HI there.
Thanks for your comments on What the DIckens....
I see you changed your name. There's an excellent BBC TV series called House of Cards the main character of which is called Urqhart. He is a wonderfully Machiavellian character, full of relish for his own evil. I wonder if you've seen it? If Urqhart is your real name, my apologies and congratulations!

It's also a pleasure to meet someone who loves Dickens. I read most of his books in my 20s, but this year I am doing an in depth study of his life and work. So far I have read:
Barnaby Rudge
Bleak House
The Old Curiosity Shop
Sketches by Boz
Kaplan's biography
Martin Chuzzlewit,

It's not a long list, because I'm reading quite slowly, and I'm also incredibly busy. Librarything also takes up far too much of my time.:)

I am currently reading Master Humphry's Clock and other short stories. I review what I read on my blog. It's a bit heavy on Dickens at the moment, but there's other stuff there too you might be interested in reading.

Come to think of it, there are some Sketches by Boz that might give you the same feeling as Copperfield, particularly one called Horatio Sparkins, which is a wonderful spoof of Jane Austen. I agree completetly with what you said about her, by the way. She lacks breadth. Mmm. Actually I strongly recommend the Sketches to you, especially the later ones: Characters and Tales.

Good luck with the bread making. I used to make rye bread on a regular basis, but don't have the time for it now.

Besst wishes
Murr

posted by tomcatMurr at 11:56 pm (EST) on Apr 5, 2007

You are looking for a book or books as good as David Copperfield. That is a stretch, but if you like Dickens I would highly recommend The Quincunx by Charles Palliser and The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox. Both good stories with a Dickensian flavor to them.

posted by HMOKeefe at 4:29 pm (EST) on Apr 5, 2007