3.68 AVERAGE


Mr Pickwick is a philosopher. This fact is what Dickens calls him, who seems to imprint his thought on the philosopher's actions.
He attacked several institutions or customs of England in the 1830s in this book of "gentlemen" (esquires).

- It is a concrete indictment against the prisons for English debts, although one can circulate freely with woman and child. But wealthy prisoners are well off, and the poor can starve without mercy.
In Volume III, Dickens also shows the advantage of forgiveness and the philosopher's help over Miss Bardell over blind vengeance.
- Finally, he shows Winkle, an uncompromising father, that marriages of love, even with little money, bring more happiness to everyone than arranged marriages at that time.

But there are some earthy passages, such as a Paris duel, which, as we know, the English are fond of;
one will also notice the versatility towards "the good side" of the characters when, on many occasions of annoyance, the gentlemen who respect themselves must avoid the worst: it generally ends in an invitation to drink, in the joy and good humour!
I want to point out Sam's character, Pickwick's servant, who has a great personality, a lot of humour and a great bond with his coachman father and his master Pickwick.
Finally, there are the Pickwickians, young men a little lost that our philosopher protects. This one is delighted when they manage to fly off on their own.
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I found volume III much more lively and enjoyable because Dickens has finally found his "cruising speed"!

The Pickwick Papers follows a group friends, lead by Mr Samuel Pickwick, as they go on adventures and get into mischief while collecting stories.
This is his first published works and his humorist work. It doesn't follow a traditional plot formula as it reads more episodic like and would make a great sitcom. Pickwick is a lovable and caring character who means well, but he tends to consider the consequences of actions as he gets into trouble a lot. His servant Sam Weller is by my favorite character. He is insightful providing a different perspective on things and is loyal, almost to a fault. His relationship with his father is sweet and endearing. The stories within stories threw me off and often I wasn't interested in those stories. Being his first novel, the female characters are lackluster and one dimensional. They do allow for romance but it's a small part of story and isn't revealed towards the last part of the novel. I might have appreciated it more if I had read it in installments as it was originally published.

This was an absolute and utter delight! A great comic novel with lots of underlying social commentary. Since it was Dickens, it comes as no surprise that the writing was beautiful. At times, it feels disjointed but never fear, everything comes together well in the end! A great read and one I hope to return to in the future.

Dickens vs Tolstoy #2

This is a lengthy one, so be prepared for some down-beat moments and just power through traveling chapters and such. The tone is a funny one, if you “get” the humor, for example a statue on Napoléon moving or poking fun at a gent’s manners or at Mr Pickwick’s figure.

This will surely quench your thirst for Pickwickian knowledge !

“The boys applied whip and spur, the waiters shouted, the hostlers cheered, and away they went, fast and furiously”.

“...Emma bestowed a half-demure, half-impudent, and all pretty look of recognition on Mr Tupman, which was enough to make the statue of Bonaparte in the passage, unfold his arms, and clasp her within them.”
adventurous funny 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

Extremely enjoyable. Very sketchy. Sprawling. Funny. All that one might expect from Boz.
adventurous challenging funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Book 91 out of 200 books
"The Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens

"The Pickwick Papers" is Charles Dickens' first book, serialized in the mid-1830s and published finally in book form in the year 1836. It is the story of a few Gentlemen who go on travelling around Britain to get into local affairs, and after that, record it into their "Pickwick" papers, then submit it to the Pickwick club.

MY THOUGHTS:
My third Dickens book and part of my January- March reading project alongside "Nicholas Nickleby". I did expect a lot out of this book but the novel didn't really satisfy me that much.

Basically the novel is about a few gentlemen (I forgot what exact number) and their patronaging of local causes around Britain and all that charity. Samuel Weller and Pickwick are great characters and somewhat father figures though.

Anyway, do I recommend this book to a first time Dickens reader? No. Because of the fact that this book is boring and inexperienced readers may drop this book in no time. I'd recommend "A Tale of Two Cities" or "Great Expectations" as better beginner books.

Love this:
"Mr. Tupman had saved the lives of innumerable unoffending birds by receiving a portion of the charge in his left arm" (85).
funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No