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adambwriter's review against another edition
4.0
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
Final Verdict: 3.5 out of 4.0
YTD: 48
Plot/Story:
4 – Plot/Story is interesting/believable and impactful.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is Charles Dickens’s last and unfinished novel. It was inspired, supposedly, by Dickens’s brush with death while riding aboard a train with his wife. The train derailed, and Dickens and his wife literally watched as people were flung from a bridge, to their watery deaths. The early draft of Dickens’s second-to-last novel, Our Mutual Friend was imperiled in the cabin ahead of his own, and that cabin was hanging over the edge of the bridge; Dickens risked his life, climbing into that cabin, to retrieve the manuscript and bring it back to safety. He was reportedly haunted for the rest of his life by a dark shadow (Drood) which is said to have been the ghost of a murdered man, seeking resolution/vindication from the mortal world. The back-story and history is enough to get anyone interested; but the novel itself, though unfinished, is also quite extraordinary. The prose is the most natural and flowing of any Dickens novel I have previously experienced. The situations are believable and the sometimes fanciful or caricatured personalities are done away with. The novel’s eponymous character, Edwin Drood, disappears about mid-way through the completed portion of the story. A suspect is brought in, but the readers are led to suspect another. Whether Drood is murdered, however, and –if so- who the actual culprit is, has been left to speculation because the narrative never reaches its conclusion. My edition of the book contains the famous “Trial of John Jasper” play, which was staged by some of the literary giants of the time, following Dickens’s death. Writers and critics such as George Bernard Shaw, Arthur Waugh, and G.K. Chesterton, took parts in the play, which developed extemporaneously and was one of the most popularly watched events of the day. As it is not a portion of the original book, however, I am not including it in the review (though it is highly interesting – so if you are intrigued by the story and the history around it, it is not to be missed). Lastly, the dangers of opium addiction begin to be clearly established – and Dickens’s own struggles with the drug in later life, including his self-consciousness about his own use of it – are brought into play. This makes the novel, though incomplete, rather powerful to me, due to its honesty and sensitivity.
Read the entire review at www.RoofBeamReader.net
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
michael5000's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty engaging first half of a Dickens novel, and knowing what he was up to it's fun to watch him lay out the scenario, the possibilities, and the red herrings. Like apparently all editions, my audio version ended with a statement to the effect that since Dickens planned everything out in his head, there were no written notes and WE CAN NEVER KNOW WHODUNIT. Except, it turns out he told his publisher, illustrator, and son how it was going to end, so that information is available if you're interested in seeing what it was that the man was trying to set up. Or, you can file it in cold cases. Or have a fan fiction contest! Why not.
siriuschico's review against another edition
3.0
I plunged into this unfinished novel because I wanted to read the book Drood by Dan Simmons, which is vaguely built upon some characters from this book. And even though it is only half of the story, it is still quite impressive. The disappearance of Edwin Drood and the behaviour of his maniacal, opium-addicted uncle give a fascinating background onto which the whole charade of other characters thrive. So even though it is only half of the story, I would still recommend reading The mystery of Edwin Drood. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the rest of the short stories in this collection which were boring and quite dull to read through.
ldv's review against another edition
3.0
Difficult to rate and discuss an unfinished book. Lots of great characters as per usual Dickens fare!
sevseverance's review against another edition
3.0
I read this immediately after reading a historical fiction novel (The Last Dickens) about this book and possible endings. I found myself reading it rather quickly as I tried to use some of the background/history from the previous book and apply it to this one. I was also swayed by the opinions of others from The Last Dickens. An interesting book to read as Dickens never finished it and so each reader can come up with their own endings...
summerrains's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.25
the beginning was so slow but it eventually picked up. it does feel a little cliche but really since it was one of the first mysteries, it’s the one that established all the cliches. i kind of enjoyed it being and unfinished novel and being allowed to draw my own conclusions but that is something to think about before you start and if your ok with not knowing exactly what happened to edwin drood.
legalois's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the audio recording from LibriVox. It’s too bad Dickens didn’t finish it though I can make some guesses on how it wraps up.