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Martin Chuzzlewit

by Charles Dickens, Patricia Ingham (Annotations)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 5,512 ratings · 208 reviews

Set partly in America, which Dickens had visited in 1842, the novel includes a searing satire on the United States. Martin Chuzzlewit is the story of two Chuzzlewits, Martin and Jonas, who have inherited the characteristic Chuzzlewit selfishness. It contrasts their diverse fates of moral redemption and worldly success for one, with increasingly desperate crime for the othe...more

Paperback, 829 pages

Published August 1st 2000 by Penguin Classics (first published 1844)

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Jul 05, 2012 MJ Nicholls rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, voluminous, pre-1900s, sassysassenachs, oxford-classics, art-or-illustrated

Clipped Review:

Brill. Dickensian. Not ne plus ultra but close enough. More complex villains and heroes than precedents. Sublimely comic, including one hilarious scene of begging and bitching Chuzzlewits desperate for the old man’s loot. Best name: Sweedlepipe. Messy, sprawling and less structured in parts. Especially the last 40pp. But divine all the same.

A Pecksniffian Digression:

I work part-time at a homeless shelter and I always recommend Dickens as a panacea to ail the suffering hearts of th...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Brian Robbins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading (or in this case listening to) Dickens novels is like admiring one of those delightful handmade, patchwork quilts. They are built of a wide variety of patterns and colours of cloth, some pieces garish some more subdued, some represented by single squares, others provide a repeated pattern that runs across the finished whole. Taken in isolation some pieces are very attractive in themselves, some would be hideous seen on their own; but, when taken as a completed and finished piece, it can...more Reading (or in this case listening to) Dickens novels is like admiring one of those delightful handmade, patchwork quilts. They are built of a wide variety of patterns and colours of cloth, some pieces garish some more subdued, some represented by single squares, others provide a repeated pattern that runs across the finished whole. Taken in isolation some pieces are very attractive in themselves, some would be hideous seen on their own; but, when taken as a completed and finished piece, it can be appreciated for its craft and skill, its richness and variety, even for its beauty.

To take a few of Dickens’ patchwork squares, one of the chief of these is Pecksniff. As always with his villains, from first appearance he is being built-up from beginning to end for his fall. He is drawn, as are a number of the characters in this novel, with a degree of more subtle shading than those in earlier novels. Dickens creates with Pecksniff a greater breadth of emotional response, from the comedy of many of his appearances, to the complete revulsion he creates in the reader, as he tries by physical force and emotional blackmail, to force his attentions on Mary Graham. The final appearance of Pecksniff and his shrewish daughter, living in much reduced circumstances, and bemoaning his fate in an ale shop and decrying Tom Pinch, has more impact than many of the more extreme comeuppances handed out to other villains of Dickens’ novels.

Jonas Chuzzlewit is another example of the way his villains have developed from earlier books, say Quilp. Jonas & Quilp have much in common. Both are bullies, both abuse their wives, both have great reserves of malice, both attempt by their manoeuvrings to engineer the downfall of other characters. But Quilp, for all his malice, has more of the qualities of a pantomime or puppet theatre villain - humour and even a bizarre kind of attractiveness. Jonas on the other hand has a character more in keeping with the villains of melodrama. There is more psychological reality about him than Quilp. He is never in any sense of the word, attractive; It is never possible to feel affection of any kind for him.

Sarah Gamp is one of those morally ambivalent characters that Dickens creates. A comic delight in her speech most of the time, (although this does become irritating at times when drawn on too much), she shows considerable compassion, particularly for the ill-used Mercy Pecksniff, but on the other hand little concern or compassion for her patients. In most things she’s self-serving in whatever causes she speaks out for, but not wholly so. There is a satisfaction at the end in both the truth of Old Martin’s judgement of her, and also in the feeling that Mrs Gamp, hopefully a little reformed by Martin’s words, remains essentially the same comic figure.

