Dickens – Geneva D

Born and raised in a debtor’s prison, with a broken father, a haughty sister, and a thoughtless brother, Amy Dorrit’s patient, gentle character is still able to find happiness in serving others. But when her father inherits a vast estate and is suddenly freed, her old life is relentlessly swept away—the old friendships and simple pleasures as well as the old hardships and trials. How will Amy cope with the wealth that instantly spoils the rest of her family?

Little Dorrit is no afternoon read—it’s long, rivalling Bleak House, War and Peace, or The Count of Monte Cristo.

Given its length and Dickens’ literary writing style, Little Dorrit would be hard for younger readers to wade through, but readers 15+ would likely enjoy the book. Readers is a key word though—if you don’t like reading much, Little Dorrit is not the book for you!

Jump straight to the bottom to avoid spoilers and catch my brief conclusion along with a link to the ebook, or read on through for the details!

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One of Dickens’ most complicated stories with a village full of interrelated characters, Bleak House takes as its theme a long mismanaged suit in the English courts of chancery, weaving that suit around each of its protagonists in far-reaching coils.

Bleak House is a long book, there’s no denying. I think it’s a little shorter than The Count of Monte Cristo, but longer than Little Dorrit, and probably longer than War and Peace.

The plot and character relationships are incredibly complex and intertwined. Besides, its length requires a good attention span—though the plot is interesting enough to keep you going. I suppose a dedicated young teenager could get through it, but 17+ is the age I recommend it for.

Jump to the bottom for a brief conclusion—or just read straight on for a more in-depth evaluation of Bleak House.

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Mysterious disappearances, heaps of dust, a spoiled girl, dinners in high society—all this meets in Dickens’ novel Our Mutual Friend. With Dickens’ most lovable heroine, this is a book it’d be hard not to enjoy.

Our Mutual Friend is not as long as Dickens’ longest books, but I guess it’s about the length of David Copperfield. It’s like three times as long as something along the lines of Anne of Green Gables or Ivanhoe. Probably a little more than twice as long as Pride and Prejudice.

Dickens tends to make use of a wide vocabulary and complex sentence structures in his writing style, so it would be hard for a child to understand much. This particular book has one violent character, but in general is not as dark as some of Dickens’ stories. I give it a 15+ age range.

As always, you can skip straight to the bottom for a brief recap and a link to the ebook, or read through for all the details!

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Tag: Dickens

Book Review: Little Dorrit (by Charles Dickens)

Book Review: Bleak House (by Charles Dickens)

Book Review: Our Mutual Friend (by Charles Dickens)