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Title: Little Dorrit (New Oxford Illustrated Dickens) by Charles Dickens, Hablot Knight Browne, Phiz, Lionel Trilling ISBN: 0-19-254512-4 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: November, 1987 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: "None of your eyes at me! Take that!"
Comment: Dickens' last novels (with the exception of the unfinished EDWIN DROOD) really form a group all to themselves: exceptionally concerned with the excesses of social institutions and the cruelties of high society, they in some ways read more like Trollope and Thackeray than they do Dickens' own earlier works, although they retain Dickens's fine gift for character and bite. LITTLE DORRIT is proabbly my favorite of the later works: its multiple stories are extremely gripping, and his satire at its sharpest and most necessary. Many people say these later novels are not as funny as his earlier works, but DORRIT is to me an exception: there are few funnier (or more dear) characters in Dickens' repertoire than the breathless, kindhearted Flora Finching, and I find myself almost helpless with laughter whenever Flora's senile and hostile charge, Mr F's Aunt, makes her perfectly doled-out appearances in these pages. (Arguably the funniest scene Dickens ever wrote is the scene with this "most excellent woman" and Arthur Clennam and the crust of bread). This is a great Dickens novel even for people who tend not to like Dickens (and yes, there are some of them, as hard as that may be for the rest of us to believe).
Rating: 4
Summary: Teaching a lesson about Society
Comment: This was a mandatory reading for a Literary Theory class and I must say, at first, I was less than pleased. I have read Dickens a few times before tackling "Little Dorrit" (David Copperfield is my favorite)and his works aren't always "gripping." However, upon finishing the novel there was a great sense of accomplishment. This story reveals so much about the wrongs of high society and the(wrongs of) importance of appearances. In this 800 page epic, Dickens gives us a love story that can actually be useful in, and comparable to, today's world.
I left this book feeling most glad that I had been "forced" to read it because it has reminded me that times have not changed so very much when it comes to what's important in life.
In warning, it is not exactly quick in pace (considering it was written serially for periodicals over several months of time)but it does have an important message...and the characters are just quirky enough to make it interesting. Dickens even delves into the surreal once or twice, which makes for a nice twist.
A tip: If you find yourself in the middle of a harsh winter in, say Michigan, and you have some free time in your days, this book would perfectly fit the mood. Warning!: Do not take this one to the beach for leisure reading!!!
Rating: 4
Summary: 'To Be Always A Sacrifice'
Comment: With Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens touched upon a subject near and dear to his own heart; that of having a father who was incarcerated in Debtor's Prison. But Dickens extends this probing eye to include many different types of prisons that we either fall into by the fault or actions of others, or by our own actions.
Arthur Clennam returns home to London after many years away to find many things changed, and many the same. His mother, a recluse to the home that Arthur grew up in, remains a solitary figure, cast in shadows. Flora Casby Finching, the love of Arthur's youth, who married another and now finds herself alone; re-enters his life, and he finds himself wondering what he ever saw in such a flighty, chatty girl. Arthur also finds Jeremiah Flintwinch and his wife, Affery; in attendance to his mother. Jeremiah, a rough-edged, secretive man is a stark contrast to his meek, timid wife, who is plagued by dreams of augury throughout the story.
Also entering Arthur's life are the Dorrit's, the 'first family' of the Marshallsea Prison...Father William, the debtor in question, Amy; the caretaker and martyr of the clan, Fanny; the arrogant, self absorbed elder daughter, and Tip; the lazy, shiftless brother who, when given the chance and opportunity to strike out on his own and find a better life, wanders back to London to re-tie the family apron strings he was to break free from. Amy, employed to Arthur's mother as a seamstress; finds herself ever the voice of reason, the sacrificer, the kind and gentle soul....swimming in a sea of ingrates.
With typical Dickens flair; fortunes are reversed, lives are intertwined; secrets are kept, and revealed; and once again the reader realizes that nothing is ever what it seems on the streets of London. Numerous plot twists throughout the novel propel the story along at a very satisfying pace. Little Dorrit, after an unexpected windfall comes to the family; still finds herself in the same unenviable position in the family. Mr. Dorrit finds himself trapped by his prison background even after he is released, in the manner of trying to 'measure up' to society, and rise above his past. One particular point I found interesting was having Mr. Dorrit, in Book 2, settle his family into a large, virtually empty hotel to live...as if he could not leave the enormity of the prison, and all its rooms and inhabitants, completely behind.
The 'prisons' that Dickens visits in the latter half of the story are those of kept secrets; past transgressions; emotional obligation; and so many more that exist in our minds and memories.
While I only give the book four stars, it was a wonderful read. The characters are up to their usual flourish and flaw. But at times the plot devices were visible all the way from Marseilles to the Marshallsea, and seem to come from nowhere, really. While they help the story immensely, in terms of direction...they lack in credibility, and seemed a bit soap-operaish in their 'timely arrival'.
Nevertheless - I enjoyed immersing myself in Dickens' London once again..and walked away satisfied with the outcome. Even in Dickens' darkest tales, he usually delivers a silver lining.
A highly enjoyable read...
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Title: The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens, Patricia Ingham ISBN: 0140436146 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Our Mutual Friend (Penquin Classics) by Charles Dickens, Adrian Poole ISBN: 0140434976 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: February, 1998 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, Andrew Sanders ISBN: 0140435468 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: December, 2002 List Price(USD): $9.00 |
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Title: Nicholas Nickleby (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens, Mark Ford, Hablot K. Browne ISBN: 0140435123 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: November, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Everyman Paperback Classics) by Charles Dickens, Steven Connor ISBN: 0460876635 Publisher: Everymans Library List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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