The Old Curiosity Shop (Everyman Paperback Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Flawed but entertaining
Review: This is perhaps Dickens' least successful novel from a modern standpoint. It simply doesn't hold together, as the author changes his mind about the book's direction a few times during its serial publication; changes the nature of certain characters along the way; and reveals the narrator's identity at the end (always a mistake) when in fact it is most unlikely that this particular character could have known half of what went on in the book. Modern readers will find it quite sentimental, but then it made Dickens hugely popular in his day, and is not without memorable characters as always, among them the quasi-demonic Daniel Quilp. Quilp seems to do evil for no particular reason other than that he himself is evil, therefore the book offers little pointed social critique. Dickens is nothing if not entertaining, however, and he is always worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: A great book (of course, its Dickens!)
Review: This is such a good book, I don't know where to begin. I know a lot of people put it down for sentimentalizing Nells death, but you know, I almost cried during it! The victorians just weren't as cynical as we are. Now a book has to show the horror of the human spirit to be considered a good book but that does get kind of oh, same same after a while. This was the first Dickens book I read, I remember reading it in high school and thinking "damn, this is good" I was expecting something dry and humorless and was pleasantly surprised by Dickens wit and humor and great story telling ability. Too bad this book is so hard to find out in book stores. Its really an underrated masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Little Nell a big pain in the neck
Review: This is, apparently, one of Dickens' most loved books. For the life of me, I can't see why. It takes saccharin sentimentality and total irrationality to bizarre new levels. Little Nell is supposed to be a brave heroine. She is a mindless twit. Her grandfather is a despicable, self-centred old fool, yet she still submits to his every lunacy as her 'duty'. A bit of tough love wouldn't have gone astray. Quilp seems to exist purely to create hurdles for Nell and the old man. What was he supposed to gain from it all? He had already taken their every possession - where was the sense in going on and on? The other characters only seem to exist to fill up space. A very disappointing book. If you want to see why Dickens' is such an acclaimed author, read David Copperfield or Great Expectations or The Tale of Two Cities and leave this one on the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: This was one of the good books I read in a long time. Even though it is long and a little slow at first it is worth sticking with it. There are many different aspects on the same situation. The end is very powerful and the reader can't help to feel bad for Nell and the old man.

Rating:
Summary: I stumbled to get through any of it
Review: Yes, I stumbled to get through any of it. To be honest, I didn't even finish the book. I loved A Tale of Two Cities, but this one put me to sleep. Yes, the characters were intriguing, but that was it. I saw hardly any plot. I had to plow through meaningless little scenes till I got to about 100 or so and the plow blade got stuck in a drift of snow. The language was nice, but the plot was not. I will give him the benefit of the doubt because he wrote so many other good novels. Every author is bound to have a flop, and to me, this one flopped, big time.