Some squares are necessary to the completion of the overall plot, they fit in as a square with a formal pattern given a central position within the patchwork of the novel. However, they are given little character interest. Old Martin Chuzzlewit provides the major example. He acts as a judge in the same sense as an old testament God, declaiming far- reaching judgements on the behaviour and moral qualities of the various characters. His verdicts, his rewards and punishments restore order after chaos, in similar way to that seen in the conclusions of Shakespeare’s comedies.

One final pattern of squares from the many others is those provided by the combination of young Martin Chuzzlewit & Mark Tapley. For the greatest part of the novel the two characters provide a series of composite squares. The rather vague & neutral toned squares representing Martin (like his grandfather never develops into a character of great interest in himself), are overlaid with the vivid, simple & well-defined pattern which is Mark Tapley, who brings colour with his efforts to be “jolly” in the most trying of circumstances.

All-in-all I loved the book and have to confess to beginning to listen to it with great enjoyment immediately after finishing it. For any shortcomings in plot or character or style, Dickens always overcomes any reservations with the sheer energy, colour and delights of his writing.

The reading of this by Sean Barrett was excellent. E read it with great animation and drama. His very varied voices which gave very effective individual identity to each of the characters was beautifully done.
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Dec 05, 2007 Zen Cho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comfortreading, oldschool, victorian

Reread. Martin Chuzzlewit is one of my favourite Dickenses; I love (and invariably start rereading at) the part where Martin falls ill in an American swamp and becomes a better person. Also I adore Mark Tapley.

Things I noticed about the book that I hadn't noticed before:
1. Gosh, that's a lot of vitriol against America. I am touched by Dickens's postscript, in which he takes pains to emphasise how great Americans were on his second trip there, and which he says "so long as my descendants have any...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Laura marked it as to-read Recommends it for: all Dickens fans

Shelves: 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, buddy-read

To be read and discussed with The Readers Review: Literature from 1800 to 1910, see schedule below:

Week 1. 01/14 - 01/20 - Chapters 1-3
Week 2. 01/21 - 01/27 - Chapters 4-6
Week 3. 01/28 - 02/03 - Chapters 7-9
Week 4. 02/04 - 02/10 - Chapters 10-12
Week 5. 02/11 - 02/17 - Chapters 13-15
Week 6. 02/18 - 02/24 - Chapters 16-18
Week 7. 02/25 - 03/03 - Chapters 19-22
Week 8. 03/04 - 03/10 - Chapters 23-26
Week 9. 03/11 - 03/17 - Chapters 27-30
Week 10. 03/18 - 03/24 - Chapters 31-33
Week 11. 03/25 - 03/31 -...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any fan of Dickens'; anyone potentially a fan of Dickens'

Mr. Pecksniff's oily hypocrisy and self-serving behavior know no earthly bounds. Oh, but isn't he a joy to poke fun of. "Martin Chuzzlewit" is a darkly humoresque social commentary on the sort of contagious greed that always seems to surface in particular circumstances - in this case, the declining health of an elderly, and childless, wealthy relative. Who will get to inherit his fortune? Between the rather unsavory lot of family members, which include the aforementioned Pecksniff and his two un...more

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Jul 18, 2009 Rauf rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: strictly for people who can't go on living without Charles Dickens

Shelves: fiction, literature, 2009-list, charles_in_charge

1. Dickens rambled and rambled for 35 pages before he finally introduced a character. Plus the book didn't get interesting until page 200 and something. But if you are reading this right now, try getting there. You'll find out that the novel you are currently holding in your hand is truly one of Dickens's finest. It's witty. It's sarcastic, it's ironic. It's sardonic. At times, Boz could be unmerciful, especially when he wrote about the Yanks.

2. Halfway through the book I said to myself, boy, al...more 1. Dickens rambled and rambled for 35 pages before he finally introduced a character. Plus the book didn't get interesting until page 200 and something. But if you are reading this right now, try getting there. You'll find out that the novel you are currently holding in your hand is truly one of Dickens's finest. It's witty. It's sarcastic, it's ironic. It's sardonic. At times, Boz could be unmerciful, especially when he wrote about the Yanks.

