Scan barcode
rhidee's review against another edition
5.0
This book is, for me, Dickens' best. I loved every second of it, the darkness of Tom's steady descent into drinking and gambling were brilliant and there were several times I found myself simply rereading a few paragraphs over and over, in awe at them. (The end of Chapter XIX, The Whelp, is something I hold in very high regard as possibly one of his best pieces of writing ever.) I want to deal with the characters individually from here, since I feel they are all very important.
Mr Gradgrind - Facts. This man's obsession with facts and hate for fantasy is possibly one of the most genius parts of the plot, highlighting exactly what Dickens means to say. His regret at the end serves to show the inevitable outcome of living his sort of life, and is done in a very clever way. His name is also wonderful. I like to say it. Gradgrind. It's great, isn't it?
Bounderby - Dickens made me hate him, and he was made to be hated. For all his bluster and superiority he is in fact worse in moral integrity than Stephen or Tom, which is why I was intensely glad as Louisa took her steps away from him. He really is a 'bounder'.
Louisa/Loo - A perfect tragic heroine, but I couldn't help thinking more than once that she should really get some backbone. But I suppose that was the point, so she was well done too.
Cecilia/Sissy - I didn't like her very much, but I did like the way she was used, as the embodiment of fancy and fun. She served to drive the point home and was useful in terms of story development.
Tom/The Whelp - Goodness, I hated him sometimes. As I've already said, his descent was done well and some of the description around him was fantastic. Dickens' habit of referring to him as the whelp was perfect.
Stephen Blackpool - The character I could emphathise with most, he was likeable and pitiable. I loved his struggle with Slackbridge and the Trade Union, and his contrasting relationships with Rachel and his wife made me feel very sorry for both of them. His ending was also very sad, and shows just how cruel people can be to each other.
Mrs Sparsit - One of the most brilliant in the book. The image of her staircase, with Louisa walking to the bottom, is one that has stuck with me as being particularly genius. I also laughed at her disappointment by the train towards the end, as she was so anxious to see the downfall of others she ended up being nothing more than a jobless window.
James Harthouse - Although for most of the book I wished Louisa would run away with him, the end convinced me otherwise. Still, he was a very interesting character who provided a catalyst for all the suppressed emotions of the Gradgrinds/Bounderbys.
All in all, a brilliant book.
Mr Gradgrind - Facts. This man's obsession with facts and hate for fantasy is possibly one of the most genius parts of the plot, highlighting exactly what Dickens means to say. His regret at the end serves to show the inevitable outcome of living his sort of life, and is done in a very clever way. His name is also wonderful. I like to say it. Gradgrind. It's great, isn't it?
Bounderby - Dickens made me hate him, and he was made to be hated. For all his bluster and superiority he is in fact worse in moral integrity than Stephen or Tom, which is why I was intensely glad as Louisa took her steps away from him. He really is a 'bounder'.
Louisa/Loo - A perfect tragic heroine, but I couldn't help thinking more than once that she should really get some backbone. But I suppose that was the point, so she was well done too.
Cecilia/Sissy - I didn't like her very much, but I did like the way she was used, as the embodiment of fancy and fun. She served to drive the point home and was useful in terms of story development.
Tom/The Whelp - Goodness, I hated him sometimes. As I've already said, his descent was done well and some of the description around him was fantastic. Dickens' habit of referring to him as the whelp was perfect.
Stephen Blackpool - The character I could emphathise with most, he was likeable and pitiable. I loved his struggle with Slackbridge and the Trade Union, and his contrasting relationships with Rachel and his wife made me feel very sorry for both of them. His ending was also very sad, and shows just how cruel people can be to each other.
Mrs Sparsit - One of the most brilliant in the book. The image of her staircase, with Louisa walking to the bottom, is one that has stuck with me as being particularly genius. I also laughed at her disappointment by the train towards the end, as she was so anxious to see the downfall of others she ended up being nothing more than a jobless window.
James Harthouse - Although for most of the book I wished Louisa would run away with him, the end convinced me otherwise. Still, he was a very interesting character who provided a catalyst for all the suppressed emotions of the Gradgrinds/Bounderbys.
All in all, a brilliant book.
torjus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookomens's review against another edition
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I get why people are so obsessed with Dickens now. Before getting any further, I would like to remark that it is best to step into the book knowing nothing about it except for the themes, which pretty much excellently summed up by the opening line of Goodread's synopsis. The plot is not twist-and-turn but the characters and messages are better delivered this way, I think.
