Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
Aside from the general theme and message of Hard Times, which is to dedicate as much of yourself to love, generosity and joy and the simple pleasures of life as you do to education and hard work, I enjoyed how realistic the outcome of the novel was. I thought the ultimate fates of all of the characters played out much as real people's would in real life. I loved that the ending was not 100% happy in terms of fortune, but was mostly happy in the fact that the characters that were receptive learned important things about themselves and the way they perceived the world and people around them. Everyone seemed to learn to see the good in what they had, even if in some cases that wasn't a lot.
Tempos difíceis é um livro que me impressionou muito.
Imagine uma cidade horrível, toda cheia de poluição ,escura , com fábricas trabalhando a todo vapor, soltando fumaças pretas por suas chaminés. Assim é a fictícia coketown, cidade onde se passa a narrativa desse livro que , apesar de não ser o mais conhecido nem tão grande como outros de Dickens, é um livro poderosíssimo.
Nesse ambiente horrível vivem famílias e pessoas pobres e trabalhadoras, criadas na simplicidade, mas a maioria delas, pessoas bondosas e amorosas, criadas num ambiente de amor e sentimento que se tornaram grandes homens pelo caráter, aqui podemos incluir , Raquel , Sissy, e Stephen Blackpool.
Outras pessoas, criadas em uma situação econômica muito melhor, mas criadas para não terem sentimentos,( o lema do Senhor Gradgrind diretor da escola local), para se aterem só aos fatos, fatos e fatos, (aqui me vem à mente a crítica de C.S. Lewis no livro a abolição do homem), se tornam criaturas frias e sem sentimentos, despreparadas para enfrentar relacionamentos e o mundo em si, como Louisa e Tom ,que foram criados nesse sistema de educação.
É assim que o livro se desenvolve, é essa luta entre a educação baseada só em fatos, contra uma educação baseada na simplicidade, mas com a adição de sentimentos essenciais à vida.
Livro maravilhoso, poderoso, gostei demais.
Dickens usa o coração e o humor para desenvolver uma história cheia de críticas a exploração industrial, à pobreza, a educação baseada somente em fatos que levou a destruição de personagens desse livro. O livro não é óbvio, temos viradas espetaculares na história a cada capítulo que nos prende até o final.
Anotações e rabiscos de leitura, pode conter spoiler
Gradgrind destruiu seus filhos com essa educação baseada em fatos, a pobre Louisa tinha até um coração bom mas a sua falta de sentimento a fez se casar com o rico banqueiro Josiah Bounderby trinta anos mais velha do que ela.
Raquel e Sissy são as minhas personagens favoritas. Doces e amorosas, me apaixonei.
A história se passa no ano de 1940 , Dickens a escreveu em 1954.
Umas das cenas mais emocionantes foi a conversa que Louisa teve com seu pai mostrando a ele como seu método de educação a tinha destruído e também a seu irmão que se tornou um ladrão:“Eu estava cansada, pai. Tenho me sentido cansada há muito tempo”, disse Louisa.
“Cansada? De quê?”, perguntou o atônito pai.
“Não sei – acho que de tudo.”
Imagine uma cidade horrível, toda cheia de poluição ,escura , com fábricas trabalhando a todo vapor, soltando fumaças pretas por suas chaminés. Assim é a fictícia coketown, cidade onde se passa a narrativa desse livro que , apesar de não ser o mais conhecido nem tão grande como outros de Dickens, é um livro poderosíssimo.
Nesse ambiente horrível vivem famílias e pessoas pobres e trabalhadoras, criadas na simplicidade, mas a maioria delas, pessoas bondosas e amorosas, criadas num ambiente de amor e sentimento que se tornaram grandes homens pelo caráter, aqui podemos incluir , Raquel , Sissy, e Stephen Blackpool.
Outras pessoas, criadas em uma situação econômica muito melhor, mas criadas para não terem sentimentos,( o lema do Senhor Gradgrind diretor da escola local), para se aterem só aos fatos, fatos e fatos, (aqui me vem à mente a crítica de C.S. Lewis no livro a abolição do homem), se tornam criaturas frias e sem sentimentos, despreparadas para enfrentar relacionamentos e o mundo em si, como Louisa e Tom ,que foram criados nesse sistema de educação.
É assim que o livro se desenvolve, é essa luta entre a educação baseada só em fatos, contra uma educação baseada na simplicidade, mas com a adição de sentimentos essenciais à vida.
Livro maravilhoso, poderoso, gostei demais.
Dickens usa o coração e o humor para desenvolver uma história cheia de críticas a exploração industrial, à pobreza, a educação baseada somente em fatos que levou a destruição de personagens desse livro. O livro não é óbvio, temos viradas espetaculares na história a cada capítulo que nos prende até o final.
Anotações e rabiscos de leitura, pode conter spoiler
Gradgrind destruiu seus filhos com essa educação baseada em fatos, a pobre Louisa tinha até um coração bom mas a sua falta de sentimento a fez se casar com o rico banqueiro Josiah Bounderby trinta anos mais velha do que ela.
Raquel e Sissy são as minhas personagens favoritas. Doces e amorosas, me apaixonei.
A história se passa no ano de 1940 , Dickens a escreveu em 1954.
Umas das cenas mais emocionantes foi a conversa que Louisa teve com seu pai mostrando a ele como seu método de educação a tinha destruído e também a seu irmão que se tornou um ladrão:“Eu estava cansada, pai. Tenho me sentido cansada há muito tempo”, disse Louisa.
“Cansada? De quê?”, perguntou o atônito pai.
