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To Be Read at Dusk
by
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Kindle Edition, 24 pages
Published
May 12th 2012
(first published 1989)
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of To Be Read at Dusk
Note: The stories are in reading order. The numbers indicate their order in the book.
•1 The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
Chapter 14 from The Pickwick Papers.
A chair that talks and guides a tired traveller that arrives in an inn.
•2 A Madman's Manuscript
Chapter 11 from The Pickwick Papers.
Ramblings of a crazy man that wants to be proven crazy.
•3 The Goblins who Stole a Sexton
Chapter 29 from The Pickwick Papers.
A precursor story to A Christmas Carol, where instead of ghosts and spirits we ...more
•1 The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
Chapter 14 from The Pickwick Papers.
A chair that talks and guides a tired traveller that arrives in an inn.
•2 A Madman's Manuscript
Chapter 11 from The Pickwick Papers.
Ramblings of a crazy man that wants to be proven crazy.
•3 The Goblins who Stole a Sexton
Chapter 29 from The Pickwick Papers.
A precursor story to A Christmas Carol, where instead of ghosts and spirits we ...more
Oct 06, 2019
Tracey
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics-modern-classics,
to-read-i-own
Excellent, atmospheric, creepy Victorian ghost story by the best in the buisness.
What better way to re start my Sunday shorts series. I read The signalman today.
I watched the BBC tv adaptation with Denholm Elliot years ago and loved that too.
A 5* start for me.
What better way to re start my Sunday shorts series. I read The signalman today.
I watched the BBC tv adaptation with Denholm Elliot years ago and loved that too.
A 5* start for me.
Who doesn't love to read Ghost stories! They are all fun and exciting unless of course, you're reading them alone in a room at night and getting pretty terrified every time you hear a meow.
Read hereOpening: One, two, three, four, five. There were five of them.
Five couriers, sitting on a bench outside the convent on the summit of the Great St. Bernard in Switzerland, looking at the remote heights, stained by the setting sun as if a mighty quantity of red wine had been broached upon the mountain top, and had not yet had time to sink into the snow.
Very short story of spiritual affairs.
3.5 stars. As many other readers have already pointed out, these stories are not very scary by today's standards. But they are a bit spooky, especially if you read them at night, home alone, just before going to bed.
This volume comprises a collection of fifteen ghost stories by Dickens. As with any collection, it is a bit of a mixed bag. Some are superlative, some are less than mediocre.
The Queer Chair: A man takes shelter in an inn and falls in love with the widowed (and moneyed) innkeeper, who is courted by another man. A chair in his room helps him succeed in his quest. - 5 stars
A Madman's Manuscript: Story about an abusive man. Really boring. - 1 star
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton: A miserly sexton is ...more
The Queer Chair: A man takes shelter in an inn and falls in love with the widowed (and moneyed) innkeeper, who is courted by another man. A chair in his room helps him succeed in his quest. - 5 stars
A Madman's Manuscript: Story about an abusive man. Really boring. - 1 star
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton: A miserly sexton is ...more
A fascinating and lesser known side of Charles' Dickens work is his flair for ghost stories.
Dickens showed a fascination with ghosts and the macabre and was a masterpiece of this wonderful genre.
Most well known is his ghostly parable-'A Christmas Carol', of the visit to the bitter and tight fist ed miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, by three ghosts which started the tradition of 'the ghost story at Christmas'.
Other Christmas ghost stories by Dickens in this volume include ' the weird and wonderful ...more
Dickens showed a fascination with ghosts and the macabre and was a masterpiece of this wonderful genre.
Most well known is his ghostly parable-'A Christmas Carol', of the visit to the bitter and tight fist ed miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, by three ghosts which started the tradition of 'the ghost story at Christmas'.
Other Christmas ghost stories by Dickens in this volume include ' the weird and wonderful ...more
Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/924
A short story not scary by today's standards, but a worthy read nonetheless.
A short story not scary by today's standards, but a worthy read nonetheless.
What I really liked about this book was the ability to ‘dip into Dickens’. I recall taking 6 months to read Bleak House – and night after night having to retrace my steps, one back, two forward, if I was lucky. Some of the stories in this anthology are as short as a single page. No danger of nodding off or losing the thread there.
As a bonus, Dickens’ ghosts seem to be possessed (hah-ha) of the author’s sense of humour – which makes for light reading amidst the often-dense text; indeed he strikes ...more
As a bonus, Dickens’ ghosts seem to be possessed (hah-ha) of the author’s sense of humour – which makes for light reading amidst the often-dense text; indeed he strikes ...more
Oct 02, 2016
Catie
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-club,
classics,
victorian,
read-2016,
fiction,
horror,
gothic,
short-stories,
buddy-reads
Read October 2016 on IG with @bookishsteph1, @pagesandcup, @booksnot, @bagfullofbooks. #EekHouseBuddiesWithATwist
Favorite Short Stories:
• The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
• The Ghost's of the Mail - The Story of the Bagman's Uncle
• The Haunted House
• The Signalman
• Four Ghost Stories - The First Story
Favorite Short Stories:
• The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
• The Ghost's of the Mail - The Story of the Bagman's Uncle
• The Haunted House
• The Signalman
• Four Ghost Stories - The First Story
This was an interesting collection of short stories, some considerably shorter than others. It was interesting to see that some of the stories had been taken from Dickens' full-length novels, as I couldn't imagine them tying into a longer text in any way!
