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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
The first book I've read from Dickens and I'm in love. Louisa was my favorite character but I enjoyed everything about this book. This one's now one of my favorite classics.
I liked the book, it's short and sweet, but not Dickens' strongest work. There are some great anti-utilitarian moments that I had a good laugh about. All in all, an inoffensive work that I was grateful was only 300 odd pages. Any longer and it would have been a drag.
Hard Times is rather typical of Dickens' style, in several ways; it is about Victorian England, it is dark and bleak, and most of the characters are miserable. In this particular story, Dickens focuses on the fictional Coketown, an industrial, factory-laden town, instead of London and its surrounding area. His setting, as always, is gorgeously described, likening the smokestacks to great elephants, and the smoke itself to a grand serpent. He also talks about the poor workers and how they toil and work in filth day after day without reprieve, and how they suffer and die without notice.
Dickens' other skill is with forming his characters. As usual, he gives them wonderful names- Gradgrind, M'choakemchild, Bounderby, Sparsit, etc. Their discourse and personal arcs are, truly, along with the setting, the backbone of Hard Times. The rest is just extra, and it truly reads that way. There's not much of a plot here, besides Gradgrind imposing facts instead of feelings upon his children, and their eventual suffering because of such an upbringing. The book reads like a rebuttal and argument against fact-only learning and the harsh conditions of the factories at the time. If you go into the novel expecting that, you won't be disappointed.
As it stands, it is an okay read, and one of Dickens' shortest. I would not recommend it as your first Dickens, as it's quite dry at times and not one of his best works.
Dickens' other skill is with forming his characters. As usual, he gives them wonderful names- Gradgrind, M'choakemchild, Bounderby, Sparsit, etc. Their discourse and personal arcs are, truly, along with the setting, the backbone of Hard Times. The rest is just extra, and it truly reads that way. There's not much of a plot here, besides Gradgrind imposing facts instead of feelings upon his children, and their eventual suffering because of such an upbringing. The book reads like a rebuttal and argument against fact-only learning and the harsh conditions of the factories at the time. If you go into the novel expecting that, you won't be disappointed.
As it stands, it is an okay read, and one of Dickens' shortest. I would not recommend it as your first Dickens, as it's quite dry at times and not one of his best works.
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really do love Dickens. This isn't my favorite of his, so far, but it is still so good!
Hey guys, I am Charles Dickens. You’ve no doubt heard of me. Do you know what a genius I know? If you don’t, at least I am privy to that information. I am so incredibly clever. I’ve written 10 amazing books. You’ve been charmed by Oliver Twist and my magnum opus Bleak House. Did I mention I was a genius?
I’ve just written this book, Hard Times. It won’t be a hard time to read it, naturally (haha), as I am such a fantastic writer. I am going to explore utilitarian values and the economic discrepancy in Victorian England.
I wrote this as a serial in a magazine. I had all these great ideas in my head and as I was writing it, but those ideas failed to materialise and I was treading water for a good chunk of the novel. I blame my stardom. It is a hard time (oh so punny) to be as famous as I am.
But don’t worry guys. Every genius has a slump. You should have Great Expectations for my next novel.
I’ve just written this book, Hard Times. It won’t be a hard time to read it, naturally (haha), as I am such a fantastic writer. I am going to explore utilitarian values and the economic discrepancy in Victorian England.
I wrote this as a serial in a magazine. I had all these great ideas in my head and as I was writing it, but those ideas failed to materialise and I was treading water for a good chunk of the novel. I blame my stardom. It is a hard time (oh so punny) to be as famous as I am.
But don’t worry guys. Every genius has a slump. You should have Great Expectations for my next novel.
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3,5/5
Seguramente 'Tiempos difíciles' no se sume a mis Dickens predilectos pero aún así creo que es una novela muy interesante y que he disfrutado.
El contexto político y social es realmente el centro de la historia, y más que los personajes es la trama la que importa en esta novela con temas muy claros como la Revolución industrial, la educación victoriana, la diferencia de clases, la hipocresía generalizada... y sobre todo la lucha entre la ciencia, los hechos y la imaginación.
Me han encantado todas las reflexiones de Dickens en esta novela aunque sí que es verdad que me ha faltado algo para llegar a adorarla.
Seguramente 'Tiempos difíciles' no se sume a mis Dickens predilectos pero aún así creo que es una novela muy interesante y que he disfrutado.
El contexto político y social es realmente el centro de la historia, y más que los personajes es la trama la que importa en esta novela con temas muy claros como la Revolución industrial, la educación victoriana, la diferencia de clases, la hipocresía generalizada... y sobre todo la lucha entre la ciencia, los hechos y la imaginación.
Me han encantado todas las reflexiones de Dickens en esta novela aunque sí que es verdad que me ha faltado algo para llegar a adorarla.