Our Autumn Group read - Prequels, Sequels and Familiar Characters

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

"DICKENSIANS!" AUTUMN READ 2022

Last Autumn, we decided to read one of Charles Dickens’s own favourite novels, and the one which won the poll was The Adventures of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. It proved to be a rollicking group read! We might do that again next year with another favourite, perhaps :)

But for now, let’s move forward from Charles Dickens, and look at more contemporary novels which could not have been written without him. There are an overwhelming number of novels which he influenced, and which are termed “Dickensian” - whether or not they truly deserve that name! So it’s not those, which perhaps owe something to his style. Instead, choose a prequel or sequel to one of his stories, or a modern novel (or nonfiction book) which is about one of his characters, or perhaps a member of his family. Not Charles Dickens himself though please, as we may all read that together.

Are some titles popping into your head straightaway? We’ve talked of odd ones in the group, and there are lists on Goodreads and if you look on the Net. If you’d like to choose one or more, and tell us the title(s), I can make a list in the next post. I hope lots of friends join in for this.

When we have each finally decided, we can discuss them in this thread. This will take us through to the end of November, when we will begin our Christmas/end of year reads. But if you're wanting more about the man himself, we have two side reads about him running parallel to this, so there won't be any withdrawal symptoms!

I hope Mr. Dickens approves! Perhaps in this photo he’s saying “Go on then. Impress me!”

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

ONGOING LIST:

A Far Better Rest by Susanne Alleyn
Mr. Timothy by Louis Bayard
Jack Maggs by Peter Carey
The Potato Factory by Bryce Courtenay
Havisham by Ronald Frame
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
The Dickens Boy by Thomas Keneally
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl
Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Drood by Dan Simmons
Cassandra Darke by Posy Simmonds

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew]

Demon Copperhead - it was on my TBR anyway, and this looks like a good opportunity to BR it.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

That's a great idea Georgie! I hadn't even heard of that one :)

[Janelle]

Some that spring to mind:

Jack Maggs by Peter Carey character based on Magwitch from Great Expectations

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Drood by Dan Simmons

The Dickens Boy by Thomas Keneally about Dickens youngest son in Australia

A Far Better Rest by Susanne Alleyn about Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities

The Potato Factory by Bryce Courtenay about Ikey Solomon, the real person Fagin was based on who was transported to Van Diemans Land

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

There are some great books here, Janelle :) (Just one I haven't heard of, but expect it's worth a look - thanks!) Have you read some of these? Which do you recommend?

If you say which you're planning on reading first, I'll add that to the list now, and others when they are chosen, if not before!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

LINK HERE for the Goodreads list of "Sequels and Prequels to Dickens Stories" which I mentioned.

[Janelle]

I’ve read the first two, Jean. Dodger is probably YA but I thought it was fun.

I’d like to read Drood and The potato factory at some stage but they are both over 700 pages!
The Sidney Carton one looks good, I’d probably pair it with A Tale of Two Cities when I get to it

So by process of elimination, please add The Dickens Boy 😀

[Janelle]

I’ve read The Last Dickens but it was some time ago and I don’t really remember it.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Today I began The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl (which has been sitting on my bookshelf for years unread!)

It's a mystery to do with the manuscript of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Charles Dickens's incomplete novel, and set just after his death. I've only read the first 3 chapters, so am reserving judgement on it at the moment.

One contemporary novel which has great critical acclaim, also sparked by The Mystery of Edwin Drood is Drood by Dan Simmons; Janelle mentions that one too. It was also written in 2009, the same year as The Last Dickens. Strange how similar books come out close together!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Oh I've just spotted your next post Janelle - cross-posted! :D Great minds think alike :) I'll add your choice.

My next read for this will be Dodger by Terry Pratchett (also just sitting there, and if I'm not careful Chris will pinch it!)

[Petra]

I did not realize that Ikey Solomon (The Potato Factory) was based on Fagin. That's a fun, interesting fact.
I enjoyed the entire trilogy. The Potato Factory was a good read.

I'm not nominating it; just commenting. I've already read it and don't often reread.

[Antoinette]

This next read sounds so interesting, Jean. I’ll give this a think to see if I can think of any. Thanks.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Oh good :) Somewhere there's one about Tattycoram from Little Dorrit, but I can't remember who mentioned it.

I think it's great that it's Janelle who's reading one set in Australia! That's an idea for us all, to choose one set in our home country - maybe there's one set in Canada for you Petra and Antoinette! So far mine is set in Bengal and Boston though!