There were some stories however that I found quite hard to get through in comparison to others. When I picked this up, it was on Christmas Day specifically so I could read 'A Christmas Carol', even though this was not the first short story in ...more
There were some stories however that I found quite hard to get through in comparison to others. When I picked this up, it was on Christmas Day specifically so I could read 'A Christmas Carol', even though this was not the first short story in ...more
Jul 17, 2010
Ruthie Jones
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library-book
While I have read several of these stories before (including A Christmas Carol), many of them were new to me. I prefer Dickens's longer works because he is such a master of detail and description. None of the stories were actually scary, but they probably had lots of scariness for the readers way back when. Dickens mixes quite a dose of satire into pretty much all his works, and these ghost stories are no exception.
I have to comment on one of the stories: The Haunted House
This one started out ...more
I have to comment on one of the stories: The Haunted House
This one started out ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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3.5 stars
To Be Read at Dusk - 3 stars
The Signalman - 4 stars
The Trial for Murder - 3.5 stars
To Be Read at Dusk - 3 stars
The Signalman - 4 stars
The Trial for Murder - 3.5 stars
(As I see Goodreads is mixing multiple editions for this review that do not all contain the same short stories, this review is of the To Be Read at Dusk by Charles Dickens, Little Black Classic edition by Penguin, which contain the three stories: To Be Read at Dusk, The Signalman, and The Trial for Murder.)
All three of the short stories in the collection contain a spooky theme. While they aren't scary, they are a little eery. I was a little leary after reading the first story because it was just ...more
All three of the short stories in the collection contain a spooky theme. While they aren't scary, they are a little eery. I was a little leary after reading the first story because it was just ...more
You can read my review here: http://embracingmybooks.blogspot.be/2...
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Do not read it at dusk!
Do not read it at dusk!
3,5 stars, to be more exact.
The last story saved the book for me!
The last story saved the book for me!
How grateful I am for Victorian ghost stories. They make sense and are of much higher quality than the stories of today—made to horrify rather than have a more positive theme.
Oct 09, 2017
Leni - The White Book Cottage
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2017
To Be Read at Dusk: 3,5 *
The Signalman: 4*
The Trial for Murder: 3,5*
The Signalman: 4*
The Trial for Murder: 3,5*
Nov 27, 2008
Christine
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature-english,
victorian
I have a very, very strange relationship with Mr. Charles Dickens. Before I knew anything about his private life, I would read one of his books and love it. The next book I read, I would dislike. You know the dislike that makes you bang your head against the desk. The dislike of nails on a blackboard. For instance, I love Great Expectations, but I can't stand A Tale of Two Cities.
Despite, my relationship with Dickens's longer novels, most of his short fiction, especially his ghost stories, I ...more
Despite, my relationship with Dickens's longer novels, most of his short fiction, especially his ghost stories, I ...more
This book has been in my house for as long as I can remember, belonging originally to either my mom or my dad; by the time I moved out it was somehow in my own collection, though I had never actually read the entire book through. Our dad used to read A Christmas Carol to us when we were kids, but the other ghost stories were unknown to me until now when I sat down to read all of it, including A Christmas Carol with adult eyes.
Some of the stories are particularly good, like The Signal-Man, A ...more
Some of the stories are particularly good, like The Signal-Man, A ...more
This was a joy. Although, what else can one really expect from Dickens?
Anyone who’s had the pleasure to read A Christmas Carol can appreciate the mastery Dickens applies to a ghost story. Penguin have included three of his haunting short stories in this addition to the Little Black Classics range. And, since I’ve been growing increasingly disinterested in the range itself, I was very glad they did.
Although none of the three can be described as terrifying, there are underlying tones of tension ...more
Anyone who’s had the pleasure to read A Christmas Carol can appreciate the mastery Dickens applies to a ghost story. Penguin have included three of his haunting short stories in this addition to the Little Black Classics range. And, since I’ve been growing increasingly disinterested in the range itself, I was very glad they did.
Although none of the three can be described as terrifying, there are underlying tones of tension ...more
Eerie and spooky enough. Good for a rainy night :) It was good to see this side of Dickens. It's something we don't get to read often. The depiction of characters and the setting of macabre are wonderful. THis is the only book of Dickens that I had not read. Glad to cover the complete list of the author's works.
Very nice collection of horror
stories! Not much horrifying but very intresting and gripping collection!
stories! Not much horrifying but very intresting and gripping collection!
3 and half stars>.
Review to come.
Review to come.
A selection of 3 short ghost stories by Dickens. I’m pretty sure Ive read all of them before in the Complete Ghost Stories but nevermind that. It has been years and these stories still managed to unnerve me. I’d say To Be Read At Dusk gets 3 stars, and both The Signalman and The Trial For Murder get 4 stars.
I read this decades ago, but I remember it being creepy. I love Dickens and have re-read A Christmas Carol a dozen times. In this compilation we have all the short ghost stories Dickens wrote originally published as one offs. 30 years after reading them, I can honestly say that none stood the test of time, but I do remember reading the book and enjoying the stories.
This was an extremely quick read. The book contains three 'ghost' stories which each are all set differently, but all contain some sort of view on premonitions. The second story was my favourite and took place on a train line and was actually a little creepy. However, the others were a bit dull and didn't really go anywhere for me.
Three short stories and all of them are not really special or exciting to read... plus I found them quite confusing
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Charles John Huffam Dickens was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
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“Brave lodgings for one, brave lodgings for one,
A few feet of cold earth, when life is done;
A stone at the head, a stone at the feet,
A rich, juicy meal for the worms to eat;
Rank grass over head, and damp clay around,
Brave lodgings for one, these, in holy ground!”
—
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A few feet of cold earth, when life is done;
A stone at the head, a stone at the feet,
A rich, juicy meal for the worms to eat;
Rank grass over head, and damp clay around,
Brave lodgings for one, these, in holy ground!”
“Esto sólo demuestra lo auténtico que es el viejo refrán que dice, caballeros, que un hombre no sabe nunca lo que puede hacer hasta que lo intenta.”
—
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