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ladydewinter 's review for:
The Old Curiosity Shop: A Tale
by Charles Dickens
“The Old Curiosity Shop” is one of those books people tend to to know just one thing about - namely that Little Nell dies. I find it remarkable just how many of those books Dickens has managed to write - that is, books with plots or characters that people are aware of without maybe even knowing the title of the book. That was a very convoluted sentence. What I mean is that after now having read all of Dickens’ completed novels I find it striking how many things I was aware of before reading the books. Not sure that was less convoluted, but oh well.
In any case, while Little Nell and her death is what is generally known about this book, it wasn’t exactly my favorite thing. Over the course of the last 15 months, I’ve come to realize I prefer Dickens when he’s funny and angry rather than when he is writing about self-sacrificing, unselfishly good women. To be honest, during the Nell parts of the book I was rolling my eyes more often than not, and her death didn’t move me as much as deaths in other of Dickens’ books. There’s another plot thread though, about Nell’s childhood friend Kit and his adventures, and I rather enjoyed that. It’s obvious that at this point Dickens wasn’t as good at threading different plots together yet, and so it sometimes feels a little clunky while reading.
I didn’t expect this to become a favorite, and it didn’t, although Kit and Dick Swiveller have been added to the list of my favorite characters (which is not an actual thing I have, but I did like them a lot). Speaking of lists - here’s the thing people actually have been asking me about, a list of Dickens’ novels in order of my preference:
1. Bleak House
2. David Copperfield
3. Great Expectations
4. Dombey and Son
5. Our Mutual Friend
6. A Tale of Two Cities
7. The Pickwick Papers
8. Nicholas Nickleby
9. Little Dorrit
10. Barnaby Rudge
11. The Old Curiosity Shop
12. Martin Chuzzlewit
13. Hard Times
14. Oliver Twist
A few notes about that: while I feel comfortable about my top three and the very bottom of the list, everything in between was very difficult to rank for me. Also, this is very much *my* preference, and I am not only judging on literary quality but also on sheer enjoyment. “David Copperfield” will probably always remain my favorite of the heart, but “Bleak House” is truly the culmination of all that Dickens can do. At the same time, because reading is complicated, I’m not sure that I’d say if you only read one Dickens, read “Bleak House”. It very much depends on what you’re in the mood for and how much patience you have.
One thing I don’t feel conflicted about is ranking “Oliver Twist” last - I did not enjoy it at all. I can appreciate the impact it had and its message but as a book it did not work for me.
I have now read 9.914 pages of Dickens - I still have “Drood” waiting for me, so at the end I will have read 10.000 pages of Dickens. You know, this was one of those weird obsessive projects I sometimes start, but I have no regrets.
In any case, while Little Nell and her death is what is generally known about this book, it wasn’t exactly my favorite thing. Over the course of the last 15 months, I’ve come to realize I prefer Dickens when he’s funny and angry rather than when he is writing about self-sacrificing, unselfishly good women. To be honest, during the Nell parts of the book I was rolling my eyes more often than not, and her death didn’t move me as much as deaths in other of Dickens’ books. There’s another plot thread though, about Nell’s childhood friend Kit and his adventures, and I rather enjoyed that. It’s obvious that at this point Dickens wasn’t as good at threading different plots together yet, and so it sometimes feels a little clunky while reading.
I didn’t expect this to become a favorite, and it didn’t, although Kit and Dick Swiveller have been added to the list of my favorite characters (which is not an actual thing I have, but I did like them a lot). Speaking of lists - here’s the thing people actually have been asking me about, a list of Dickens’ novels in order of my preference:
1. Bleak House
2. David Copperfield
3. Great Expectations
4. Dombey and Son
5. Our Mutual Friend
6. A Tale of Two Cities
7. The Pickwick Papers
8. Nicholas Nickleby
9. Little Dorrit
10. Barnaby Rudge
11. The Old Curiosity Shop
12. Martin Chuzzlewit
13. Hard Times
14. Oliver Twist
A few notes about that: while I feel comfortable about my top three and the very bottom of the list, everything in between was very difficult to rank for me. Also, this is very much *my* preference, and I am not only judging on literary quality but also on sheer enjoyment. “David Copperfield” will probably always remain my favorite of the heart, but “Bleak House” is truly the culmination of all that Dickens can do. At the same time, because reading is complicated, I’m not sure that I’d say if you only read one Dickens, read “Bleak House”. It very much depends on what you’re in the mood for and how much patience you have.
One thing I don’t feel conflicted about is ranking “Oliver Twist” last - I did not enjoy it at all. I can appreciate the impact it had and its message but as a book it did not work for me.
I have now read 9.914 pages of Dickens - I still have “Drood” waiting for me, so at the end I will have read 10.000 pages of Dickens. You know, this was one of those weird obsessive projects I sometimes start, but I have no regrets.