false 429024 111 The sound of Little Nell clattering hurriedly over cobblestones immediately sets the stage by bringing to mind the narrow and dangerous streets of Victorian London. No fewer than 20 performers are called upon to conjure up the Dickensian world of wanderers, ne'er-do-wells, con artists, and kind Samaritans--and each performance is excellent. Tom Courtenay plays the sadistic Quilp, "the ugliest dwarf that could be seen anywhere for a penny" with magnificent sarcastic glee, and Teresa Gallagher's silvery, childlike voice is ideally suited for the role of the angelic Little Nell.<p> Nell is on her way home to the dusty shop where she and her grandfather live a rather mysterious life. The old man disappears every night--visiting gambling dens with the naive hope of winning a fortune. Instead he sinks deeper and deeper into debt. Enter Daniel Quilp, moneylender, who becomes furious upon learning that the grandfather is a pauper and will never be able to repay his tremendous debt. Quilp seizes the curiosity shop and begins making lecherous overtures to Nell, so she and her grandfather steal away one morning to seek their fortunes elsewhere. But the demonic dwarf is never far behind.<p> Sound effects are employed judiciously and serve mainly as a springboard for the listener's imagination. The sound of a crying baby is enough to convey the image of crowded lodgings and genteel Victorian poverty, while raucous laughter and high-pitched squawks evoke the barely controlled chaos of an outdoor Punch and Judy show. The dramatization pares Dickens's weighty novel down to two and one-half hours, but does so skillfully, retaining Dickens's wit, marvelous dialogue, and delightful characterizations. (Running time: 155 minutes, 2 cassettes) <I>--Elizabeth Laskey</I> 1098758 1898 The Old Curiosity Shop (Penguin Classics) total:1319|5:277|4:441|3:451|2:114|1:36| 1319 4766 2273 100 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 5 4 false Mon Jun 25 06:20:42 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 27 15:28:10 -0700 2007

My generic comment about Charles Dickens:
First of all, although I am a partisan of Dickens' writing and have read and relished ...more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 1 false Sat Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jan 15 09:53:17 -0800 2008 Mon Jul 28 08:49:18 -0700 2008
Quick plot: Little Nell Trent lives in the old curiosity shop with her grandfather. When the old man's gambling gets out of hand, and he loses everything, grandfather and gran...more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 0 1 false Mon Dec 01 23:13:55 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 23:14:04 -0800 2008 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 5 0 false Sat Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 08:09:26 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 09:41:11 -0700 2009 A Tale of Two Cities and furiously read Cliffnotes before the exam in ninth grade). I found this book in The Galveston Bookshop when my husband and I drove down to see w...more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 5 1 false Sat May 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 10:46:10 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 10:47:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 0 false Wed Jul 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 17:35:19 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 20:41:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 2 1 false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Mar 06 12:12:10 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 06 12:16:00 -0800 2008 more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 4 1 false Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 26 15:29:41 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 26 15:34:16 -0800 2008 more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 1 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1987 Tue Dec 09 05:05:29 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 06 13:42:15 -0700 2009
I don't have anything to add to Oscar Wilde's masterly summing-up. He nailed it. Maybe some enterprising person would like to open a GR account for him, and just presen...more...]]> 1301459 0679443738 9780679443735 7 3 3.61 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182612613m/1301459.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1301459.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 4 1 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 14 08:16:49 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 21 18:48:06 -0700 2007
Not my favorite in the canon, but worth my time.]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 1 2 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Jan 18 11:47:49 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 18 11:48:46 -0800 2008 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 0 false Sat Aug 08 10:17:52 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 11:03:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 505051 0486426793 9780486426792 17 2 3.61 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175314875m/505051.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/505051.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 0 false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 23:00:36 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 10:41:45 -0700 2009
The light, creation's mind, was everywhere, and all things owned its power.

Retribution, which often travels slowly - especially when heaviest - has tracked his footsteps with a sure and certain scent and was gaining on him fast. Unmindful of her stealthy tre...more...]]> 4904528 1439515522 9781439515525 3 1 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4904528.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 2 0 false Tue Jan 06 11:37:47 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 11:37:47 -0800 2009 more...]]> 6669218 1435116488 9781435116481 2 1 3.61 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1249274460m/6669218.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6669218-the-old-curiosity-shop 3 0 false Sun Aug 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 21:42:16 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 21:42:57 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 844706 1853262447 9781853262449 14 3 3.61 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178843762m/844706.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/844706.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 4 3 false Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 05:57:37 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 20:05:56 -0700 2009 Old Curiosity Shop to those readers’ lives! And how Little Nell has stolen many readers’ hearts! I adore the novel so much and I do think that Li...more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 0 false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 25 08:59:55 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 25 09:08:59 -0700 2008 2 more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 0 false Sat Oct 11 17:53:45 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 11 18:05:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 3 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 02 18:26:58 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 13 14:18:09 -0800 2008
There's little plot or understandable motivat...more...]]> 429024 0140437428 9780140437423 1196 78 3.61 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429024.The_Old_Curiosity_Shop 1 0 false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 08:27:57 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 09:13:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=429024