Little Dorrit (1857)

I did enjoy this novel however it isn’t my all time favourite Dickens novel.

Dickens had an amazing talent and creates a book full of romance, mystery and humour. Little Dorrit takes you right into the heart of Victorian London and allows you to see the world through the eyes of the various social classes. The atomoshpere within the novel ables the reader to see Victorian London through the eyes of the characters and this in my eyes is what makes an novel brillant.

A wide variety of characters from across the social classes were present in this novel and they take us through a journey of Victorian London. Dickens creates vivid characters through the descriptions used. Characters which appear vivid within the imagination of the reader.

I love how Dickens uses this novel to critise bureaucracy and high Victorian society and this is in my opinion is what makes it such a brilliant novel. Ultimately this novel is another example of Dickens extraordinary talent as a writer.

This review was first published on http://everybookhasasoul.wordpress.com ( )

Little Dorrit was a really enjoyable read, one of those books I don't want to finish because I'm so lost in the world it created.

I'm gradually becoming a huge fan of Dickens writing. Listening to a radio adaptation of Little Dorrit at the same time as reading this made me realise that it's his descriptive prose that I love, and that adaptations have previously put me off his work because I feel the characters become unapealing characatures when removed from the novels.

His writing is full of wonderful descriptions and observations about people's habits and self delusions as well as the emotions and characteristics that the Marshalsea debtor's prison both has and inflicts on it's inhabitants. I also enjoyed Clennan's frustration in trying to get information out of the evasive civil servants of the circumlocution office - some things never change.

A wall of the Marshalsea prison still stands in London just off Borough High Street and I made a trip to see it while reading Little Dorrit (via the George Inn, also mentioned in the book) which added to my total immersion in this book . ( )

Recently returned to London after spending twenty years abroad working in China, Arthur Clennam finds himself taking an interest in Amy Dorrit, his mother's seamstress, and her father, William Dorrit, a long-time inmate, due to his debts, in the Marshalsea Prison. As Arthur befriends Little Dorrit, he encounters a wide cast of characters on whom the shadow of the Marshalsea falls. While there are dark and conniving characters and others whom are simply superficial and flawed, Little Dorrit remains constant and is the impetus for far more changes in his life than Arthur ever could have imagined.

Charles Dickens, for all his flaws, knew how to create a compelling novel. While there's no denying that he created some hefty tomes (my edition of the novel comes in at 860 pages), they are filled with rich characters and expansive and intricately detailed plots. In this novel, Dickens begins with a mystery that slowly unravels over the course of the narrative, shedding new light on relationships and characters but always leaving the reader wondering just where the plot might be going. The characters are vivid from Amy Dorrit's diminutive stature to Pancks and his hair that defies gravity to Rigaud with his terrifying smile. And while Little Dorrit is very demure as all of Dickens' idealized heroines are, she still has an independent spirit that is never quite subdued regardless of her circumstance. In addition to the plots and characters, Dickens includes some truly delightful turns of phrase. His wit comes through in a multitude of places, whether he be ranting about the general ineffectualness of government or describing a character with a healthy dose of snark. Full of sympathetic characters and a plot that pulls you on to discover what will happen to all of them, Little Dorrit also explores the long-term effects of imprisonment and poverty on the psyche with pathos. A delight throughout, the novel will leave you with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when you reach the final page. ( )

One of my favourite Dickens, I'm not sure why. Maybe because Little Dorrit is more brave and resilient than Dickens' usual heroines. Maybe because the characters are so exaggerated and so true at once. ( )

I listened to this book. I can't say it was my favourite Dickens. There was too much extremism in living circumstances for it to be really enjoyable. However, it does give one a flavour for the English legal system at the time. Dickens' opinion of the system and government bureaucracy is quite evident. ( )