile off it was well worked and showed how far upper class folks can fall despite a logical and well to do upbringing. The fact Dickens casts the travelling girl as one of the most humane, gentle and compassionate of characters displays Dickens’ ability to see past social constructs to the individual men and women of the time.
The Drawbacks…
Dickens scrapes the surface of unionisation though this is at a surface level. Some aspects of this theme got lost on me as I tried to negotiate my way through the various conflicting stretches in the novel. This was not helped by the use of language from Dickens who decided – unwisely in this readers opinion – to use accents in the communication between the lower and upper classes. This made these portions of the text a chore to read, having to read carefully the different words that were not always easy to decipher.
Final Thought: A good way to introduce yourself (or others) to the world of Dickens. He paints a bleak portrait of the 1800s at a time of unionisation and gulfs between classes. If you can tolerate the heavier parts – such as accents being used as noted above – you will no doubt be ready for more of this legendary author!
I did not think that this was going to be an enjoyable book, but it was quite good. It had developed relationships, and even some you wish did not exist. The upbringing of Lousia and Tom is a childhood not worth a thing, what would you become if you were not allowed your imagination? tThe further in I got, the more intriguing the plot became, and even a little mystery to be solved, which i did not see coming. The writing for this particular story was just perfect, and very understandable. All in all a good book. I don't think i would have had any interest to pick it up for som light reading, but then again sometimes you are surprised.
I simply don’t care about anything that happened in this book and worse yet, I don’t care about any of the characters. I read Dickens for his characters and there was very little to sink my teeth in in this volume. I pretty much don’t buy any of it. The only interesting part was the opening scene in the school and the depiction of Mrs. Gradgrind and the reasons Mr. Gradgrind chose her as a wife.
It surprises me how much I actually enjoyed this book?
Perfect Musical Pairing: Another Brick In The Wall (Parts 1, 2, and 3) by Pink Floyd
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Normally, I really enjoy required reading, and you can't go wrong with Charles Dickens, but this one just didn't seem to hit the mark for me. Part of a book being "good" is coming to it (or it coming to you) at the right time and place in your life, and I guess this one didn't come to me at the right time or place.
It also didn't help matters that it rudely interrupted my reading of [b:A Tale of Two Cities|1953|A Tale of Two Cities|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344922523s/1953.jpg|2956372]...
But like I said earlier, you can never go wrong with Charles Dickens. He's like Hayao Miyazaki, but for books, in that he's never made an explicitly bad one, it's just that some are better than others.
I'm just going to keep this one on the backburner for now. Perhaps in the future, I'll come back to it on my own time and at my own pace, and maybe then I will be able to properly appreciate it and enjoy it. Until then, no rating for this one.
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Normally, I really enjoy required reading, and you can't go wrong with Charles Dickens, but this one just didn't seem to hit the mark for me. Part of a book being "good" is coming to it (or it coming to you) at the right time and place in your life, and I guess this one didn't come to me at the right time or place.
It also didn't help matters that it rudely interrupted my reading of [b:A Tale of Two Cities|1953|A Tale of Two Cities|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344922523s/1953.jpg|2956372]...
But like I said earlier, you can never go wrong with Charles Dickens. He's like Hayao Miyazaki, but for books, in that he's never made an explicitly bad one, it's just that some are better than others.
I'm just going to keep this one on the backburner for now. Perhaps in the future, I'll come back to it on my own time and at my own pace, and maybe then I will be able to properly appreciate it and enjoy it. Until then, no rating for this one.
Bitterly funny and over-the-top, this is very broad Dickens in a short package. He always makes me tear up because I'm a sentimental bozo.
Not the best Dickens, but one of the best of his characters--Mrs. Sparsit is simply perfect.
Not the best Dickens, but one of the best of his characters--Mrs. Sparsit is simply perfect.
After reading this book, I am still not a fan of Dickens. Oh, the perils of required reading.
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS YESSSSSS.
Hard Times was definitely the best of the classics I've read so far. It was a little more stratghtforward and I actually found myself enjoying the events in the story at times.
But I'm so glad I finished it OMG
Hard Times was definitely the best of the classics I've read so far. It was a little more stratghtforward and I actually found myself enjoying the events in the story at times.
But I'm so glad I finished it OMG