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meghan4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
niche's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book frequently mentioned in other works and was one if the most widely read of the Victorian era and, as such, found it's way onto my reading list.
I suppose Poe's Law is in effect as, upon reading reviews, I am uncertain as to whether the work is sincere or satire. My initial reaction was sincerity as it felt like a twee version of Little Women if Mr. March never left home, an optimist's book of Job set to have everything work out in the end. It felt much like the fiction Jo March would write so I approached it as sincere.
Regardless, the writing style is the greatest boon and whether to take it as saccharine morality play or satire of optimism ala Voltaire's Candide I leave it to whichever the reader enjoys more.
I suppose Poe's Law is in effect as, upon reading reviews, I am uncertain as to whether the work is sincere or satire. My initial reaction was sincerity as it felt like a twee version of Little Women if Mr. March never left home, an optimist's book of Job set to have everything work out in the end. It felt much like the fiction Jo March would write so I approached it as sincere.
Regardless, the writing style is the greatest boon and whether to take it as saccharine morality play or satire of optimism ala Voltaire's Candide I leave it to whichever the reader enjoys more.
shelfofunread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Kidnapping
martha_joy's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jmiae's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst reading this rather obscure publication from 1766, I sometimes had to remind myself that the author/narrator is in real earnest when he goes on his moralising rants and endorses some severely antiquated gender norms. I'm honestly not sure what compelled me to buy this from one of the used bookshops in Edinburgh, since the copy I purchased isn't particularly beautiful, just merely in relatively good condition (not too surprising since it was printed in Oxford in the 1950s). So now it's sort of a novelty item that sits on my bookshelves.
Still, it was a fun read just to get a glimpse of what novels were like 250 years ago. Barring any edits from the editors at Oxford University Press, English hasn't changed too much since then, and I definitely see why Dickens was so popular with his contemporaries, what with all his strange plot twists and the satisfying tying-up of loose ends that always occurs at the end of an overly complicated set of conundrums that the main character encounters. I'm not sure how familiar most other modern readers of Dickensian literature are with other novels from that time or before. Apart from the usual suspects, I haven't read much English literature that didn't carry over into the modern mainstream, but reading The Vicar of Wakefield makes me wonder if maybe Dickens wasn't especially special for his age, just especially successful?
Still, it was a fun read just to get a glimpse of what novels were like 250 years ago. Barring any edits from the editors at Oxford University Press, English hasn't changed too much since then, and I definitely see why Dickens was so popular with his contemporaries, what with all his strange plot twists and the satisfying tying-up of loose ends that always occurs at the end of an overly complicated set of conundrums that the main character encounters. I'm not sure how familiar most other modern readers of Dickensian literature are with other novels from that time or before. Apart from the usual suspects, I haven't read much English literature that didn't carry over into the modern mainstream, but reading The Vicar of Wakefield makes me wonder if maybe Dickens wasn't especially special for his age, just especially successful?
emily_britton's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A tad ridiculous and, obviously, outdated. I did chuckle at the last page, in which one of the characters is said to be learning to "blow the French-horn."
emsfrancesb's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
grubstlodger's review against another edition
5.0
Nice little short book after the last one. There was only one character I would have liked as a person (though many of them were enjoyable characters to read). The best chapter was the one dealing with the adventures of Primroses’s son - who spent time as a hack, a sailor, a soldier, a tutor on the grand tour and an art expert despite knowing nothing about art - I saw myself in that. I liked what a snob Primrose’s wife was and how patronising he was about it. I also liked the improbable ending though I suspected a more improbable one - I thought that Primrose’s misfortunes were a test created by the Burchell, the rich man. It wasn’t quite that complicated. The style was very simple and very readable and the sappy nature of the character never made the book feel sappy - pretty good in total.
paigeforster's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25