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Rating: 
Summary: An account of the Gordon riots of 1780.
Review: Dickens is one of my favourite authors, and I took up this book simply because I wanted to read all his books. "Barnaby Rudge", though is a little different than some of Dickens' other works. For one it's about a true historical happening. The riots of 1780 actually did occur. It's one of his shorter books, and it was written earlier on in his career. The book is really not where a reader should start with Dickens' books, but it should be read nonetheless. It still has the same great characterizations and atmosphere that we expect from Dickens, and it's still a good story. Barnaby is quite the character. We have to laugh at his antics, and Slow John at the Maypole Inn is absolutely wonderful. I read this book quite awhile ago, and while I'm writing this review, I'm thinking I need to reread it again. Wonderful atmosphere!
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Summary: A Feast!
Review: Dickens' first historical fiction, "Barnaby Rudge" is not a big favorite either with Dickens fans or with critics, largely because of its curious lack of the divinely memorable characters for which Dickens is usually known. (There are some good characters, but not the all-star cast we come to expect from the master.) Be this as it may, there's no denying that the buildup and eruption of the Gordon riots in London offer us some of Dickens' most compelling writing. Once the riots finally begin, they sweep us along in a torrent of demonic energy that is suitably appalling to the reader. For this reason, "Barnaby Rudge" is certainly worth reading. Even "A Tale of Two Cities" does not conjure the same breathless chaos as "Rudge" does. Also, though it is one of Dickens' earlier books, it has much more evidence of structured planning than do more improvised works such as "Pickwick Papers" and "The Old Curiosity Shop." Dickens would not truly master the art of creating a well-rounded novel in serial installments until "Dombey and Son," but he is clearly on the right track here.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best of Chas, not the worst
Review: Having ploughed through the vast majority of Dickens's novels, I thought there were several things to say in favour of "Barnaby Rudge".Firstly, it's unusual in being an historical novel by Dickens, set (mostly) in 1775, and in 1780 during the anti-Catholic "Gordon Riots" in London - the only other Dickens historical novel I could recall was "A Tale of Two Cities". Secondly, it's (mercifully) shorter, less self-indulgent and meandering than many of his other novels. Having said that, it's still very uneven in pace - I found the descriptions of the riots far better than the thin sub-plots which ran through the novel (these tended to be pretty much run-of-the-mill stuff - young couple wanting to marry despite parental opposition, mysterious stranger flitting about, and so on). Thirdly, there are some very well-observed vignettes, such as the landowner who wants to buy Barnaby's raven, Grip (this type, believe me, still exists). But I found my usual problems with Dickens were still there, albeit in microcosm as the book is relatively short: for example, Dickens's descriptions of women are no better than they are elsewhere, and are only less nauseating because they are shorter. The characters are the usual two-dimensional bunch, and there's the usual nineteenth-century outrageous use of coincidence as a plot device. No doubt Dickens aficionados will enjoy "Barnaby Rudge", others should, I think, enjoy its good bits and be grateful for its brevity.
Rating: 
Summary: DON'T START DICKENS HERE - BUT READ IT
Review: I must agree with a number of other reviewers here...don't start your reading of Dickens with this one, but once you start, you need to add this one to your list. This is not one of Dickens' most noted works, but it is one that needs to be read to understand the authors evolution as a writer. I had the pleasure (?) of first reading this one in a volume, years ago, which was printed in the late 1800s and which was printed for mass distribution. Fine print, two columns per page, printing all the way to the page edge...you get the picture. That was years ago...I am too old to even see the print now, much less read it, but it was worth it at the time and is certainly worth it now that I can afford a nicer copy. The work can be criticized, with some justification, for being a bit wordy, but for my taste, that is one of the charms of the novel. It certainly fits the times and the style of the times. Recommend this one be added to your list when again you get into the Dickens thing.
