As We Near the End of the Dickens Project

[Cleo]

Robin wrote: "I stopped after Framley as well, though I liked it. The one that really slowed me down was Doctor Thorne....."

That's encouraging to know. I really liked all the books, so I couldn't understand why I had such trouble in picking this one up to read!

The Warden is my favourite so far. Septimus Harding is one of my heroes! :-)

[Abigail]

My life is a bit unpredictable right now, but I would love to read some Trollope again.

[Deborah, Moderator]

I, too, want to participate in Trollope. I'm hoping I can juggle

[Pip]

Deborah wrote: "I, too, want to participate in Trollope. I'm hoping I can juggle"

All you need is balls.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Pip wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I, too, want to participate in Trollope. I'm hoping I can juggle"

All you need is balls."

Lol. I almost choked on this one. Personally I think I'd end up smacked in the head :)

[Pip]

Ha! Maybe best to avoid those fire-pole-juggly-stick-things for the time being, then. But not Trollope. Trollope Project looks goooood. X

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

I can read many books at one time, but I can only juggle two things at a time. Manual dexterity is not my strong point.
I was going to make a silly comment, but I'll leave it to everyone's imagination.

[Pip]

Rosemarie wrote: "I can read many books at one time, but I can only juggle two things at a time. Manual dexterity is not my strong point.
I was going to make a silly comment, but I'll leave it to everyone's imaginat..."

Oh, make a silly comment, pleeeeease! I can't be the only buffoon here.... :-)

[Deborah, Moderator]

(Rubbing spot on forehead)...now you tell me Pip

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

Okay, here goes.
Pip: "All you need is balls." -- "How many?"

(Groan!!!!!)

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

Although I joined this group much too late to join Our Mutual Friend discussion, I just wanted to say that this book has always been one of my favourite Dickens novels. The characters seem more developed and less "Dickensian". And it is a really good story, too.

[Pip]

Rosemarie wrote: "Okay, here goes.
Pip: "All you need is balls." -- "How many?"

(Groan!!!!!)"

Are we getting into "My dog has no nose" territory?

[Pip]

Rosemarie wrote: "Although I joined this group much too late to join Our Mutual Friend discussion, I just wanted to say that this book has always been one of my favourite Dickens novels. The characters seem more dev..."

I'm waiting for the final thread to go up so that I can share my overall thoughts without worrying about spoilers. It was definitely a different Dickens, but not my favorite I think. Reasons to be announced!

[Everyman]

Jon wrote: "Although Trollope was not my choice (and I've never read any of the books), I'm going to belly up to the bar, order my diet tonic with lots of lime, and start off with the group."

The Barsetshire Chronicles are marvelous. I think you'll be very pleased with your decision to join the read.

[Everyman]

Frances wrote: "...So, save me a seat at the bar..."

I hope they serve a genuine English ginger beer. Can't get good ginger beer here in the states.

[Everyman]

Robin wrote: "Just a caveat - the first book, The Warden, is rather slight and largely a satire on specific people and institutions of the time. So if you're not impressed with it, don't be discouraged, as the later books have a larger canvas and more varied characters and themes...."

I quite like The Warden, although at times it saddens me, but Robin is right, the remaining books in the series are much more complex and have a wider range of characters.

[Cleo]

Everyman wrote: "I quite like The Warden, although at times it saddens me, but Robin is right, the remaining books in the series are much more complex and have a wider range of characters. ..."

Interesting ...... that's probably why I liked The Warden. The reduced number of characters in the book perhaps allowed Trollope to go deeper into the characters, whereas the populous of characters in the other books means there is more going on, but for that, depth is sacrificed. I liked next two books, and so have been puzzled as to why I'm having trouble reading them consistently, moving so slowly with my reading of them. I quite like extra-depth in characters, so your comment might just clear up my mystery or at least shed a little more light on it. :-)

[Veronique]

I'd love to join you for the Trollope Project. I'd already made the decision to start the Barsetshire series a little while ago (happy coincidence) in my effort to widen my horizons. Actually all the authors mentioned here would interest me.

What a pity I wasn't around for Dickens. I really want to read more of his books. Somehow I always become a bit reticent when it comes to him - I read Oliver Twist when my English wasn't up to par yet, making the experience not a great one, but since then I've read Great Expectations and loved Dombey and Son. I've got Edwin Drood so I'll try to join in too, but if I may ask, which of the following three would you recommend to read first - A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and Bleak House - or is there a reading list of his work that you recommend? Thanks

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

They are all good books. My favourite of the three is Bleak House. A Tale of Two Cities is the shortest. David Copperfield is fairly long, but you 'll enjoy any of the three.

[Renee]

Yep. David Copperfield was my favorite Dickens until I read Bleak House. I love them both with a deep, deep affection.

[Lynnm]

All three are great, although if I had to select one, I would probably go with David Copperfield. But the other two are great as well.

[Robin P, Moderator]

I think Tale of Two Cities is the least Dickensian of the bunch, less humor and more melodramatic. It's true David Copperfield is long, but it's a straight narrative, while Bleak House, which is also pretty long, has lots of characters and subplots to keep track of until they start coming together toward the end.

[Veronique]

Thanks Rosemarie, Renee, Lynnm and Robin for your advice. As you say, they all sound great. I might just have to pick each, read a chapter, and see which grabs me first :0)

[Abigail]

Bleak House is the only Dickens novel (granted I have not read all that many) that really grabbed and held me.

[Lily]

Veronique wrote: "Thanks Rosemarie, Renee, Lynnm and Robin for your advice. As you say, they all sound great. I might just have to pick each, read a chapter, and see which grabs me first :0)"

I'm not a Dickens fan, but once I got beyond the caricature of Mrs. Jellyby, I enjoyed Bleak House. However, the leader of our local library reading group, well trained in literature, is a great advocate of David Copperfield. I got bogged down listening to it, but I listened to enough to hear what he means. I hope to eventually return to it. David Copperfield should especially well represent Dickens writings and definitely provide insight into the man himself for understanding his other works.

If you look at the Wikipedia entry for a Dickens book, you can likely find the pattern in which it was published. Some find that a good grouping within which to read -- it follows any building of suspense from one issue to another that Dickens employed.

I agree that A Tale of Two Cities stands somewhat by itself, in story, in characterization, in length, ....

[Frances, Moderator]

I'd go for David Copperfield-particularly as it's felt to be somewhat autobiographical.

[Hedi]

I'd also go for David Copperfield as a nice "beginners' Dickens", which I recommended a couple of weeks ago to someone else as well due to the following reasons:
- it reads relatively easily (as mentioned other novels have a lot of characters to keep track of)
- it is partially autobiographic and gives you some insight to those times and to Dickens's own experiences
- it has a relatively fast plot compared to some of his other novels which helps keeping the interest
- it has comical and tragic scenes and you will find very likable characters in it which is not always the case in the other novels, though it also has its darker characters

[Veronique]

Great points! Thank you!

[Everyman]

Veronique wrote: "if I may ask, which of the following three would you recommend to read first - A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and Bleak House - or is there a reading list of his work that you recommend? Thanks .."

Of those three, I would start with David Copperfield. Bleak House is magnificent but I think it's good to have some experience of Dickens before encountering it.

Actually, I would probably suggest starting with Great Expectations. It's powerful and more accessible than some his other works.