2. Halfway through the book I said to myself, boy, almost everyone in this book is a fraud. They're selfish and manipulative. Then I thought maybe, just maybe the falling out twixt Old Martin Chuzzlewit and Young Martin Chuzzlewit, maybe it wasn't because Old Martin was evil. But because young Martin was selfish and wouldn't hear anyone's opinion but his own. And you know something? I was right.

3. I love how the villains are paranoid to one another. Also when the dust settled, you could see who the number 1 villain is between Seth Pecksniff, Jonas Chuzzlewit and Tigg Montague.

4. My favorite characters are Mark Tapley and Nadgett, two fringe characters. Tapley was Mr. Brightside, always cheerful and helpful, man, he was too good to be true. Nadgett, well, Dickens sure knew when to put him on. An appearance of his really turned the story around (not to mentioned it made me gasp, as though watching an episode of Lost and found out it was John Locke in the coffin) (yeah, I couldn't get through a page of anything without thinking of Lost. Duly noted).

5. These characters don't show up much but they're very important!
Chuffey, Lewsome, Nadgett, Anthony Chuzzlewit, Old Martin and Thomas Pinch.

6. Whenever Mrs. Gamp is bla-bla-blaing you can just skip to the next page. Nothing she said has anything to do with the way the story turned out. I hate it that she has the best one-liner in the book. ("He'd make a lovely corpse.")

7. I love that Dickens made a reference about 'cannibalic pastry', an obvious reference to the legend of Sweeney Todd. He also made the same reference near the end of Little Dorrit.

8. After the number 1 villain died, Dickens sort of took his time in tying up the loose ends. Maybe after he worked on it for a year he was very attached to these characters. But when a minor character suddenly showed up after presumed dead in a carriage accident...well...maybe you should've finished the book 20 pages ago, man.

9. My favorite-est quote from Martin Chuzzlewit (boy oh boy it's a good one):
"But there is a much higher justice than poetical justice. And it does not order events upon the same principle. Accordingly, people who read about heroes in books, and choose to make heroes of themselves out of books, consider it a very fine thing to be discontented and grouchy and misanthropical, and perhaps a little blasphemous because they cannot have everything rendered for their individual accomodation."
Said by Thomas Pinch to his sister Ruth

Now how come a guy who had been dead for almost 140 years could write something so accurate about me??(less)

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Jun 11, 2008 booklady rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2001, classic

Although this story is technically flawed (most of the last 1/3 of it seems disjointed and isn't of the same quality as the rest of the novel) the good parts of it are still so humorous and enjoyable, I was happy to overlook the parts which weren't up to snuff. Again, if you listen to the book, you will really be able to pick up on Dickens' subtle sense of humor which comes out at some of his best in Martin Chuzzlewitt. His humor is always dry and sly and he slips something funny in when you lea...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Dark-Draco rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

This is a story mainly about greed and hypocrisy. Old Martin Chuzzlewit is very rich, but surrounded by grasping relatives who all want a piece of his fortune. Refusing to have anything to do with the, he starts to see greed, plots and traitors all around him. This includes his son, also called Martin, whose only crime is to fall in love with his father's ward. He runs away, falls in with the unscrupulous Mr Pecksniff, who has his own plans, and then goes to America to make his fortune. There ar...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Lyrad rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually just watched the BBC production of this work. I loved it. There are some wonderful characters. At first it was hard to tell if Mr Pecksniff was just a simple buffoon or truly slimy, but as the work went on, I came to despise him for his avaricious scheming. Mark Tapely is a great comic relief, seeking out hardships simply for the merit of remaining jolly through them all. Montague was slimy all along, but a pretty remarkable change-artist and con man. And my favorite- the humble, loya...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Smcleish rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in September 2000.

