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Not such an enthusiastic read as I expected, but Dickens is good.
Is Mr. Quilp the inspiration for Gollum's conversational style?
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oscar Wilde allegedly said, "You would need to have a heart of stone not to laugh at the death of little Nell."
Well, I didn't laugh, but I didn't cry either. I don't love Dickens' "angel" characters. Someone who is too good is boring. Also, how in the heck did they get that way? Agnes and Esther and Nell all have horrible childhoods and are surrounded by despicable people. (At least Agnes and Nell have someone that loves them, but is it enough? How in the world do they grow up never thinking an unkind thought or speaking an unkind word? No one I know turns out like that, even in the best of circumstances.
Nell was sweet, and I didn't wish death on her, but she was kind of boring. The other characters in the book, however, were not boring. The evil Quilp was pretty scary and even kept me up a couple of nights. I really liked Dick Swiveller a lot, and rooted for him from the beginning. You don't see many characters like that from Dickens--someone who isn't all bad, but not really very good either, but then has a few life experiences that change him and make him want to be better. And when that change doesn't turn him into a goody-goody who never makes a bad decision in his life, well, even better.
Overall I liked it, but not my favorite from Dickens. As always, I loved the tidy wrap-up at the end, where everyone gets what's coming to them.
Well, I didn't laugh, but I didn't cry either. I don't love Dickens' "angel" characters. Someone who is too good is boring. Also, how in the heck did they get that way? Agnes and Esther and Nell all have horrible childhoods and are surrounded by despicable people. (At least Agnes and Nell have someone that loves them, but is it enough? How in the world do they grow up never thinking an unkind thought or speaking an unkind word? No one I know turns out like that, even in the best of circumstances.
Nell was sweet, and I didn't wish death on her, but she was kind of boring. The other characters in the book, however, were not boring. The evil Quilp was pretty scary and even kept me up a couple of nights. I really liked Dick Swiveller a lot, and rooted for him from the beginning. You don't see many characters like that from Dickens--someone who isn't all bad, but not really very good either, but then has a few life experiences that change him and make him want to be better. And when that change doesn't turn him into a goody-goody who never makes a bad decision in his life, well, even better.
Overall I liked it, but not my favorite from Dickens. As always, I loved the tidy wrap-up at the end, where everyone gets what's coming to them.
https://clavie.co/2020/01/29/book-review-the-old-curiosity-shop/
Curiosity Shop weaves between the travels of Little Nell and her grandfather and the doings of characters like Kit Nubbles and Dick Swiveler in London. I find that the novel reads more like a literary experiment. I love thinking of it as a “modern” fairytale for the age in which it was written. Certainly, angelic, innocent, ethereal Nell has many strange experiences on her journey through the novel, meeting both the benevolent, the malevolent, the grotesque, and the unusual.
3/5 Stars
Curiosity Shop weaves between the travels of Little Nell and her grandfather and the doings of characters like Kit Nubbles and Dick Swiveler in London. I find that the novel reads more like a literary experiment. I love thinking of it as a “modern” fairytale for the age in which it was written. Certainly, angelic, innocent, ethereal Nell has many strange experiences on her journey through the novel, meeting both the benevolent, the malevolent, the grotesque, and the unusual.
3/5 Stars
My very random thoughts include:
Why is this called The Old Curiosity Shop when said shop is abandoned so early in the story?
Can a pony legitimately be my favorite character? I laughed out loud every time Whiskers and his antics were mentioned. No? Ok. Kip, then. Certainly not grandfather...or even angelic Nell.
Anton Lesser's narration is magnificent. I can't imagine the time he must have spent getting the various characters down and just how to deliver each piece of dialogue. He particularly conveyed Samson Brass well.
Why is this called The Old Curiosity Shop when said shop is abandoned so early in the story?
Can a pony legitimately be my favorite character? I laughed out loud every time Whiskers and his antics were mentioned. No? Ok. Kip, then. Certainly not grandfather...or even angelic Nell.
Anton Lesser's narration is magnificent. I can't imagine the time he must have spent getting the various characters down and just how to deliver each piece of dialogue. He particularly conveyed Samson Brass well.
Oh, Dickens is really good, but this is really bad. I read it to find out why people stormed the dock to find out what happened to Little Nell. Answer: because the kind of people who storm docks have no taste in literature.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Review pending discussion. 3 1/2 stars really.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated