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rebeccabateman 's review for:
The Pickwick Papers
by Charles Dickens
Probably 3.5 stars
The Pickwick Papers is a full cast of characters with the mix of buffoonery and chivalry typical in a Dickens' novel. For me, however, the episodic adventures did not provide the substance to allow these characters to capture my heart in the way that [b:David Copperfield|58696|David Copperfield|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309281852s/58696.jpg|4711940] does (though Sam Weller comes close).
Still, there is a great amount of goodness in this, Dickens' first novel. Following the mishaps and misunderstandings of Pickwick and his gang is great fun. I loved the Nathaniel Pipkin story (chapter 17), the kissing of all the women under the mistletoe (chapter 28), and especially the visit to Bath and the taking of the waters there. "Nobody's fat or old in Bath! (chapter 35)."
A favorite excerpt:
"There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more
beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many
beauties, and May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms
of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the
winter season. August has no such advantage. It comes when we
remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling
flowers--when the recollection of snow, and ice, and bleak winds,
has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared
from the earth--and yet what a pleasant time it is! Orchards and
cornfields ring with the hum of labour; trees bend beneath the
thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their branches to the
ground; and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in
every light breath that sweeps above it, as if it wooed the
sickle, tinges the landscape with a golden hue. A mellow softness
appears to hang over the whole earth; the influence of the season
seems to extend itself to the very wagon, whose slow motion across
the well-reaped field is perceptible only to the eye, but strikes
with no harsh sound upon the ear (pp. 240-41)."
*Also, I couldn't help to think that a certain author took some inspiration from the cricket game, the village of Muggleton, and a Mr. Potter. [a:J.K. Rowling|1077326|J.K. Rowling|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1360953982p2/1077326.jpg], I'm looking at you.
The Pickwick Papers is a full cast of characters with the mix of buffoonery and chivalry typical in a Dickens' novel. For me, however, the episodic adventures did not provide the substance to allow these characters to capture my heart in the way that [b:David Copperfield|58696|David Copperfield|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309281852s/58696.jpg|4711940] does (though Sam Weller comes close).
Still, there is a great amount of goodness in this, Dickens' first novel. Following the mishaps and misunderstandings of Pickwick and his gang is great fun. I loved the Nathaniel Pipkin story (chapter 17), the kissing of all the women under the mistletoe (chapter 28), and especially the visit to Bath and the taking of the waters there. "Nobody's fat or old in Bath! (chapter 35)."
A favorite excerpt:
"There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more
beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many
beauties, and May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms
of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the
winter season. August has no such advantage. It comes when we
remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling
flowers--when the recollection of snow, and ice, and bleak winds,
has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared
from the earth--and yet what a pleasant time it is! Orchards and
cornfields ring with the hum of labour; trees bend beneath the
thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their branches to the
ground; and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in
every light breath that sweeps above it, as if it wooed the
sickle, tinges the landscape with a golden hue. A mellow softness
appears to hang over the whole earth; the influence of the season
seems to extend itself to the very wagon, whose slow motion across
the well-reaped field is perceptible only to the eye, but strikes
with no harsh sound upon the ear (pp. 240-41)."
*Also, I couldn't help to think that a certain author took some inspiration from the cricket game, the village of Muggleton, and a Mr. Potter. [a:J.K. Rowling|1077326|J.K. Rowling|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1360953982p2/1077326.jpg], I'm looking at you.