There can be few fans who would consider Martin Chuzzlewit to be one of the best of Dickens' novels. It created a considerable drop in the sales of the periodical in which it originally appeared, despite getting good reviews, and shows evidence of some desperation to reverse this trend. (The hastily thrown in and later regretted American episodes which are among the novel's best known parts form an example of this.)

That is not to say that th...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Thom Swennes rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Whoever has ever read works of Charles Dickens could well imagine that his creative genius could never be fettered in Victorian England or even revolutionary France (Tale of Two Cities). In the monumental, yet (in my opinion) underrated and lesser known story of The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, his characters have spread their wings and traveled across the Atlantic to the bustling pre-Civil War United States. I found it not surprising but very refreshing to witness his obvious abhor...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Phillip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dickens' narrative follows the members of several households whose members, with varying degrees of frequency, rub shoulders with each other as they live under the shadow of an aging rich relative, Martin Chuzzlewit, who, disenchanted by the selfish nature of mankind, has determined to leave nothing to any of them.

One of these relatives is young Martin Chuzzlewit, grandson to the above mentioned Martin. Indeed there is a certain ambiguity over whether the novel's title refers to the elder or the...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Janice Durante rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Since February 7th was the bicentenary of Dickens' birth, I decided it was a great time to read a new (to me) novel by the Victorian master. Oh, what a spicy stew he delivers in Martin Chuzzlewit! The richly textured characterization, the intricate and dramatic plot, the sharp, insightful humor all make for a fascinating murder mystery and love story that is both timeless and timely. The protagonist the novel is named for shows himself to be a basically ethical but somewhat arrogant young man wh...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Ben Dutton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Martin Chuzzlewitt, Charles Dickens’ seventh novel, marks the turning point in this great novelist’s career. The last of his picaresque adventures, it slowly transforms itself into a grand narrative, with themes and motifs underscoring and accentuating Dickens’ prose. Dombey and Son, his next novel – like all those that come after it – is intricately plotted: it is the lessons learnt writing this work that pave the way.

Like Barnaby Rudge before it, Martin Chuzzlewitt is not about Martin Chuzzlew...more Martin Chuzzlewitt, Charles Dickens’ seventh novel, marks the turning point in this great novelist’s career. The last of his picaresque adventures, it slowly transforms itself into a grand narrative, with themes and motifs underscoring and accentuating Dickens’ prose. Dombey and Son, his next novel – like all those that come after it – is intricately plotted: it is the lessons learnt writing this work that pave the way.

Like Barnaby Rudge before it, Martin Chuzzlewitt is not about Martin Chuzzlewitt, despite the longer title reading: The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewitt. Young Martin disappears for much of his narrative and is thousands of miles away from much of the main action for half of the novel. It is no wonder some critics have stated they believe Tom Pinch to be more the central character, a thought made solid by Dickens’ final treatment of Tom: he gets the final swelling song of an ending.

The plot of Martin Chuzzlewitt is actually rather simple, despite the novels length: M. Chuzzlewitt Jnr is an apprentice architect who leaves his misanthropic grandfather (also Martin Chuzzlewitt) and sails to America to seek his fortune. He finds America a harsh, brutal place and sails back to England to marry the woman he loves. Meanwhile, Tom Pinch, also an architect at Pecksniff’s: Pinch is a kind man, unable to see the bad in Pecksniff, nor believe the stories of malice that he hears. He has a sister who works as a governnesss in London and a friend, John Westlock, who leaves Pecksniff’s after suffering at his hands. Finally there is Jonas Chuzzlewitt, a vile creature who preys on the innocent and whom has a dark secret in his past. A dark secret that will not stay secret forever.

