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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
‘When the devil goeth about in the shape of a roaring lion, he goeth about in a shape by which few but hunters and savages are attracted, but when he s trimmed, smoothed and varnished according to the mode, when he is aweary of vice and aweary of virtue, used up as to brimstone and used up as to bliss, then, wether he take up to the serving of red tap or to the kindling of red fire, he is the very devil.’
‘Everything being hollow and worthless, she had missed nothing and sacrificed nothing.’
‘She stopped at twilight at the door of a mean little public house with dim res lights in it, as haggard and as shabby as if, for want of custom, it has itself taken to drinking and had gone the way all drunkards go and was very near the end of it.’
‘Everything being hollow and worthless, she had missed nothing and sacrificed nothing.’
‘She stopped at twilight at the door of a mean little public house with dim res lights in it, as haggard and as shabby as if, for want of custom, it has itself taken to drinking and had gone the way all drunkards go and was very near the end of it.’
dickens was a good writer but this book is so preachy and so saccharine that its hard to get through. sissy is a great character who i think carries the story, but overall there's just not a lot here that isnt handled with far more nuance in other works. i will say though its really funny that dickens wrote a novel attacking utilitarianism while not understanding it even slightly
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Racism
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Zero-hour contracts, Johnson's bombast, and Gove's and Rees-Mogg's social and education policies come under the caustic eye of Dickens in this biting contemporary satire [albeit slightly undermined by the satirical targets being more grotesque and self-parodic than the Dickensian caricatures]. Brilliant stuff of course, but one warning - it does contain another of those vomit-inducing scenes, on a par with the deaths of Little Nell and Dora Spenlow (...and Jip), of such saccharine intensity that you can actually feel your teeth rot whilst reading.
*4.5 stars
Yet again, another brilliant read by Dickens. I loved this when I first read it - around about December 2016 - and I loved even more this time round. The characters and the plot are well fleshed out, and I love how there is diversity in the plot. It jumps from Mr Gradgrind and his philosophy of Facts, Facts, and nothing by Facts to the class conflict between working-class and factory owners. There is also conflict between the working-class, those who are rebelling against the harsh treatment and those who are frightened to in case they lose their job. Dickens also incorporate an interesting relationship between Louisa and Mr Bounderby, as well as a fascinating portrayal of the self-made man.
An all round brilliant read - a definite favourite.
Yet again, another brilliant read by Dickens. I loved this when I first read it - around about December 2016 - and I loved even more this time round. The characters and the plot are well fleshed out, and I love how there is diversity in the plot. It jumps from Mr Gradgrind and his philosophy of Facts, Facts, and nothing by Facts to the class conflict between working-class and factory owners. There is also conflict between the working-class, those who are rebelling against the harsh treatment and those who are frightened to in case they lose their job. Dickens also incorporate an interesting relationship between Louisa and Mr Bounderby, as well as a fascinating portrayal of the self-made man.
An all round brilliant read - a definite favourite.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quite simply, there are better classic novels out there. While I'm glad I read it because Dickens is such a staple (unfortunately) in the literary world, I would not recommend it to anyone. Overall: boring and long and distractingly racist as some parts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read while travelling. It's been a good while since I read a Dickens novel, and this is one of his shortest ones, and very different from most. More than any other of his novels, it is a piece of political satire, and per usual, the characters are very obviously caricatures. The angelic Sissy and Rachael, the fallen Tom, the deceitful and creepy Mr Bunderby, the unjustly accused Stephen, and the embittered, cold Louisa are all very typical Dickensian characters (in a positive way, I enjoyed the book).
I have a theory that no female character in a Dickensian novel undergoes any real character growth, except for maybe the aunt in David Copperfield. I'm thinking that Louisa could be another exception...but since the purpose of this novel is so obviously satire, it is hard to include her.
I have a theory that no female character in a Dickensian novel undergoes any real character growth, except for maybe the aunt in David Copperfield. I'm thinking that Louisa could be another exception...but since the purpose of this novel is so obviously satire, it is hard to include her.