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renardthefox's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
sjparker98's review against another edition
4.0
LOVED this in spite of it being something of a mammoth read. Dickens’ wit and relevance well over a century after he was writing are truly astounding, and his character creation is stunning as ever.
Reignited my love for him, and I hope to read one a year for the next few years at least.
Reignited my love for him, and I hope to read one a year for the next few years at least.
hadeanstars's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely a delight, and almost a five star novel, but it is not quite David Copperfield, so I have to mark it 4.5 stars, or maybe you know, 4.9. This is a wonderful story absolutely brimming with humanity, which is almost the whole nine yards of what makes Dickens so special, allied of course, with his exceptional talent for comedy and character.
I don't know but something around the premise of this story was a bit off for me, it didn't have the usual ease and flow, certainly at the start, but it soon settled in. Maybe there was something personal in it because of Dickens' father and their personal family history.
The treatment of Mr Dorrit was utterly brilliant, such a thin-skinned, vainglorious man, and such an example of human failing, not to mention a real admonition that we should never forget where we came from! Wonderful, I shall continue to read Dickens because he is like an avatar of human decency and I find his sentiments strangely pertinent to our world today where everyone is so hard-minded and judgemental. Sadly, those who could really benefit from Mr Dickens' genius are perhaps the least likely to expose themselves to it.
I don't know but something around the premise of this story was a bit off for me, it didn't have the usual ease and flow, certainly at the start, but it soon settled in. Maybe there was something personal in it because of Dickens' father and their personal family history.
The treatment of Mr Dorrit was utterly brilliant, such a thin-skinned, vainglorious man, and such an example of human failing, not to mention a real admonition that we should never forget where we came from! Wonderful, I shall continue to read Dickens because he is like an avatar of human decency and I find his sentiments strangely pertinent to our world today where everyone is so hard-minded and judgemental. Sadly, those who could really benefit from Mr Dickens' genius are perhaps the least likely to expose themselves to it.
jay_hobday's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
aradne's review against another edition
3.0
With this one, I need to review it now, or never.
I think that I wasn't paying enough attention. My biggest problem was that I had a hard time keeping female characters straight. I mean, I know who Little Dorrit was, of course. And her sister and Maggie. Then there was Mrs. Clennam, and some lady that annoyed Little Dorrit's sister. And another lady that Arthur loved.
No, it wasn't bad. I quite enjoy a giving and selfless character like Little Dorrit. Like Arthur. I quite enjoyed the rollercoaster that they both experienced both in finances and in emotion.
I think that I wasn't paying enough attention. My biggest problem was that I had a hard time keeping female characters straight. I mean, I know who Little Dorrit was, of course. And her sister and Maggie. Then there was Mrs. Clennam, and some lady that annoyed Little Dorrit's sister. And another lady that Arthur loved.
No, it wasn't bad. I quite enjoy a giving and selfless character like Little Dorrit. Like Arthur. I quite enjoyed the rollercoaster that they both experienced both in finances and in emotion.
liesbethtatjana's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Amy and Arthur so much. Dickens' writing and themes are really interesting to me and the focus on the lower classes is really refreshing to me when it comes to victorian novels. That being said I had some trouble focussing on what exactly was happening and had to read some chapter summaries because I kept feeling like I missed something. Turns out that Dickens was purposely holding information back for suspense! All in all I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more Dickens
imber's review against another edition
4.0
my first dickens :) i really liked his writing, especially the dialogues, and the way everyone in this book was interconnected to one another. the rating isn't higher solely because this is a very long novel (for me, at least) so reading it felt like a chore at times but god, did i enjoy it ! even the characters who were objectively annoying (lol, it had to be said) had many facets to them and were interesting to read about. considering the time in which this was written i wasn't expecting the women in this book to have so much depth to them, so that was a pleasant surprise. precisely because of what i just said my favorite characters were harriet, amy, minnie and miss wade (speaking of which... was i the only one who perceived some sapphic coded tension between her and her childhood friend charlotte ? yes ? ok)
hungerford's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
isobelline's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The most class-conscious Dickens
This is the ninth Dickens novel that I've finished this year and let me tell you, it reads like a medley of everything Dickens wrote about earlier. Debtor's prison! Angelic women! Financial machinations! Inheritance plots! Loveless marriage! Hapless young men! Dastardly criminals! Oh my!
I have to admit, it gets pretty tiring reading all of this for months and months and months. But what can I do? My master's thesis won't write itself. So I soldier on...
I'll be brief with this one: meh... With Dickens' novels I usually find a character that I particularly like and spend the entire book in anticipation of their next appearance. I couldn't do that with Little Dorrit. No one really stood out to me (except maybe for Miss Wade, the almost-canonical lesbian). Little Dorrit herself feels like a Little Nell 2.0, but without the fantastical, fairytale-like plot of The Old Curiosity Shop she feels a bit out of place.
One thing I can note about this novel is this: it is probably the most thorough exploration of class yet in Dickens' oeuvre. He covers a lot of ground here, and yet none of his observations really surprised me. Oh well, perhaps I'm just tired of his prose in general, I haven't really enjoyed it since Barnaby Rudge (though I haven't gotten to my David Copperfield re-read yet)
This is the ninth Dickens novel that I've finished this year and let me tell you, it reads like a medley of everything Dickens wrote about earlier. Debtor's prison! Angelic women! Financial machinations! Inheritance plots! Loveless marriage! Hapless young men! Dastardly criminals! Oh my!
I have to admit, it gets pretty tiring reading all of this for months and months and months. But what can I do? My master's thesis won't write itself. So I soldier on...
I'll be brief with this one: meh... With Dickens' novels I usually find a character that I particularly like and spend the entire book in anticipation of their next appearance. I couldn't do that with Little Dorrit. No one really stood out to me (except maybe for Miss Wade, the almost-canonical lesbian). Little Dorrit herself feels like a Little Nell 2.0, but without the fantastical, fairytale-like plot of The Old Curiosity Shop she feels a bit out of place.
One thing I can note about this novel is this: it is probably the most thorough exploration of class yet in Dickens' oeuvre. He covers a lot of ground here, and yet none of his observations really surprised me. Oh well, perhaps I'm just tired of his prose in general, I haven't really enjoyed it since Barnaby Rudge (though I haven't gotten to my David Copperfield re-read yet)