Dickens, in the early part of this novel has much trouble maintaining all these threads (and many others beside) and his decision to send young Martin to America reeks of an author desperate to shake up his narrative: though in the end the contrasting of American society with British society at the time is wonderful to read now (it causes much debate and Dickens had to vociferously defend his novel). Eden, the town to which Martin and his companion Mark Tapley travel, is one of the great town creations in Dickens’ oeuvre. It is a dank, dirty place in which both men contract and almost die of malaria. However, once Martin and Mark are on their return journey, the novel suddenly contracts: the excess flab is cut away and what is left is a mean, taut novel that shifts between light and dark, comedic and serious. Dickens builds the momentum and delivers what is, I feel, his finest ending to date. There are positive thrills and chills (the final moments with Jonas Chuzzlewitt place him amongst the greatest of Dickens’s villains) and a resolution that – though somewhat trite, as Victorian novels must be, for all must be settled and good to have won – never really falters and brings a smile to ones face.

Martin Chuzzlewitt was reportedly Dickens favourite of his own work, and I think I see why. It is the novel upon which he learnt the final skills to allow him to become the truly great novelist he is about to become: Bleak House, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Our Mutual Friend are all to come. With Martin Chuzzlewitt Dickens entered the greatest phase of his writing life, a fact which makes the lack of success of Martin Chuzzlewitt all the more baffling: it sold less well than any of his previous works and was greeted as something of a disappointment. Luckily that initial reaction has been forgotten now, for this is at its outset is a good novel, but by its end it is a great one. If I wasn’t a confirmed Dickensite before this, I certainly am now.(less)

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Jun 04, 2010 Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens wasn’t a particularly long novel (unlike War and Peace) nor was the language particularly challenging (like the writing of Proust) yet I had a difficult time completing this novel.

The characters in the book were incredibly rich, but many of them were completely unlikeable. The entire Pecksniff family, father and daughters alike, were despicable. The duplicitous nature of Seth Pecksniff made me ill each time he entered the scene. His blatant hypocrisy and pand...more Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens wasn’t a particularly long novel (unlike War and Peace) nor was the language particularly challenging (like the writing of Proust) yet I had a difficult time completing this novel.

The characters in the book were incredibly rich, but many of them were completely unlikeable. The entire Pecksniff family, father and daughters alike, were despicable. The duplicitous nature of Seth Pecksniff made me ill each time he entered the scene. His blatant hypocrisy and pandering in the hopes of increasing his wealth and social standing was nauseating. While the daughters may have received unfair treatment by other characters, the manner in which they treated Pinch more than warranted the karmic payback. Jonas Chuzzlewit, a swindler and wife beater, at least received his due in the end.

Sending a few of the characters off to America to try to make a fresh start was a bit confusing. It didn’t further the story and really only provided the author with a means at taking pot shots at the “U-nited States.” He made the entire country out to be a savage, disease infested wilderness run by a bunch of con-men. The characters’ survival of their time in Eden, however, did help forge their bonds through the remainder of the story.

One main theme in the story, found in much of Dicken’s writing, is a commentary on class distinction. While Pinch was a surveyor and civil engineer, trades that are considered to be respectable today, he was always treated as a second class citizen by the Pecksniffs; often to the point of appearing to be no more than a lap dog. However, his higher caliber of character raises him in the end.

The entire Pecksniff-Chuzzlewit clan could justify any means of advancing their standing. From their poor treatment of others, swindling through Ponzi schemes and even murder, nothing was beneath them and everything was rationalized to be morally acceptable. Their self righteous attitudes towards their foul deeds made them all the more corrupt.

In retrospect, I think my difficulties may have roots in the fact that I simply didn’t like the people about which I was reading. The story was secondary to the characters and their moral defects.(less)

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May 27, 2011 Janice rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 19th-century, classics

In spite of my recent decision to take a break from Dickens, I'm giving this a try.

