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thewillowwood's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I think this is a good book overall, but I think the format of the book as a whole novel doesn’t do it any favours. One can tell that this was meant to be read over various instalments, more like an episodic thing than one concise novel. in order to finish this book in a timely manner I had to force my way through it, and I believe I would have enjoyed it more over a longer period of time. An interesting book, but be warned that it is an investment of time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Alcohol, Child death, Classism, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Ableism, Colonisation, Infertility, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, and Antisemitism
leahgustafson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I cannot believe I actually finished this one AND enjoyed it so much. I had attempted to read it back in 2018 but ended up putting it aside because I couldn’t get through it. I’m so glad I gave it another try!
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One thing I can’t get over is how readable Dickens is! I didn’t struggle with understanding the language at all. I also sometimes struggle with the classics on audio, and that wasn’t the case for this one either. I was very easily able to flip back and forth between print and audio. 📖🎧
•
The characters MAKE this book. They are fun, intriguing, lovable, and funny. Dickens does a great job writing a variety of characters. Since this is, simply put, a story about a man’s life, the life events felt realistic and balanced—I felt it matched life’s ebbs and flows. I was also impressed that so many aspects of this story are still relatable, even so many years later. There is some truth that the important things in life don’t change.
•
One thing I was both surprised and impressed by was Dickens’s inclusion and representation of characters with disabilities and mental illness. The way he wrote these characters was revolutionary, given the time period. His focus on their humanity, kindness, and unique gifts/insights is absolutely beautiful.
•
Finally, reading this story got me thinking about what it would be like to write my own life story—Who would the “main characters” be? What events would be most noteworthy/worth including? Definitely something interesting to think about.
•
If you’ve been feeling intimidated by this one or have set it aside for later, I strongly encourage you to give it a try—even if you read it over a long period of time (it took me a month to get through). I’m so glad I was able to experience and enjoy this one prior to reading Demon Copperhead (which I am planning to read this fall)!
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Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!
Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse
atamano's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, and Child death
Minor: Ableism and Animal death
startjpw23's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was an enjoyable, albeit very long, book. In most classic books I read, I don't usually like the characters. I am at best neutral about them. I read the books for the plots. In this book, I did like the characters. I cared what happened to them. This is probably because this book follows David from his birth to well into adulthood
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Classism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
emmaopaline's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Violence, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
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