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melbsreads 's review for:
Hard Times
by Sheba Blake, Charles Dickens
So here's the thing: I love Dickens. Like, a lot. But his short books tend to fall flat for me, while I adore his mammoth tomes full of segues and paid-by-the-word ridiculousness more than I can say. And this one is definitely full of the wonderful characters that Dickens created so well.
But.
As far as a story set in an industrial town goes? This one, for me at least, pales in comparison to Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.
Dickens DOES deal with a lot of hard hitting issues here - child abandonment, gambling, bank theft, the impact on children when you insist that they only learn the facts. But while it's often easy to PITY the characters (and incredibly easy to hate many of them), it's not easy to like them. Add in an abrupt feeling ending, and it was fine but ultimately forgettable for me.
But.
As far as a story set in an industrial town goes? This one, for me at least, pales in comparison to Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.
Dickens DOES deal with a lot of hard hitting issues here - child abandonment, gambling, bank theft, the impact on children when you insist that they only learn the facts. But while it's often easy to PITY the characters (and incredibly easy to hate many of them), it's not easy to like them. Add in an abrupt feeling ending, and it was fine but ultimately forgettable for me.