Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius

A book about Charles Dickens and Prince, written by Nick Hornby?! I don't read a lot of nonfiction but this one went straight to the top of my to-read list. I like all three of these men and have always been in awe of Prince's talent and fascinated with Dickens' life. Nick Hornby's comparison feels strangely right and he approaches it in just the right way. He doesn't manufacture similarities between the two and, in fact, points out their differences. But there's no doubt that Dickens and Prince each possessed the kind of prolific creative ability that isn't found in many artists and Hornby's admiration of each, in spite of their flaws, shines through this very readable tribute to their particular kind of genius.

I can appreciate the sentiment that the author has for these two artists, but I can't say that he made a special case for unique similarities between the two. Both were prolific, both were poor...and? The author is quick to point out many other artists share these similarities—-so the point of the book is??? The truth is, there’s nothing significantly unique that links these two together that couldn’t be said of zillions of other celebrities that could be inserted into place instead.

I also get annoyed when an author spends too many words quoting the words of others---especially in such a short work. And speaking of words, the comparison between the two artists’ contribution of words falls flat when you ask the question, what show more did their words actually contribute to society? In short, Dickens’ words sparked permanent social reform, including child labor laws, in both England and the US. Prince gave us the recorded orgasms of his ex-girlfriend.

Not a fan. show less

Lively and fun but hardly up to his other meditations on popular culture. "Ten Years in the Tub'" remains his best.

This is a study of Dickens and Prince and what they accomplished and at comparable ages. They seem to come from different areas yet when Mr. Hornby looks at the two of them, they are more alike than different. He looks at when the released their largest bodies of work, their popularity, and their downfall--women and egos. Both felt they were being taken advantage of and not paid for their work. I would have never thought to compare these men and yet I found this interesting though occasionally over my head as I was not as familiar with Prince's work as I was Dickens. I learned a lot.

This was a different type of read for me and I recommend it.

Breezy and informative, haven't read much of Hornby's nonfic before but this definitely inspired me to do so.

I never would have thought to link Charles Dickens and Prince, but here you have it. It was interesting to learn about the many similarities between the two, especially just how dedicated to their work they were.

I never ever thought I’d say this but the book made me curious to read Dickens.