Dsmed answers “A lot of reviewers have called this book...”

Ami asked this question about The Goldfinch:

A lot of reviewers have called this book "Dickensian." What is it about The Goldfinch that reminds everyone of Charles Dickens so much?

Dsmed When I started reading the book, I was also reading 'Sketches by Boz' and also had recently read 'Bleak House'. I hadn't gotten into the characters or…moreWhen I started reading the book, I was also reading 'Sketches by Boz' and also had recently read 'Bleak House'. I hadn't gotten into the characters or the plot, yet I made a comparison to Dickens to my friend. I felt it was in the use of language and the construction of sentences. Tartt crafts her sentences and her descriptions beautifully. She has a mastery of the English language as Dickens or Hardy did. (See pages 476, 524, 574 for some of the beautifully crafted longer sentences that I recently read. Or page 25 for some a mix of medium and shorter descriptive sentences. These were a few I highlighted on my Kindle.) I was also comparing the writing to Hardy who I read two novels right before 'The Goldfinch'. Hardy, too, does not get to the point, but he, too, crafts some great sentences and descriptions.(less)

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