Now for the book... It's no good to speak bad of Dickens, but I will. Just a tiny bit of critic will not offend him, I hope. So... dear Dickens, Nell just pisses me off, and her grandfather adds to the experience. She is so nauseatingly angelic and perfect, so meek and dull, so bad in making right decisions, that I wanted to close the book every time the narration turned to her and her grandfather. As for him, gambling and stealing is not pardonable, and even though reader is supposed to believe he is only doing it out of his great love for Nell, he is just a selfish, addicted and mad old man. All the parts with these two were specifically designed to make readers shed a tear, and I hate tearfulness just for the sake of it. So I wasn't touched with their deaths at all, because they were dead to me from the beginning. And enough of them.
Who I really cared for was Kit! That's my boy! He is also good and kind, but he is REAL. He's active and caring and honest, and I really like the way he supports his family. He has gained everybody's respect, and it is no surprise his friends do everything to get him out of trouble. I couldn't put the book down during his process, because I was so nervous how it'd end!
The plot is somehow confusing for me, as I didn't understand all the motivations of the characters. Is Quilp just stupid to search for a beggar, thinking he has some hidden treasure? Oh, no, he just wants to make fun of poor Dick Swiveller, marrying him to the supposedly rich Nell, and he hasn't ever seen Dick before... Seriously, the main bad guy in the book has to plot something cleverer to be convincing. But anyway, he is drown in the end, so justice triumphs.
What I really enjoyed without any "but"s in this book is the descriptions of the cities and the secondary characters Nell and her grandfather meet on their way. I think that the title really means not the shop itself, but that the book is a collection of curiosities of human nature itself. And as this, it is a certain classic!
I love Kit too! He is certainly the most real character.
ReplyDeleteI don't think *we're* supposed to believe that the grandfather gambles out of his love for Nell. That's what he tells himself and Nell, but anyone--even Nell--can see that he's deluding himself. I didn't mind his gambling problem though, since I thought that was pretty realistic. Nell is of course hard for a modern reader to like, but that's Dickens for you.
Probably you are right, I confess I wasn't very attentive when reading about them. If Nell sees it, then she is probably not as stupid, as she seems =)
DeleteI love your description about The Old Curiosity Shop title!
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with you about Nell, she's too good to be true, but then, Dickens seemed to often created this kind of character in his books (Lucie Mannet in Tale of Two Cities, Amy Dorrit in Little Dorrit, even Oliver Twist). He just reminds me of children tales, yet his words-crafting and wittiness are still enjoyable. :)
Yes I rather enjoyed the style. But characters are the most important for me anyway. And if I cannot connect with them - well, I get bored.
DeleteThat is EXACTLY how I felt about the book. The only character I liked was Kit. Nell was just irritating. And I couldn't figure out what was going on with some of the characters. :) Glad to know I'm not the only one!
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember reading your review back in December :) I even couldn't finish it then!
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