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It's Dickens, so of course, I loved it! It is chockful of his trademark humor, memorable characters, and searing social commentary that exposes the foibles of the human psyche. I have to admit, I liked the women in this book more than I sometimes do. Bella and Jenny are quite feisty! Lizzie is rather lachrymose much of the time, but even she digs her heels in when some man or another tries to push her into doing something she doesn't want to do.
***Minor Spoilers***
The rise and fall of the social ...more
***Minor Spoilers***
The rise and fall of the social ...more
I thought this was the last completed Dickens novel which remained unread (happily though actually one more remains) and it was a reminder that the man is an absolute master of his craft. I may frequently not like his pathetic 'heroines', his mawkish sentimentality often revolts my cynical heart and the coincidences which abound in his works might strain my sense of credulity to the uppermost, but Mr Dickens has it where it really counts - nobody writes a cracking good yarn better than he does.
B ...more
B ...more
I wrote a very thorough review and then closed the tab and lost it so here's the gist:
Pros
- Great atmosphere
- Interesting and individual female main characters
- Fantastic quirky supporting characters
Cons
- Meandering plot
- Superfluous characters
- Poor conclusion to the central mystery
- Uninteresting romantic subplots
- Confusing satire ...more
Pros
- Great atmosphere
- Interesting and individual female main characters
- Fantastic quirky supporting characters
Cons
- Meandering plot
- Superfluous characters
- Poor conclusion to the central mystery
- Uninteresting romantic subplots
- Confusing satire ...more
Finished the last 1/3 with Mil Nicholson on Librivox - splendid
Lovely, lovely, lovely! I loved this book from beginning to end and read it faster than I thought I could.
I prefer Charles Dickens' longer books, those that are crammed with multiple characters, plots, subplots and settings, because it is like delving into a parallel but very real world that I can lose myself in completely. This one had memorable characters en core (Mr Eugene Wrayburn, I love you!), lots of subplots and incidents, and a mystery at its core. And, no boring, angelic, insipid heroi ...more
I prefer Charles Dickens' longer books, those that are crammed with multiple characters, plots, subplots and settings, because it is like delving into a parallel but very real world that I can lose myself in completely. This one had memorable characters en core (Mr Eugene Wrayburn, I love you!), lots of subplots and incidents, and a mystery at its core. And, no boring, angelic, insipid heroi ...more
The third installment in my ‘Winter Of Dickens’ and the best so far. So many vivid characters, Mr and Mrs Boffin, Riderhood, Jenny Wren, Silas Wegg, Bradley Headston... the list goes on! I was hooked with the murder mystery in part one and impressed with the way the plot expanded further on. The capricious nature of several characters tests the bounds of credulity at points, but it also makes me think about how human motives are not always so easy to pin down.
Feb 20, 2013
Clare Shepherd
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Aug 26, 2013
Rachel D
marked it as to-read
Jan 12, 2016
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Sep 30, 2016
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
