good dickens book for hols

[crisgal]

i'm off to majorca for ten days and want to read a good book.

There are lots of dickens i have never got around to reading, but don't know which one to buy.

I fancy hard times, but it mught be bit depressing. Is pickwick papers the funny one?

Can anyone recommend one?

[Lie-in King]

A friend recently showed me one I'd completely missed before & said he'd really enjoyed it -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugby_Junction

Yes, I found "Pickwick Papers" funny, but I'll be honest - I've not done read it for many years!

[crisgal]

i hadn't thought of short stories, lie-in, but not sure I fancy ghosty ones!

[saxy_jag]

Well I'm biased, but 'Great Expectations' is always a good first choice. 'David Copperfield' and 'Nicolas Nickleby' are also reasonably 'light'.

Another author you might enjoy is Wilkie Collins, who was a contemporary of Dickens. 'The Moonstone' and 'The Woman in White' are both cracking detective stories. In fact it's been said that 'The Moonstone' was the first ever British detective novel.

[crisgal]

that's very interesting saxy, i'll look into collins, definitely. i have read those dickens novels already.

[Prudie]

I found all of Dickens depressing, have you tried some Thomas Hardy - Mayor of Casterbridge is a good story.

[juliefer]

I like Dickens anyway but 'Bleak House' is one of my favourites.

[crisgal]

no i haven't prudie. Er... i think i started tess of the doo-dahs years ago. Is that hardy?

[Prudie]

Yes it is, did you give up because you didn't like it?

[razza]

Come on,going to Majorca and want to read Dickens,you can go to your local library and do that,for free.

[crisgal]

i can't remember why i stopped. I probably got fed up.

Razza - i never have time to read, and that's why I am doing so on my hols. I don't want a trashy beach novel though. I love dickens and haven't read any for years.

[Canary42]

"Hard Times" is far from depressing - very funny in parts with some quite comic characters.

[piggynose]

tell me if i´m wrong, but wasn´t t.hardy an artist with words?I vaguely remember reading tess, major of casterbridge, and something else. i just remember his style of writing, not much happened, but how he expressed himself was magical

[spudqueen]

My personal favourites are A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield.

[Prudentia]

If you are looking for a good book to read at any time, not just on holiday the very last writer to take must be dickens, a purveyor of mindless popularist crap, equivalent to a modern day pleb writer in the daily star, or sun. try wells or aldiss or anybody.

[crisgal]

" !!

[crisgal]

that could work in my favour tonyted, I've got three kids!! ♥

[maxi29]

All Dickens' book have an element of comedy in them but Pickwick is the broadest comedy. He's an excellent choice of holiday as his books are not quick reads but are not too heavy going - I associate particular Dickens with the holiday where I read them. Any of them would do the trick - but I think Great Expectations, Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend are the best. Collins is a good call too and you could try Thackeray's Vanity Fair - that's not too heavy.

I have to laugh at the person who said Dickens is depressing and recommends that ray of sunshine, Hardy. I love Hardy's books but they're not light holiday reading.

[crisgal]

i'm back from my lovely holiday. i took wilkie collins' the woman in white' and loved every word. i will definitely be reading more of his.
thanks for recommending him ♥