Nicholas Nickleby in Reading the Classics

Nov 27, 2008 Everyman rated it liked it · review of another edition

Yes, it's Dickens. But it's immature Dickens, a man still feeling his way from the genre of comedy and legal reporting (of Parliamentary debates) into the still developing world of fiction.

I won't talk about plot details, because I hate reviews that reveal too much to the first time reader. Suffice it to say that the full title of the book is "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby." And while at various times we stray from Nicholas's life, in the end he remains the central character.

Cent Yes, it's Dickens. But it's immature Dickens, a man still feeling his way from the genre of comedy and legal reporting (of Parliamentary debates) into the still developing world of fiction.

I won't talk about plot details, because I hate reviews that reveal too much to the first time reader. Suffice it to say that the full title of the book is "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby." And while at various times we stray from Nicholas's life, in the end he remains the central character.

Central among a large cast of characters all of which have a degree, and in most cases a very high degree, of unreality. Dickens in his mature writing was a master of character, creating complex and interesting characters. But that's not the case yet. Most of his characters are either very, very good or very, very bad. And with one minor possible exception, there is no mistaking which is which. The good are good throughout; the bad are bad throughout. There is no moral complexity in the book.

What there is is a plethora of coincidences. The first few one can overlook. But as the book proceeds and coincidence piles on coincidence (in several instances, a person wandering the streets of London or going at random into an establishment just happens to run into another character who also has no reasonable reason for being there) one can only shake one's head at the absurdity of it all.

There are also a few polemical intrusions which add little to the narrative. It's not a spoiler, I think, to say that Dickens savages the Yorkshire schools which were a blot on the education of English youth at the time. He also brings in a digression on the evils of publishers who steal an author's work without payment for it.

With all that said, why did I give the book even three stars? Because of the writing. Even at this point in his career, Dickens has the ability to create highly believable places and rich moods. Wandering the lanes of England or the streets of London with him is a genuine pleasure, irrespective of what his characters may be doing at the time. And while his characters are generally less than believable, he does have the ability to portray them in a few sentences which make them spring to life before the eye.

Unless one wants to tackle Dickens in the chronological order he wrote his books, I can't recommend starting a foray into Dickens with Nicholas Nickleby. There are much stronger novels (indeed, it is questionable whether it is fair to consider NN a true novel) with richer characters and the moral ambiguity which is present in all real people and all good fictional characters. When you have exhausted the great Dickens novels, you can consider whether you want to take a look at the path he took to get to that greatness.

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Apr 13, 2016 Tango rated it really liked it

I read this over a long period of time, on my iPad, which is my back up when I need something to read but don't have a book on me. The plot seemed very convoluted with the usual number of coincidences (for Dickens) and the usual characters you love and characters you hate. Not my favourite Dickens but a solid read nonetheless. ...more

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