The Old Curiosity Shop edition by Charles Dickens Literature Fiction eBooks
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The Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London. The Old Curiosity Shop was one of two novels (the other being Barnaby Rudge) which Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock, which lasted from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York readers stormed the wharf when the ship bearing the final instalment arrived in 1841. The Old Curiosity Shop was printed in book form in 1841. Queen Victoria read the novel in 1841, finding it "very interesting and cleverly written." The Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of Nell Trent, a beautiful and virtuous young girl of "not quite fourteen". An orphan, she lives with her maternal grandfather (whose name is never revealed) in his shop of odds and ends. Her grandfather loves her dearly, and Nell does not complain, but she lives a lonely existence with almost no friends her own age. Her only friend is Kit, an honest boy employed at the shop, whom she is teaching to write. Secretly obsessed with ensuring that Nell does not die in poverty as her parents did, her grandfather attempts to provide Nell with a good inheritance through gambling at cards. He keeps his nocturnal games a secret, but borrows heavily from the evil Daniel Quilp, a malicious, grotesquely deformed, hunchbacked dwarf moneylender. In the end, he gambles away what little money they have, and Quilp seizes the opportunity to take possession of the shop and evict Nell and her grandfather. Her grandfather suffers a breakdown that leaves him bereft of his wits, and Nell takes him away to the Midlands of England, to live as beggars.
The Old Curiosity Shop edition by Charles Dickens Literature Fiction eBooks
This was my second time reading Dickens' first novel. I can't say I enjoyed it as much as many of his other works. The writing was, of course, good (Dickens), but after a while the abundance of little humorous stories got old. At times I did think of Monty Python skits and laughed to myself. After reading Ackroyd's biography on Dickens (highly recommended) I decided to reread all of Dickens' work in order of publication, and so I needed to complete this book first. I'm glad I did since I was able to appreciate the writing more the second time around. This Everyman's Library version of the book is, like all their other publications, well done with added information about the author and certainly legible print (very important if you don't have perfect young eyes).Product details
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The Old Curiosity Shop edition by Charles Dickens Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
--SPOILERS-- I'm not a huge fan of Dickens, though I have enjoyed Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. But The Old Curiosity Shop? Nah. Not his best work. Kind of lame. In fact, it was VERY boring, except for a few parts here and there. The whole plot just fell flat. I didn't really find myself attached to the old man and Nell. There really wasn't any depth to the characters, not much of a back story, so when Nell died and her grandfather died, I really didn't care. That's how flat this story was. It was too....2D, you know?
I keep trying to get people to tell me which is Dickens' best, so I won't have to read all the others. But no one helps much. Some group on the Internet said it was Bleak House, but I think that is the least favorite of the five I've read in the past year.
Based on the five books I've read so far, it appears that Dickens' stories are all pretty much the same. There's always orphans, much benighted, but stout hearted, moral and persistent. There's usually some kind of deformed villain, a ne'er-do-well sponger, a kindly old gentleman or two, an eccentric spinster, and likely a few other character types. Oh yeah, many, but not all, lawyers are conniving and grasping.
Anyway, The Old Curiosity Shop has all this in spades. It's the story of Little Nell and her grandfather, more-or-less. Also the story of Kit. There's lots of pathos, but, what's rather fun, lots of Dickens' wry humorous portrayal of the frailties of humanity. Dickens blathers incessantly, but it's such entertaining blather that one can never tire of it. I wonder why it took me so many decades to discover Dickens?
I have a list of 'indispensables'. and this is on it.
The story does have a plot line running through it, but it is also like a news digest. There are bits and pieces that are well worth following for their own sake.
...and of course Dickens' delicious prose is enjoyable. His description of a man at a military review chasing his hat that has been blown off by the wind. The obligatory ghost story where the young man says (shakily) to the ghost "You know, I don't understand why you ghosts persist in staying where you were so miserable! Why not go somewhere pleasant?" And the ghost saying "I never thought of that! I am much obliged!" and vanishing, with the young man calling after it, "You would make us all very grateful if you would spread the word."
It also contains, toward the end, one of the most moving tales of retribution, mercy and kindness, with a speech by Mr. Pickwick's barrister on the subject of mercy.
A fun, touching, sometimes uproarious book.
A wonderful read. It is conveniently divided into chapters of roughly the same length. I read about 50 pages a day and was able to read it within two weeks. I highly recommend you watch the 1980s BBC production in 12 episodes after reading the book. It’s available for free on Fire. Who can possibly dislike such unforgettable characters as Mr. Pickwick, Wardle’s nearly deaf mother, the conniving strolling actor Mr. Jingle (who speaks in an odd oratorical fashion), and the inimitable Sam Weller, with his cockney accent and words of unintended wisdom? A delight from beginning to end which will hopefully enrich your life as much as it has mine. The illustrations are from the original edition.
I first read the Pickwick Papers as a teenager nearly 40 years ago, and enjoyed it greatly then. But I either didn't then appreciate, or (more likely) had forgotten, just how funny and droll the work is. The side characters (greedy, manipulative lawyers, pompous village magistrates, vain local newspaper editors, etc.) are all nicely lampooned. The book paints an instructive picture of life in 1830's England -- hardly alien to us, but quite a different world (stagecoaches, debtors' prisons). Reading the PP is a commitment -- it's over 700 pages -- but worth the effort. The "plot" (I use the term extremely lightly) moves along nicely, and the writing is disturbingly good, particularly when one considers that Dickens started the work in his mid-20's. Of course, who am I to judge Dickens?
So, I just can't get enough of Charles Dickens. He speaks to my soul, somehow. And I am not alone - there's a reason so many of his books are true, timeless classics. Add this one to the list. The principle thing his books drive home to me is how people really haven't changed over the 170 years or so since this book was written. You can learn a lot about human nature - good and bad, from Mr. Dickens' insight into the human soul.
This was my second time reading Dickens' first novel. I can't say I enjoyed it as much as many of his other works. The writing was, of course, good (Dickens), but after a while the abundance of little humorous stories got old. At times I did think of Monty Python skits and laughed to myself. After reading Ackroyd's biography on Dickens (highly recommended) I decided to reread all of Dickens' work in order of publication, and so I needed to complete this book first. I'm glad I did since I was able to appreciate the writing more the second time around. This Everyman's Library version of the book is, like all their other publications, well done with added information about the author and certainly legible print (very important if you don't have perfect young eyes).
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