A review by alfredgd
Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

funny informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The best book Dickens had written up to this point in his career, though it still has some glaring issues: the structure is quite lazy, many of the plot points are dull, and the wrap-up is about 5 chapters too long. Unusually for Dickens, the characterisation is quite weak. The only real standout is Sir John Chester, all the rest (excluding the titular) are at most one-dimensional and broadly forgettable. Barnaby himself is a fairly interesting case, and probably a key factor in the shortage of adaptations of this one: I don’t think one could portray Barnaby on screen without it being horribly offensive. It somehow doesn’t feel so in Dickens’s hands, which is testament to the power of his (often grating) sentimentality. On the good side, this is the most tightly plotted Dickens to date. We get a bit of foreshadowing and quite a lot of intrigue straight from the off, which pays off handsomely with the superbly written riots in and out of London. An enjoyable book that maybe outstays its welcome and ought to lean into its strengths a little more.