-------
Like many other readers, my favourite things about Dickens (this book particularly) are his writing and his characters. So reading into characters reviews may give away lots of the pleasure in having Dickens unravelling them to us along the book. Despite being a plot reader, I am not bothered by the very simple plot as I figured the characters are the real plot of the book (though I did expect someone to die and so surprise when no one did). The writing is absolutely pleasant, even for someone who is not native speaker or have English lit. Now, the characters:
- Louisa is my favourite character, as perhaps also most people's. But my favourite thing about her is how Dickens treated her in this book, with delicacy and such gentle care. She is a typical helpless and sad female character in the time having no control or joy from her life. Her sadness feels so truthful and real so as to whenever Dickens described her states, he did so with utmost respects and not just pitiful.
- The whelp, Bounderby, and Mrs. Sparsit all represent different types of despicable that I absolutely hate. But that is the whole point. I think that it is hard for me to say that these characters entertain me in a humorous or any positive way, but rather reminders for me of various models that I encountered in real life and will still need to encounter in the future, which makes me so dreadful yet I still like these touch of reality to be honest.
- Other characters all have their moments and in one way or another, the story aids our empathy towards them at the end. I remember there were several moments when I have to recount how miserable Stephen's life is.
Overall, although I have only read 2 Dickens but perhaps no other Dickens can top this since to some extents it is very personal to me. Regardless, I have finally overcome my fear of classics, especially Dickens, so that's a good thing.
Recommended! Even if you are not a hardcore Dickens fan or have never read any of his book, fear not and pick it!
I get why people are so obsessed with Dickens now. Before getting any further, I would like to remark that it is best to step into the book knowing nothing about it except for the themes, which pretty much excellently summed up by the opening line of Goodread's synopsis. The plot is not twist-and-turn but the characters and messages are better delivered this way, I think.
-------
Like many other readers, my favourite things about Dickens (this book particularly) are his writing and his characters. So reading into characters reviews may give away lots of the pleasure in having Dickens unravelling them to us along the book. Despite being a plot reader, I am not bothered by the very simple plot as I figured the characters are the real plot of the book (though I did expect someone to die and so surprise when no one did). The writing is absolutely pleasant, even for someone who is not native speaker or have English lit. Now, the characters:
- Louisa is my favourite character, as perhaps also most people's. But my favourite thing about her is how Dickens treated her in this book, with delicacy and such gentle care. She is a typical helpless and sad female character in the time having no control or joy from her life. Her sadness feels so truthful and real so as to whenever Dickens described her states, he did so with utmost respects and not just pitiful.
- The whelp, Bounderby, and Mrs. Sparsit all represent different types of despicable that I absolutely hate. But that is the whole point. I think that it is hard for me to say that these characters entertain me in a humorous or any positive way, but rather reminders for me of various models that I encountered in real life and will still need to encounter in the future, which makes me so dreadful yet I still like these touch of reality to be honest.
- Other characters all have their moments and in one way or another, the story aids our empathy towards them at the end. I remember there were several moments when I have to recount how miserable Stephen's life is.
Overall, although I have only read 2 Dickens but perhaps no other Dickens can top this since to some extents it is very personal to me. Regardless, I have finally overcome my fear of classics, especially Dickens, so that's a good thing.
Recommended! Even if you are not a hardcore Dickens fan or have never read any of his book, fear not and pick it!
ncteixeira's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Hard Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book surveys English society and satirizes the social and economic conditions of the era.
The story is set in the fictitious Victorian industrial Coketown, a generic Northern English mill-town.
It’s his shortest novel and until now I thought that it was my favourite of his works, but I praised the writing more than the story (I favour stories like Bleak House, Oliver Twist & Martin Chuzzlewit).
This was a re-read for me, but first time in English (instead of Portuguese).
The writing, in my humble opinion, is simply terrific and far from being ostentatious, pretentious or even flowery.
The plot is simple and straightforward, void of overly dramatic events, and we were presented with a nice revelation or twist, near the conclusion.
The characters are all very well displayed and constructed, and some are unforgettable.
The sense of humour, although subtle, is also present, as well as the author’s pessimistic view of industrialization and the future.
This is very different from his other books and may not please everyone, but like the first time, I truly enjoyed the storytelling.
PS. Just yesterday I watched the 1994 BBC adaptation for the tv, written and directed by Peter Barnes. It was well done and helped me to add some faces to the characters, but the book is a lot better.
e-book (Kobo): 382 pages (default), 110k words
Paperback (The Modern Library Classics) - introduction by Jane Jacobs: 374 pages (cover to cover)
Audiobook narrated by Sean Murphy: 11h37 minutes (it’s excellent and I only paid $0.65 Canadian from Kobo audiobook)
luckythirteenx's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kaitlynlw_04's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75