So critiques I've read complain that in this novel Dickens is heavy-handed. True. He moralizes everything, and does it often. That said, his examination of the making of a murderer is interesting; also, I get bizarre satisfaction in seeing the good rewarded and the wicked brought low, so this book held my interest. Additionally, there were fewer perfect mild women shoved in my face--though they're there, mind you,...more

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May 04, 2011 Esther rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-book, classic

I love how Dickens gives us a protagonist who is clearly weak, or insipid, boring even, and then surrounds him with a sparkling cast of vile deceivers and eccentric charmers. To me, Tom Pinch is the sure-fire central character here, with Mark Tapley vying for attention - certainly one of Dicken's more delightful creations. Martin's character grows, but he is never the hero - and I get a kick out of that off-center way of telling a story. Wasn't so fond of the American parts, although I understa...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Jeroen Berndsen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dickens' own personal favorite of his stories and I think one of mine too. An amazing satire on how selfish people can get. It's not on the short side, but if you can sit through it it's worth your while.[return][return]Martin Chuzzlewit is Charles Dickens' comic masterpiece about which his biographer, Forster, noted that it marked a crucial phase in the author's development as he began to delve deeper into the 'springs of character'.Old Martin Chuzzlewit, tormented by the greed and selfishness...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Philip Lane rated it 4 of 5 stars

A bit difficult coming at this for the first time and not knowing the story at all. There is quite a lot of humour, with Mrs Gamp in particular, who is the only character I had ever heard of. The story is fairly bland and classic in terms of boy meets girl but gets disinherited by his grandfather (both boy and grandfather are Martin Chuzzlewit). The boy goes off to America to seek his fortune and is humbled by the experience. In the meantime the grandfather is so badly treated by his remaining r...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A great read!

Dickens' portrayal of life in the States is quite funny, being based on an unfavorable impression he received on his first visit. This negative view was abandoned in later years, and the author made sure to include an author's note saying so much at the end of subsequent editions of Chuzzlewit.

The protag is a flawed young man, which I do enjoy so much more than Dickens' endlessly suffering, angelic heroines in Little Dorrit and Bleak House. The main flaw held by him, and a theme thr...more

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Apr 12, 2010 Dana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Found this book annoying, all right already Mr Dickens, you are an amazing writer and observer of human nature, and funny, but this book left me cold, characters are good or evil, I didn't care about any of them. Maybe this is a lesser known Dickens novel for a good reason?!?

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Dec 18, 2011 Betty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

With this novel, Dickens left behind the shallow characters that sometimes marred his early works, and developed full-fledged people. Pecksniff and his daughters are marvelous creations that make one cringe with embarassment while laughing at their incredible selfishness. Tom Pinch is another character in a distinguished line of "too good to be true" Dickensian personalities, but he is shown to suffer and grow into a believable human being. The American episodes are biting in their satire, but o...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Laurele rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2009, dickens-novels, kindle, librivox, books-read-in-2011, audible

Dickens's sixth novel gets off to a lumbering start, stalls in the middle, but ends in a flurry of excitement reminiscent of Shakespeare (Macbeth), Poe, and Doyle all tied into one. Tom Pinch and Mark Tapley are keepers.

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Apr 30, 2009 J. Alfred rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I get my time travelling device all figured out, one of my first stops (does "first" count when one is talking about a time travelling device?) is going to be to travel to Holborn street, London, 1855, and tell Dickens what's up.
Had we but world enough and time
seven hundred fifty page novels, Dickens, were no crime.
BUT some of us don't have two or three weeks to dedicate to one book anymore. Cool it with the Victorian complexity!
In any case, I like Dickens. Chesterton thought he was "the l...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Beth Douggan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Martin Chuzzlewit is my most favorite book of all times, the one I reread quite often. The two characters I love most are, of course, Tom and Mark Tapley. Not so much Martin because about twenty years ago when I first read it I could see myself in him very clearly, self-centered and arrogant. But of course, his victory over himself and his character in America is one of Dickens' best stories and gave me some hope for improving.

