jlewis 's review for:

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

3.5

challenging hopeful slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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As with almost everything else by Dickens, it takes me over half the book to start to be interested in the characters and story. Little Dorrit, although too good to be true, like so many of Dickens’ women, dies at least have some strength of character. Arthur Clennam is clearly a man very damaged by his background and without quite enough strength of character to avoid being sucked into schemes about which he should have known better. The Meagles are lovely, if too psychologically  naive to realise how Tattycoram must have felt. Although I cannot imagine how Mr Meagles was ever able to amass such wealth, given what we see of his personality. Gowan is thoroughly despicable.  There are some enjoyable minor characters, especially Pancks, but also Doyce and some of the inhabitants of Bleeding Heart Court. Mrs Merdle is a fairly typical Dickensian society woman with some features in common with the second Mrs Dombey and Lady Dedlock, especially in how they present themselves to society. If society women really did behave like that (I’m not sure that you see it in Trollope), it must have been an extremely unpleasant world.  The plot - well, fairly archetypally Dickensian. Onwards to A Tale of Two Cities.