Rating: 
Summary: Not your first Dickens
Review: There are many pages in this book that are still alive, but here is a novel that, I'm afraid, would tend to confirm the suspicions of some readers who haven't read Dickens yet -- that he's wordy. This gets two stars, but that's because this book is being compared to other novels by Dickens. If it were by some Victorian unknown, we'd be whooping about a rediscovered goodie! Mostly I enjoyed it, but I doubt very much I'll ever read the first 200 pages or so word-for-word. I should note that I didn't read an edition that had the Penguin editorial notes.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Overlooked
Review: This book is probably the most overlooked of Dickens' major efforts. It lacks the silly slapstick and joy of Pickwick Papers, and is missing the biting social commentary (at least not as biting) of Little Dorrit and Hard Times. Also, it is always listed in the "about the author" section as being somewhat of a commercial letdown at the time.
The truth is that it is a great book. It has enough silliness to let you know that it is Dickens, but is accompanied by a good bit of darkness. In fact, it's almost macabre at times.
In the end, this is a great story from a master storyteller. Isn't this the true benchmark of a classic? For all the ingenius stylism of "The Sound and the Fury" would we love it half as much (if at all) if the styling didn't accent a most captivating tale? Well, "Barnaby Rudge" is just that....a thoroughly captivating tale in the classic Dickens style.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Overlooked
Review: This book is probably the most overlooked of Dickens' major efforts. It lacks the silly slapstick and joy of Pickwick Papers, and is missing the biting social commentary (at least not as biting) of Little Dorrit and Hard Times. Also, it is always listed in the "about the author" section as being somewhat of a commercial letdown at the time.
The truth is that it is a great book. It has enough silliness to let you know that it is Dickens, but is accompanied by a good bit of darkness. In fact, it's almost macabre at times.
In the end, this is a great story from a master storyteller. Isn't this the true benchmark of a classic? For all the ingenius stylism of "The Sound and the Fury" would we love it half as much (if at all) if the styling didn't accent a most captivating tale? Well, "Barnaby Rudge" is just that....a thoroughly captivating tale in the classic Dickens style.
Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Dickens
Review: This book was not popular when published, the fault of "too much of a good thing" coming too quickly from the unstoppable pen of the young superstar author. But, please! Ignore the critics of the last 150 years, and just read Barnaby Rudge. I've read 11 of Dickens' major novels, working my way through the catalogue in chronological order. To my tastes, this little sleeper of a book contends well for top spot, right alongside his more famous larger brothers, like Pickwick and Dombey. When I grow up, I want to be like Gabriel Varden -- a man "terrifying in his integrity."
Rating:
Summary: An action-packed historical novel
Review: This is a well paced and fast-moving historical novel set during the anti-popery riots in London in 1780. Although not as grippingly exciting as Dicken's other historical novel, A Tale Of Two Cities, there is plenty of drama here to sustain the reader's interest. The fictional characters are well woven into the historical setting, and the portrayal of these characters gives the book some of its best comic moments, from the suave Edward Chester, to the vengeful Simon Tappertit, to the spiteful Miss Miggs, to the devious hangman, Dennis. The hero of the book is Gabriel Varden, whom Dickens repeatedly describes, rather clumsily, as "the honest locksmith". Varden has to suffer constant friction in his own household between himself, his wife, his apprentice and his maid, and this agitation reflects the agitation of the masses in the streets. One of the best features of the book is the way it successfully carries a number of plot lines. The main one of these concerns a murder committed many years previously for which no-one has been convicted. There are several other sub-plots such as the tension between the Catholic Haredale and the Protestant Chester, Joe Willet's love for Varden's daughter, the comical scheming of the apprentice locksmith against his master and the presence of a shadowy stranger who pursues Barnaby Rudge's mother. Some elements of the plot fizzle out a bit too easily towards the end, such as the attempt to kidnap Haredale's daughter, but the overall effect of the book is very satisfying. This is one of Dicken's least remembered novels, but I think it is well worth reading and an excellent introduction to his work.
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Summary: What a mess
Review: This recording is perhaps one of the worst I have ever encountered. I admit to having only listened to it for few minutes before giving up, but what a mess of an effort. I am sure that when this was originally broadcast there must have been a narrator. Here it is merely a series of voices and it makes things very difficult indeed. There are also some rather rural accents featured on this recording, making it extremely difficult for an American to follow. This is a well-intended, but ultimately a mess of an attempt to render one of the novels of Dickens into drama. The whole thing seems like someone brought a tape recorder down to the pub on a Friday night and hoped for magic to take place.
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