[Chris]

I heard about a book by Louis Bayard called Mr. Timothy which is about Tiny Tim as an adult.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Oh I haven't heard of that one either, Chris!

Perhaps I should just add them all to comment 3, linked so that we can read the book pages and blurb if we like, but with no comment, and then we can pick and choose.

I just didn't want to overwhelm everyone!

[Sue]

Interesting idea, Jean. I have Mister Pip which uses Dickens as its core. I’ve had it for ages and never read it. I believe I can work it in as it’s not a long book. Not sure if it’s strictly what you mean for this topic, though.

[Petra]

I enjoyed Mister Pip. It's been a while since I've read it. Good Expectations plays a large part in the plot.

[Antoinette]

I really liked Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Sue wrote: "Interesting idea, Jean. I have Mister Pip which uses Dickens as its core. I’ve had it for ages and never read it. I believe I can work it in as it’s not a long book. Not sure if it’s strictly what ..."

Yes, as Petra says that fits the bill :) (I've read it too, and it is short but I found it harrowing.)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I think these all all great ideas, and the only one which doesn't fit is Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva- sorry Antoinette! But as you've already read it maybe you don't mind ...

The reason is that it is a fantasy about Charles Dickens himself, and I excluded those as there are so many. Plus the biographical ones (not fantasies) we may well read together.

[Antoinette]

No worries, Jean.

[Judy]

Intriguing topic! I realised that I have Havisham by Ronald Frame, a prequel to Great Expectations, waiting patiently on my Kindle, so I will read that one.

[Plateresca]

Hi, everybody!

We're supposed to choose a book each, and then comment on it, is that right? I. e., we're not going to read these together?

I am potentially interested in 'Dodger', I like Pratchett, but I want to reread 'Oliver Twist' first, and that would take time :)

I think Cassandra Darke has not been mentioned yet? It was called 'a loose reworking of Charles Dickens’s novella A Christmas Carol'. I remember 'A Christmas Carol' very well, having reread it just last Christmas, only 'Cassandra' seems like a Christmassy read, too, and not at all autumnal :)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Plateresca wrote: "Hi, everybody!

We're supposed to choose a book each, and then comment on it, is that right? I. e., we're not going to read these together? ..."

Yes, sorry if it seemed a bit vague but I wasn't sure of the response (which is great, in fact!) and wanted to avoid biographies or conjectures about the man himself.

Whereas we can be sure that Charles Dickens's own favourites, which influenced his writing, would be well worth reading, choosing a modern one is less reliable. For instance I'm not that struck by The Last Dickens, even though I've read 165 pages (I've decided to read it fast :D) So here we can pool our reads, and share what we think! Hopefully it will be a help to us all, and a good resource.

And we do have 2 factual books about Charles Dickens to read alongside, before we get to works by the man himself in December :)

These two new ones sound great! I'll add a list of what's been suggested a bit later. It sounds as though that would be useful :)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Wow we have a list of 12! Amazing - thanks everyone who's added so far. I've linked them in the third comment, so we can all use that to find the book page.

I've just remembered that Chris had Cassandra Darke for a while - someone gave it to him - but he didn't like it much. On the other hand he never reads graphic novels,(which this is) so perhaps that could have been it!

And as for my choice, I've started part 2 of The Last Dickens, and it's a flashback to when Charles Dickens was alive - and features him AARGH! After I tried to make a theme for books that weren't about him ... sorry all! It sneaked up on me. It's supposed to be a mystery about The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew]

Ok. I'll wait until Demon Copperhead is actually published (18/10, I think) and then forge ahead. Do we post our thoughts here, or on the individual book pages?

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Here please Georgie :) Please use spoiler tags as necessary.

[Sue]

When is the reading planned to begin?

[Chris]

Oh, I thought we were going to choose one as a group read. I must learn to read directions more carefully!! LOL.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Sue wrote: "When is the reading planned to begin?"

Start as soon as you like Sue! I'm maybe a third the way through The Last Dickens, and will then move on to another one.

It takes us through to the end of November, (see the second post) when we have more of Charles Dickens's own writing :)

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's thoughts about the books.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Chris wrote: "Oh, I thought we were going to choose one as a group read..."

We do have a group side read, Chris, but I'm not sure people have got going yet LOL! At the moment it's the final past of John Forster biography, although if you haven't read any of it yet, you could use this time to speed through all 3 parts :) As I read other books I realise how much other authors use John Forster as a resource.

