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A review by fletcherflute
Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
4.0
4 stars-
My tenth Dickens!
I have to preface this by saying I would NOT recommend this novel until you have read a few of his others. This one is very different to the majority of his work.
I think I also say this because it is not his most engaging endeavor. The characters are overall less eccentric and forgettable (except for Barnaby and Simon)
Despite that, it is historically really fascinating, and the title character is portrayed quite well. It hasn’t aged perfectly (such as calling Barnaby an idiot- which at the time was a technical term and not an insult) but gives an interesting account of both the Gordon Riots and towards Victorian attitudes on history.
I watched a review recently that discussed how Dickens portrays these riots as not purely religious, but as a desperation for power. It’s easy to see how the poor, the sick, or the societally oppressed would turn to these riots as a desperate attempt to claw onto any power that they feel they have.
Mrs. Rudge is also one of Dickens’ more interesting early female characters. It’s too bad that Dolly is so silly, because clearly the author is showing increased capability in writing interesting females.
Because the riots are slightly confusing, it can be hard to know who to root for, and who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are. There are some clearly good characters like Barnaby and Mr. Varden, but really everyone else is somewhere in the gray area. I think with the way books are normally structured, we expect “big reveals” and “true colors” to be shown, but overall, everyone in this novel is seen as they are. They’re complicated and they don’t always make the right decisions.
With all of that, I think that Dickens really hits on some interesting themes in this book, and his writing overall serves his message. It’s a bit harder to get through than most of his other books, but I think it’s worth it for a Dickens fan. I’ve grown a bit of a soft spot for it.
My tenth Dickens!
I have to preface this by saying I would NOT recommend this novel until you have read a few of his others. This one is very different to the majority of his work.
I think I also say this because it is not his most engaging endeavor. The characters are overall less eccentric and forgettable (except for Barnaby and Simon)
Despite that, it is historically really fascinating, and the title character is portrayed quite well. It hasn’t aged perfectly (such as calling Barnaby an idiot- which at the time was a technical term and not an insult) but gives an interesting account of both the Gordon Riots and towards Victorian attitudes on history.
I watched a review recently that discussed how Dickens portrays these riots as not purely religious, but as a desperation for power. It’s easy to see how the poor, the sick, or the societally oppressed would turn to these riots as a desperate attempt to claw onto any power that they feel they have.
Mrs. Rudge is also one of Dickens’ more interesting early female characters. It’s too bad that Dolly is so silly, because clearly the author is showing increased capability in writing interesting females.
Because the riots are slightly confusing, it can be hard to know who to root for, and who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are. There are some clearly good characters like Barnaby and Mr. Varden, but really everyone else is somewhere in the gray area. I think with the way books are normally structured, we expect “big reveals” and “true colors” to be shown, but overall, everyone in this novel is seen as they are. They’re complicated and they don’t always make the right decisions.
With all of that, I think that Dickens really hits on some interesting themes in this book, and his writing overall serves his message. It’s a bit harder to get through than most of his other books, but I think it’s worth it for a Dickens fan. I’ve grown a bit of a soft spot for it.