After years of rereading it, I gradually shifted to Mark Tapley's out...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Perry Whitford rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was never impressed with Dickens when I first started reading 19th century novels in earnest. In truth I only gave him one chance, ploughing through Great Expectations with all the joy of a butler running errands for Miss Havisham, toes curling at the dollop-thick sentimentality of Joe Gargery. But then a couple of years ago I gave David Copperfield a try and, sure, it still sucked the schmaltzy stick with saccharine sequins, but I really enjoyed it, the warmth and vibrancy.
Martin Chuzzlewit...more I was never impressed with Dickens when I first started reading 19th century novels in earnest. In truth I only gave him one chance, ploughing through Great Expectations with all the joy of a butler running errands for Miss Havisham, toes curling at the dollop-thick sentimentality of Joe Gargery. But then a couple of years ago I gave David Copperfield a try and, sure, it still sucked the schmaltzy stick with saccharine sequins, but I really enjoyed it, the warmth and vibrancy.
Martin Chuzzlewit starts with a short, ironical look at the genealogy of the Chuzzlewits, suggesting that they came to England with the Normans, even that Guy Fawkes was in fact a Chuzzlewit. It's a good start, announcing a certain picaresque silliness that (mostly) sustains itself over a rambling and pretty unnecessary plot.

The two Martin Chuzzlewits, elder and younger, are by far the least interesting characters, so although they carry the burden of this plot they do the least strenuous work throughout the bulk of the actual story. The real hero is the incomparably nice (but not irredeemably sentimental) Thomas Pinch, trainee architect; the villain his shameless, unctuous employee, Mr. Pecksniff, whose character, in the words of ex-pupil John Westlock, informed by "the hypocrisy, the knavery, the meannesses, the false pretences, the lip-service of that fellow, and his trading in saintly semblances for the very worst realities".
Pecksniff is a comic delight, as are some of Dickens's digressions, my favourite being his description of the faded sign of the Blue Dragon pub: "He was a courteous and considerate dragon too; or had been in his distincter days, for in the midst of his rampant feebleness, he kept one of his fore-paws near his nose, as though he would say, 'Don't mind me- it's only my fun;' while he held out the other, in polite and hospitable entreaty".

Pecksniff and the odd humorous excursion aside though, I still feel ambivalent about Dickens. it now seems clear to me that plots are easy for Dickens, considering his shameless penchant for chance encounters and unlikely concealments. Also, in this book his characters are often guilty of the most horrendous condescensions, which we are invited to laugh at, but so is the author himself on occasion, most specifically during the novels American jaunt.
The satire is so heavy handed swift may have left it off the locations during Gulliver's Travels. He gives the newspapers names like The New York Sewer, renders every character a voracious con-man. As the inherently "jolly", visiting Mark Tapley says: "they're so fond of Liberty in this part of the globe, that they buy her and sell her and carry her to market with 'em. They've such a passion for Liberty, that they can't help taking liberties with her".

Maybe the America of the 1840s deserved that sort of treatment, I don't know. Either way, Dickens blunts the barbs by the crude way he renders the idioms of speech, just as he weakens his story with limp lead characters and lazy plotting, but there is enough rambunctiousness to satisfy, just.
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Jul 10, 2009 Christopher H. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-literature, victorian-literature, historical-fiction, read-in-2009, charles-dickens

A very good book. Full of the typical cast of disreputable rogues and lovable good-hearted people engaged in all kinds of schemes. This book is a one-of-a-kind Dickens novel in that the main character does a turn in the United States of America for a time (with disastrous results). This visit apparently reflects some of the biases that Dickens developed during his original visit to America. There are some of Dickens' 'Saints' in here too; including Mark Tapley and Tom Pinch. It is said that Dick...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Paul Frandano rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

Absurd to "review" a novel that's been part of the Western canon for more than century, but a few comments may be in order. The segment of the book most critics decry - "the American part" - is in my view better than "completely excisable": although it may not entirely work, it's nevertheless an opportunity for Dickens to comment on the United States he found in a 1842 visit: he vents his detestation of American institutions and self-congratulatory bombast in a series of caricatures whom Martin...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Raj rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic

I have issues with Dickens. I usually enjoy them as I'm reading them, but as soon as I put them down I don't really want to pick them up again. This is partially why this book has taken me such a long time to read. That, and the fact that it's about 800 pages long.

