Michelle Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I started reading A Christmas Carol last night, ready to discuss in the December circle.. and I'm really enjoying it. For anyone else who's read a few of his books, where would you suggest I go next, as I'd like to try something else of his..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I haven't read any of his others but I have got Oliver Twist here as I think it will be an easy one to read. I will be starting to read The Christmas Carol on the 1st December. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bev Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 David Copperfield is very good, it follows David through his ups & downs. It's also quite light hearted in parts. I think this is one of his best, Dickens himself often said this was his favourite. If you are looking for a more amusing read then give Martin Chuzzlewit a go. Happy reading Michelle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I love Great Expectations, going to try and get a copy of A Christmas Carol as I've never read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 (edited) A Tale of Two Cities looks interesting.. has anyone read that? Edited November 14, 2008 by Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I've read A Tale of Two Cities (the only Dickens I've read so far) and I loved it, it's in my alltime top 5 reads. It starts off quite slowly but once you get past the first 100 pages or so it gets really good. One of my favorite characters in literature is in that book So yes I'll definitely recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I haven't read A Tale of Two Cities, but my boyfriend has and he loved it. It's high on my list. I've read: David Copperfield (I'm re-reading it now...loved it) Oliver Twist (loved it) Nicolas Nickleby (loved it....so funny!) Great Expectations (didn't like it) Dombey and Son (very good) A Christmas Carol (wonderful) I tried reading Martin Chuzzlewit a while back, and couldn't get into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I started reading A Christmas Carol last night, ready to discuss in the December circle.. and I'm really enjoying it. For anyone else who's read a few of his books, where would you suggest I go next, as I'd like to try something else of his..? Great Expectations is wonderfully atmospheric but one of his shorter novels. I'm a big fan of his books but find them very wordy and so feel I need to make extra time to read them. They are worthwhile reading though often entertaining and full of memorable scenes that come to mind during everyday life. My favourites are Bleak House and Dombey and Son. Hope you enjoy whichever you choose to read next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 Hmm.. now I have no idea which one to go for! LOL Judy, 'shorter' sounds good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipread Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I would really like to read, and enjoy, Charles Dickens. Unfortunately I was put off him when I was at school and had to read Great Expectations for an exam, I really tried but just couldn`t get into it. Needless to say I failed the exam, but worse than that I`ve never been able to bring myself to try reading him again. Do you think A Christmas Carol would be a good place to start? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 Oh, I would say absolutely - I'm really not one for reading the classics, but I'm enjoying this. I don't know whether it helps that I know the story (which is why I'm wondering whether to try Oliver Twist next), but it does help that it's a very short book.. it didn't feel as if I was taking on too much. Plus of course, there's always the option of discussing it in the upcoming reading circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Another point about Great Expectations is that the opening scene is set on the misty Kent marshes - might be nice to read a book set in the county in which you live. Must also mention the gothic element of Miss Havisham and Satis House. http://www.thecompanysheffield.co.uk/productions/greatexpectations/settingofgreatexpectations.php The above webpage might whet your appetite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 Ah.. so now I can get each of you to 'sell' your favourire Dickens to me! Judy, you're winning so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Oooh, don't get me started on Dickens! My all-time favourite is Bleak House - wonderful characters and plenty of the biting social comment Dickens was renowned for. But it's a bit of a monster, and if you're only just staring to explore Dickens it might be a bit off-putting. I love The Old Curiosity Shop as well. I'd suggest Great Expectations, which is a really atmospheric novel. For something a little less "Dickens-like" (if that makes sense) then maybe A Tale of Two Cities, which is a cracking good yarn. And one that many people forget is The Pickwick Papers, which is a delightful little book - why not give that a try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 I decided to order A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, plus Ghost Stories. They were all very cheap, plus it was a 'buy 3 get 1 free', so I ordered The Night Before Christmas for the girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Any Dickens is worth a read, but my favourite is Bleak House. It is a brilliant read, for all the reasons cited above, and...the drama with Diana Rigg is worth a night in to watch. The book is long though, so may be one for you later Michelle. You usually get David Copperfield or Great expectations given to you at school. I think my first one was a Tale of Two Cities, which I remember enjoying, but can't remember now. It's on my list to read again, sooner rather than later. I'd go with that one Michelle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 (edited) Nope, we didn't do any Dicken's at school.. if I recall correctly, the only classic we read was Far From The Madding Crowd, and even that wasn't an exam book. We did do some Shakespeare, and also To Kill A Mockingbird. Edited November 15, 2008 by Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 I read A Christmas Carol years ago and really enjoyed it. ATale of Two Cities is an excellent read (I want to reread that soon), Great Expectations is also very good. I still have The Old Curiosity Shop on the shelf waiting to be read. Funny enough I wasn't so keen on Bleak House, although it is a masterly 'poke' at society. I was lucky at school as I has a good grounding in the classics. Those that I can remember include- Jane Eyre Tess of the D'Urbevilles A Christmas Carol Macbeth A Midsummer Night's Dream Far From the Madding Crowd Cider with Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Jacobs Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Oliver Twist is a very dark novel. I like some others here I read a block at a time. The words and descriptions are very heavy and I need to savour the passages I read hence just reading so many pages and thinking about what I have read. I now make notes on my Lap top which helps me when I review the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellatrix Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 My favourite is Bleak House closely followed by David Copperfield. Have just read Our Mutual Friend which was very good. Apart from a couple (Oliver Twist / Hard Times) they are are all quite 'chunky'. Has anyone ever tried reading any of the bigger ones as they were originally meant to be read? By that I mean in installments over a number (usally 18 or so) of months, I haven't but I'm not put off by a big book - may give it a go though sometime see how it feels - may feel completely wrong! Another thing with Dickens books is I find I only start to get really drawn in somewhere between 100 - 200 pages in, I'd call them slow burners. Aside from that hope you enjoy whatever you read of Dickens Michelle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 I also loved Bleak House, but David Copperfield remains my all-time favorite. We didn't read any Dickens at school. In fact, practically the only pre-20th century writer we read was Shakespeare! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vince Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 I enjoyed both A Christmas Carol & Oliver Twist but did find Oliver quite a dark read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Interesting mix of opinions! I'm glad there are so many Dickens fans here. Besides A Christmas Carol, I've so far only read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities, both of which were brilliant, although I probably loved A Tale of Two Cities a little more. It took me longer to get into, but by the end it had become one of my very favourite books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Child.of.God.1989 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Embarrassingly, I have only read what was required in junior high and high school. I read A Tale of Two Cities in eighth grade for advanced English and thought I had a pretty good grasp on it then. My high school English teacher, however, opened up so much more of the cultural background and motives of the characters! Are not Lucie, her father, Charles, and Sydney so memorable? I have only read short versions of A Christmas Carol and seen a couple of plays based on it. I would like to sit and indulge in all the noble language, though. Second on my list to read would be my brother's thick, unopened copy of David Copperfield, because I have heard his aunt is a remarkable character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I have just ordered A Christmas Carol off Ebay and it had 3 or 4 other christmas stories in it. So that was a bonus that I look forward to reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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