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Title: The Old Curiosity Shop (Everyman Paperback Classics) by Charles Dickens, Paul Schlicke ISBN: 0-460-87600-7 Publisher: Everymans Library Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.68 (22 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Dickens characters still work, but don't be in a hurry!
Comment: The only pleasure greater than discovering a new book
is rediscovering an old friend you haven't read for a while.
Many years ago I read all of Charles Dickens novels, but I
recently had occasion to re-read The Old Curiosity Shop, and
it is just as good as I remembered it the first time.
The story, like most of his plots, depends a great deal
on coincidences, so you have to suspend your scepticism to
enjoy it. Dickens begins by introducing us to one of the
most innocent little girls in literature, Little Nell, and
to her most unhappy grand-father. Quickly we discover that
instead of the old man taking care of the child, she is the
one responsible. We then meet one of Dickens' great villains
- the evil, corrupt, mean, and nasty Quilp - a man, if that
term can be used, who has absolutely no redeeming qualities,
one who finds pleasure in inflicting pain on all he meets.
Thinking that the old man has secret riches, Quilp
advances him money to support his gambling habit.
Unfortunately Nell's grandfather never wins, and the debt
grows ever larger. Finally Quilp forecloses on the curiosity
shop that the old man owns (thus the name of the book) and
tries to keep the two captive in order to discover the money
that he still believes is hidden somewhere. While the
household is asleep, however, Nell and her grandfather
escape and begin wandering across England in a search for
sanctuary.
On that journey, Dickens introduces us to a series of
minor characters who either befriend or try to take
advantage of our heroine. He's in no hurry to continue the
main story, so just sit back and enjoy the vivid
characterizations that are typical of any good Dickens
novel.
In the meantime, we follow the adventures of young Kit,
a boy who was one of Nell's best friends until Quilp turned
her grandfather against him. Here we find one of Dickens'
favorite sub-plots, the poor but honest boy who supports his
widowed mother and younger brother. Thanks to his honesty,
Kit finds a good position, but then evil Quilp enters the
picture and has him arrested as a thief!
Of course, we have the kind and mysterious elderly
gentlemen who take an interest in Kit and Nell for reasons
that we don't fully understand until the end of the book. We
are certain, however, that they will help ensure that
justice prevails in the end.
This is not a book for those in a hurry. Dickens tells
his stories in a meandering fashion, and the stops along the
way are just as important for your enjoyment as the journey itself. That can be frustrating at time, especially as you enter the second half and are anxious to see how things turn out. I try never to cheat by reading the end of a book before I finish, but it is tempting with Dickens. At times I wanted to tell him, "I don't want to meet anyone else; tell me what happens to Nell and Kit!" But I know the side journeys will prove rewarding, so I just have to be patient. Anyway, I am in better shape than his first readers; he wrote in weekly installments, so
they had to wait!
If you have and enjoyed other Dickens' novels, you will enjoy this one as well. If this is your first time (or perhaps the first time since you were in high school), you are in for a treat.
Rating: 5
Summary: THE BEST EDITION OF THIS BOOK
Comment: This edition of the Old Curiosity Shop is outstanding. It contains all the original illustrations drawn for the book, very helpful footnotes, a chronology of Dickens's life, etc. The book takes the reader on a wild journey through the English countryside with Little Nell, an angelic girl, and her troublesome grandfather, and features a host of amusing characters as only Dickens can draw them. While it was being written in serial form, it was so popular that sailors returning to port in England were known to shout to people on shore to ask what was going on with Little Nell. Today, however, you can miss some of Dickens's nuance and humor if you don't have good footnotes to turn to. The notes in this book explain obscure terms, references to contemporary popular culture, places where the action occurs, etc. If you are going to read this book, this is the edition to buy.
Rating: 4
Summary: Tear Jerker, Victorian Style
Comment: Every night grandfather slips out ...for what purpose? How Daniel Quilp would like to know. For Quilp, a prototype of Fagin, has fronted Grandfather money and grandfather has lost it all. Poor Nell. How she suffers. The two are evicted from their home and shop and take to the highways and byways of Merry Olde England, pursued by Quilp who would like to see them tossed in the debtor's prison. Those who hate the old stories with the 'happily ever after ending' will find relief here. The ending is a bit sappy and sad.
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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: 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: The Pickwick Papers (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens, Mark Wormald ISBN: 0140436111 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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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: Little Dorrit (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens, Stephen Wall, Helen Small ISBN: 0140434925 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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