The plot is difficult to sum up since there are several meandering subplots that eventually start to come together towards the end of the book (and it was when this happened that I started to really become gripped by it). Old Martin Ch...more I have issues with Dickens. I usually enjoy them as I'm reading them, but as soon as I put them down I don't really want to pick them up again. This is partially why this book has taken me such a long time to read. That, and the fact that it's about 800 pages long.

The plot is difficult to sum up since there are several meandering subplots that eventually start to come together towards the end of the book (and it was when this happened that I started to really become gripped by it). Old Martin Chuzzlewit is a wealthy man but spends his time hoarding his wealth and seeing plots all around him by his family to grab it. He falls out with his grandson and namesake over the woman he raised from a child to care for him, Mary, who Young Martin has fallen in love with. This sends Young Martin first to study with his relative Seth Pecksniff as an architect and then to America, where several misfortunes happen to him and eventually bring him back to England.

There's no room in a short review to describe the other characters in the book: the good-hearted Tom Pinch; the hypocritical Pecksniff and his daughters; the rascal Montague Tigg; Old Martin's brother Anthony and his villainous son Jonas and many more. Dickens' characters have always been wonderful and these are certainly memorable. Caricatures, certainly, but lovingly rendered for all that.

One of the problems that I had with the book was its several plots, often moving between them, leaving cliffhangers aplenty. I appreciate this is probably due to the original episodic nature of the publication but I still found it somewhat irritating. This was especially apparent in the American sections, where, at one point, we left Young Martin on the verge of death, and didn't return to him for several chapters.

Speaking of the American sections, I think these were some of the funniest in the book. They do display some degree of anti-Americanism, which Dickens admitted was down to his own perception on his first visit there. He later retracted this and left an afterword making clear that he no longer agreed with this (not in my edition, but I found it on the Wikipedia page). However, I'd argue that the American characters are no worse than the English ones, just "differently bad" with their obsession with Equality and Freedom.

I did find myself at times getting frustrated with the pace of the story and starting to skim-read, as I usually do, and having to stop and force myself to go back and read it again slowly, remembering that Dickens' art is in his writing, not necessarily the storytelling. The gothic style of writing is certainly dramatic, at times melodramatic, but no less enjoyable for that.

Dickens is, of course, well known for his happy endings, and, despite knowing it must be coming, I was still captivated by it, but then I'm a sucker for happy endings :).

Did this book make me change my mind about Dickens? No, not really. It took me ages to work up to it, I enjoyed it while I was reading it, and now that I'm done, I have no desire to read any more Dickens. I'm sure I'll pick up another one eventually and the cycle will repeat.(less)

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Jul 20, 2011 Maxine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is always a satisfying feeling finishing a Charles Dickens novel and Martin Chuzzlewit was no exception.

Initially I found it difficult to get started on it as names such as ‘Pecksniff’ really put me off. I also found the United States saga boring and unnecessary for the plot, although it was illuminating and it’s no wonder the Americans were ‘up in arms’ about it when it was first published. I believe Dickens spoke the truth but they just could not see it. Thank goodness things have progress...more

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The Readers Revie...: Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapters 50 - 54, April 22 - April 28	12	16	Apr 28, 2013 10:01am
The Readers Revie...: Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapters 46-49, April 15 - April 21	7	16	Apr 16, 2013 02:55pm
The Readers Revie...: Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapters 39-42, April 01 - April 07	12	15	Apr 03, 2013 07:51pm
The Readers Revie...: Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapters 31 - 33, March 18 - March 24	16	22	Apr 01, 2013 02:25pm
The Readers Revie...: Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapters 27-30, March 11 - March 17	15	20	Mar 31, 2013 02:39pm
The Readers Revie...: Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapters 34-38, March 25 - March 31	10	17	Mar 31, 2013 12:15pm
The Readers Revie...: Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapters 19-22, February 25 - March 03	22	17	Mar 04, 2013 07:41pm

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About Charles Dickens

A prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non-fiction; during his lifetime Dickens became known the world over for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of their lives, and his depictions of the social classes, morals and values of his times. Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awarenes...more

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