[Sue]

Thanks Jean. I have been so swamped which kept me from the summer reading but I think I will try this, especially since I have a book on hand.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Yes, I thought quite a few of us might have something in mind, Sue :)

Plus it's a perfect complement to last year's Autumn reads, where we saw what influenced Charles Dickens. Now we are looking at novels which simply could not have existed without his stories!

[Plateresca]

Jean, I think you explained it all very well in the first place, I just wanted to make sure :)

I do not often read fiction of this kind; it sometimes feels a bit like stealing from the original author, because people probably wouldn't read these newer stories if they didn't know the original story. So it's a great idea to collect all these opinions, - then we'll be able to choose only the best :)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Plateresca wrote: "I do not often read fiction of this kind; it sometimes feels a bit like stealing from the original au..."

I understand what you mean, Plateresca. My personal bugbear is historical fiction which is written ignoring the facts which are known. To my mind, it's fine to "fill in the gaps" imaginatively, but not if it goes against recorded truth :( I do enjoy good historical fiction sometimes, but we have a wealth of material extant on Charles Dickens for example, including his own detailed letters about daily events, and biographies from the time.

An alternative history which is fantasy is fine by me though; I quite liked seeing Charles Dickens pop up in an episode of Dr. Who! I think the difference is that we all knew that was purely imagination, but it is misleading when some people believe alternative events in a historical novel to be true. Perhaps others disagree?

With prequels and sequels, I think it all depends on how it is done, and how skilful the author is. After all, several of William Shakespeare's plays are reworkings of an earlier author's story or play, but William Shakespeare's are the ones which have lasted. Not that I'm saying anyone could improve on Charles Dickens! But perhaps good new things could come out of it :)

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew]

Bionic Jean wrote: "Plateresca wrote: "I do not often read fiction of this kind; it sometimes feels a bit like stealing from the original au..."

I understand what you mean, Plateresca. My personal bugbear is historic..."
Agreed, though I will confess to keeping a document (for the book I have been writing—see "Sisyphus, modern versions of") entitled "Liberties I have deliberately taken".

[Antoinette]

I just heard of a new one to me-The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep. Has anyone read it and recommend it?

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

What an intriguing title Antoinette! I'll add it :)

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry

Thanks - it looks quite fun too!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

How's everyone getting on with their choice? I still have a way to go with mine. I wish Matthew Pearl showed half Charles Dickens's wit though!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I'd love to hear how others are finding their choices :) And if you'd like to link to your review of any here, then please do! It might help us to choose.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I'm approaching the end of my first choice. Anyone else?

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Well I've finished, and I'm afraid I don't recommend The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl at all. I gave it just ⭐⭐. It should have been an exciting mystery novel about Charles Dickens's uncompleted final novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, but ended up as a chore to read, for me :(

Here's Jean's review

How's everyone else getting on? I know one was rated at 5 stars - as I've just read her review! Do come and tell us your thoughts everyone, and link to your reviews too, if you like :)

[Petra]

Jean, I read another of Matthew Pearl's books and didn't like it. I'm sorry that this book was also not interesting.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Was it The Poe Shadow, Petra? The critics do seem to like him, but I found his writing so flat, and longed to be reading Charles Dickens instead, with his wit and sheer excitement! Yet The Last Dickens had been sitting on my literal bookshelf almost since it was first published, and I was really looking forward to it!

Perhaps I can fit another one in from our list, before we move on :)

[Petra]

Yes, that's the book. It also sounded like it should be a good mystery and fell flat.
It's always a good feeling to read a book that's been sitting on our bookshelves for ages. Well planned, Jean.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Thanks Petra!

I did still have a niggling feeling that maybe I'd chosen the wrong one, and that The Poe Shadow might be better. So it's good to know that I'm not missing anything :D

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew]

Bionic Jean wrote: "Well I've finished, and I'm afraid I don't recommend The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl at all. I gave it just ⭐⭐. It should have been an exciting mystery novel about [a..."

Just started [book:Demon Copperhead|60194162] and enjoying it so far. It's surprised me (2 chapters in) by sticking surprisingly closely to the events of the original (e.g. names & events), even though the settting, language & motivations are rather... different!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I think Diane is reading that one too! It sounds really good Georgie/Sarah, so I hope you'll come back and tell us all about it :)