“Não sei – acho que de tudo.”
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Man I love mr dickens but I don’t have the headspace rn 😭😭😭
I know Charles Dickens is seen as a very good writer, but this book just wasn't it for me. I could barely make it to the end, I just didn't like his writing style and the story line. I expected more of this book to be honest and I was highly disappointed. Got nothing more to say really, I just didn't like this book.
I read A Tale of Two Cities in my junior year of high school and loved it. I had to see if it was a fluke or if the fabled Charles Dickens truly was a wordslinger. Well… he is.
First off, I just have to say that Dickens has a great sense of humor and I found so much of this book hilarious. From Thomas Gradgrind calling his wife an invalid, to having a character speak in unintelligible scouser, to another character having a lisp, and of course the just ridiculous caricature-like characters of Mr. Bounderby, Mrs. Sparsit, and Mr. Gradgrind. Some will find his satire and sarcasm too much, but as a person who possesses that very sense of humor I loved it. Yet, as absurdly funny as some things are in this book, it’s still so heartfelt, so tender. The characters, though extreme, still feel so real and lived in and you care about their lives. Not to mention that as always his characterization is phenomenal and really ground his persona.
Next, the message hits so deep. There’s a constant theme of redemption within Dickens’ writing and it does not stop with this novel. I’ll always be a sucker for a redemption arc, especially when it’s biblically infused. Speaking of biblically infused, the book is jammed pack with beautiful biblical allusions that make your hairs stand on end. Countless times I felt myself reading, on the edge of my seat, waiting for a wave of goosebumps to crash over me (which it would). On top of this of course is the author’s social criticism of this Age of Industrialism that produced low-class robots as the once green city transforms into a grey haze of “snakes of smoke.” With this comes a utilitarian society that only cares about “Fact” and despises any “Fancy,” which is extremely poignant even to the current times. Ultimately, we need a balance between reason and feeling, “head-wisdom,” and “heart-wisdom,” innovation and tradition. I think a lot of people who call Dickens a progressive because he seems to take the other extreme, but I think that he had to expose the flaws of his time. In the end, the protagonist, Louisa, discovers how important this balance is, though it took a lot of pain to make that discovery. Overall, his writing is so romantic and as a romantic I eat it up.
Additionally, the plot is classic Dickens. Introduce key characters that have no little to no relation with each other with their own specific conflicts. Time passes and those conflicts become big problems, young characters grow up and fall in love/get married, and maybe old characters die. Eventually, all of the characters get acquainted with each other, mysteries are solved, conflicts are resolved, and everyone gets what they deserve, whether good or bad. Some people don’t like the convenience of the plot, even calling it deus ex machina, but honestly, it is all really tight and cohesive so I call it karmic fate. It’s just good story writing. I will say the plot is not as tight as ATOTC, but there isn’t anything that takes you out of it. I think that Dickens did overlook a few things or way maybe too merciful to his characters, but that’s really it.
I’ll leave you with this banger of a quote:
“So does the eye of Heaven become an evil eye, when incapable or sordid hands are interposed between it and the things it looks upon to bless.”
First off, I just have to say that Dickens has a great sense of humor and I found so much of this book hilarious. From Thomas Gradgrind calling his wife an invalid, to having a character speak in unintelligible scouser, to another character having a lisp, and of course the just ridiculous caricature-like characters of Mr. Bounderby, Mrs. Sparsit, and Mr. Gradgrind. Some will find his satire and sarcasm too much, but as a person who possesses that very sense of humor I loved it. Yet, as absurdly funny as some things are in this book, it’s still so heartfelt, so tender. The characters, though extreme, still feel so real and lived in and you care about their lives. Not to mention that as always his characterization is phenomenal and really ground his persona.
Next, the message hits so deep. There’s a constant theme of redemption within Dickens’ writing and it does not stop with this novel. I’ll always be a sucker for a redemption arc, especially when it’s biblically infused. Speaking of biblically infused, the book is jammed pack with beautiful biblical allusions that make your hairs stand on end. Countless times I felt myself reading, on the edge of my seat, waiting for a wave of goosebumps to crash over me (which it would). On top of this of course is the author’s social criticism of this Age of Industrialism that produced low-class robots as the once green city transforms into a grey haze of “snakes of smoke.” With this comes a utilitarian society that only cares about “Fact” and despises any “Fancy,” which is extremely poignant even to the current times. Ultimately, we need a balance between reason and feeling, “head-wisdom,” and “heart-wisdom,” innovation and tradition. I think a lot of people who call Dickens a progressive because he seems to take the other extreme, but I think that he had to expose the flaws of his time. In the end, the protagonist, Louisa, discovers how important this balance is, though it took a lot of pain to make that discovery. Overall, his writing is so romantic and as a romantic I eat it up.
Additionally, the plot is classic Dickens. Introduce key characters that have no little to no relation with each other with their own specific conflicts. Time passes and those conflicts become big problems, young characters grow up and fall in love/get married, and maybe old characters die. Eventually, all of the characters get acquainted with each other, mysteries are solved, conflicts are resolved, and everyone gets what they deserve, whether good or bad. Some people don’t like the convenience of the plot, even calling it deus ex machina, but honestly, it is all really tight and cohesive so I call it karmic fate. It’s just good story writing. I will say the plot is not as tight as ATOTC, but there isn’t anything that takes you out of it. I think that Dickens did overlook a few things or way maybe too merciful to his characters, but that’s really it.
I’ll leave you with this banger of a quote:
“So does the eye of Heaven become an evil eye, when incapable or sordid hands are interposed between it and the things it looks upon to bless.”