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A review by teresatumminello
The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices by Charles Dickens, Melisa Klimaszewski, Wilkie Collins, Melissa Valiska Gregory
4.0
3.5
I haven’t read [a:Bill Bryson|7|Bill Bryson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578597522p2/7.jpg]’s walking-memoir (or seen the movie), but I've seen it described as a hilarious account of his hiking with an inept sidekick, so I’m tempted to say it’s been done before with this possibly exaggerated but true story of the walking tour [a:Charles Dickens|239579|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1387078070p2/239579.jpg] took with his friend and fellow-writer [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg].
The two self-styled idle apprentices—one of whom is not constitutionally made for idleness—are taking a break from their employer, Literature. (Though, later, in a delightful, rather metafictional scene, we see them writing.) In the beginning of their excursion, they almost get lost on a foggy mountain after a compass is broken. The true idler, lagging behind, twists his ankle and has to be carried back to their lodgings. They decide to go to Doncaster for the races (horses), though not to watch the races: They are too idle for that. I loved the descriptions of what the non-idler sees from afar as he walks away from the throng. In between these adventures, we are treated to two creepy ghost stories (later published separately as “The Dead Hand” and “The Bride’s Chamber”), as well as the true idler's personal history pertaining to his rationalization of idleness.
No lines of demarcation point out who wrote which section and I found it fun (and distracting) to try to figure that out. While I feel sure of the authorship of some sections, it isn’t always clear: I’m guessing their respective styles rubbed off on each other to a certain extent during the collaboration.
I haven’t read [a:Bill Bryson|7|Bill Bryson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578597522p2/7.jpg]’s walking-memoir (or seen the movie), but I've seen it described as a hilarious account of his hiking with an inept sidekick, so I’m tempted to say it’s been done before with this possibly exaggerated but true story of the walking tour [a:Charles Dickens|239579|Charles Dickens|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1387078070p2/239579.jpg] took with his friend and fellow-writer [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg].
The two self-styled idle apprentices—one of whom is not constitutionally made for idleness—are taking a break from their employer, Literature. (Though, later, in a delightful, rather metafictional scene, we see them writing.) In the beginning of their excursion, they almost get lost on a foggy mountain after a compass is broken. The true idler, lagging behind, twists his ankle and has to be carried back to their lodgings. They decide to go to Doncaster for the races (horses), though not to watch the races: They are too idle for that. I loved the descriptions of what the non-idler sees from afar as he walks away from the throng. In between these adventures, we are treated to two creepy ghost stories (later published separately as “The Dead Hand” and “The Bride’s Chamber”), as well as the true idler's personal history pertaining to his rationalization of idleness.
No lines of demarcation point out who wrote which section and I found it fun (and distracting) to try to figure that out. While I feel sure of the authorship of some sections, it isn’t always clear: I’m guessing their respective styles rubbed off on each other to a certain extent during the collaboration.