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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
Hard to read at first but once you get into it and analyse the content, things make more sense and hold much more meaning
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really do enjoy how Dickens' writing meanders along. although the plot gets tense at times, it's never stressful to read, which I appreciate
Charles is juggling a lot of characters in this one, but they all manage to be compelling to me. I really enjoyed reading this
Charles is juggling a lot of characters in this one, but they all manage to be compelling to me. I really enjoyed reading this
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
No
A well written book with a good plot, but not a kind of book that I normally should have read..
I was never this happy to see the word "final" in relation to a chapter. I'm sorry to say this, but I suppose I'm one of those people who consider Dickens and his compatriots boring. Sadly, I have a whole semester ahead of exactly that.
Enjoyed the last part quite a bit, but not enough to save more of this novel as a whole.
Enjoyed the last part quite a bit, but not enough to save more of this novel as a whole.
Hard Times stands apart from other Dickens novels -- shorter in length, simpler in plot, and sadder in tone. The action is set in a mill town in the north of England and presents some expected social issues: working conditions, legal discrimination against the poor, labor unions. The main theme of the novel, however, is education. Thomas Gradgrind brings up his children and pupils without any recourse to imagination or emotion. In his household, "I wonder . . ." is a phrase that merits punishment. It is this attitude of Head versus Heart, and Facts versus Fancy that finds itself at the root of all the unhappiness of the book. And unlike most Dickens novels, that unhappiness is never quite overcome. Usually Dickens novels leave me gleefully glad to be alive, but I finished rereading Hard Times feeling sad and grown-up.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to be a Dickens reader but I don't think I am. I can see the charm and wit of his writing. However, I just couldn't get past the difficulty in reading the book.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
See the review in my general account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/511995962