Charles Dickens

[Drusilla]

As a result of the recent Tv programme, I bought Bleak House, The Old Curiosity Shop and Our Mutual Friend in a buy 2 get 1 free offer.
I adored Bleak House, am halfway through The Old Curiosity Shop and will be ready to buy another 3 soon.
Sadly, I cannot afford to buy all Dickens' novels because every time I buy myself a book, I have an agreement to buy my 2 daughters an equal number of books each. (I have to encourage them some how and we all hate libraries)
Which 3 Dickens novels would ABers recommend?

[Drusilla]

Thanks so much IAP. I've always avoided Dickens because I suspected many of his characters would be cartoonish and I didn't fancy lumbering through masses of descriptive passages of old London.
Bleak House was a pleasant surprise, though I'm having a few problems with Quilp in TOCS.
I'm from Hackney originally and I can't say it's improved much from Dickens day. Now, it's just a modernist tip! :-)
Thanks again!!

[shaneystar2]

My favourite Dickens novels are
Great Expectations
A Christmas Carol
Oliver Twist.
I read these as a girl at school in Rochester and I have read them countless times since.
I have to say they are the only books by Dickens I have ever read.No doubt I shall be told off by IAP for not having tried any others!!

[shaneystar2]

I can remember Dickens House that chalet type building in Rochester and we went to Gads Hill place on a tour round when I was at school for Eng .Lit.'Tis many moons ago though IAP.I went to school at Fort Pitt in Rochester.(1960-1966).
I did go to the Dickens festival with my old school friends about five years ago now ,when we were still living in London. It was lovely. I must read David Copperfield though as we are now not far from the Blundeston Plough and we have a restaurant called Peggottys down the road.!!
.

[shaneystar2]

P.S we used to have our school leavers and end of tem and Christmas services at Rochester Cathedral.Beautiful place.We all had to troop across Jacksons fields to get there.I have seen Dickens tomb in Westminster Abbey.Old churches and cathedrals being a hobby of mine!

[Peter Pedant]

Hi Druthilla

You dont have to buy them all - google project gutenberg and you will get sites which have digital versions of all Dickens Books

I already have Bleak House and couldnt stand the idea of buying another one because I couldnt find the first.

Great expex, Nic Nic, Oliver Twist ?

DOnt forget Trollops and Thackeray as contemporaries

[Peter Pedant]

Oh and dont forget the Beeb adaptations.

Quilp was played by Patrick Troughton in one - he was later a very popular Dr WHo......

And Gordon Gostelow as Newman Noggs in Nic Nic. Very thin and gangly in a stovepipe hat. Newman Noggs throws a copperplate dip pen as a dart, which sticks into the door post that Ralph Nickleby has gone out of, and my Dad commented that the kids in his class (1910) did exactly that during ink fights at school.

[lynneuk74]

And Drusilla,

Don't know about libraries in your neck of the woods but I LOVE libraries!

Ok, it can be difficult to get something obscure, but surely you would be easily able to find copies of Dicken's classics - and a lot cheaper than buying.

Why not give libraries another chance - they have improved dramatically here recently (even open on Sunday's now so I can browse at my leisure).

[Drusilla]

Hi Lynne. I have a slight phobia about second hand books- the smell, the feel etc. I wont even lend my books to friends. It's not the libraries problem, it's mine and I've sadly passed this on to my girls.

[jno]

Dickens' own favourite was David Copperfield, and although it is fiction, it is quite strongly autobiographical.

You're right about the way in which characters are 'cartoonish' - he wrote many of his works as magazine serials and had to give them striking and memorable characteristics so readers would quickly recall which ones they were when they picked up next month's issue. This often means that they make great films, with characters that are just slightly over the top. There are good films of Oliver Twist (and also the musical Oliver) and Great Expectations; a couple of Nicholas Nickleby (there was also a splendid RSC stage adaptation of this 20 years ago - went on for about 8 hours - I think this is also available on DVD) and any number of Christmas Carols - my favourite is the Alastair Sim one. There was a terrific Copperfield years ago with WC Fields but it is seldom shown anywhere and is I think unavailable on video.... sorry, I know you were really asking about books.

[Drusilla]

Please don't apologise jno. I'm glad you picked up on the cartoonish characters and your explanation actually makes Quilp more understandable. Seeing the grotesque characters as part of a newspaper serial rather than from a novel makes them more understandable and easier to accept. Thanks!
You have all given me some wonderful answers and I will be reading up on the background of Dickens. He sounds as fascinating as his creations.

[Famous5]

Going back to the original statement about buying books for your daughters, why not buy the girls a Dickens novel each at the same time as you buy yours and then borrow them to read yourself ?

Though it's not strictly a novel, I'd recommend A Child's History of England. Also try the Christmas Stories, which are short stories including A Christmas Carol and other ghost stories.

[Drusilla]

Hi Famous 5. My girls are 6 and 9. I think my younger daughter would faint if I gave her 600+ pages of Charles Dickens. It gives me a great idea for when they're older though. Thanks!

[derekblue]

Christmas carol is my favourite. Also the old curiosity shop is still there just off of Lincolns inn fields in London.A shoe designers last time i looked.Just thought id mention it.