A terrific summary. I am 72 years old and decided I have to read Dickens - so last year I started with the intention of reading all of them and I am currently on my 13th which is Barnaby Rudge. I have enjoyed all of them to different degrees. They take a while to get into but then you are hooked! The declaration of love in Our Mutual friend is one of the most memorable passages in any book in my view an absolutely amazing rendition of the discovery of love between two individuals.

@misskittymultitasker5775

4 ай бұрын

Love how it is never too late to dive in!

Dickens has been my favourite writer ever since I was 13 years old and our teacher read us David Copperfield. I wrote both a MA thesis and a PhD dissertation on Dickens. More recently I wrote a prequel novel to Bleak House that should be in print soon. I really loved your enthusiastic presentation. Well done! Ralph Smith

In Oliver Twist I think the side characters are supposed to be the main characters. I think dickens intentionally focused more on writing interesting side characters to shed light upon them.

I like Hard Times. You did an amazing job remembering so many characters from so many novels of Dickens.

Very interesting selection. You’ve stirred my curiosity. I now want to read Our Mutual Friend for sure!! Personally, my favourite is David Copperfield. I’m sure the critics would say Bleak House or Great Expectations, but for me DC has the biggest heart. It is the most vivid and alive of his novels. It also contains more memorable characters than most novelists manage in their whole career.

Finally!!! Someone who has noted and lauded Tommy Traddles. I have always said that he is one of Dickens' greatest but least appreciated heroic characters.

@katiejlumsden

Жыл бұрын

He's the best!

@DATo_DATonian

Жыл бұрын

@@katiejlumsden And let us not forget Martha. When Daniel Peggoty asked David -at the end when they were on the ship which was to take them to Australia - if he had forgotten anything, and David replied, "Martha." Daniel tapped the shoulder of a girl behind him and it was Martha. He was taking her with them. I totally lost it. It was the same effect as finding out who the man standing in the corner of the room was in _To Kill A Mockingbird_ it simply blew me away. Tears and smiles .. had to put the book down and take a walk around the room before I could pick it up again.

Patty- my favorite was Great Expectations. I had to read in my first year of high-school. It is still my favorite. I loved Joe, the woman he marries later in the story and how Pip's character grows throughout the book. I love Dickens period but I think this book will always be my favorite.

If there’s one thing I enjoy almost as much as Dickens, it’s lists! Suffice to say, this particular video is one of my very favourite things on KZread. 👌 For what it’s worth: 5. Great Expectations 4. Our Mutual Friend 3. Dombey And Son 2. David Copperfield 1. Bleak House But your overwhelming enthusiasm leaves me tempted to align my order with yours! The power of suggestion and all that! :) Keep up the amazing work. 👏

David Lean has done justice to Oliver Twist. There are boys who are like Oliver - shy and frightened. Characters are so different in Dickens’ novels that each of his work is a masterpiece.

I found that the speed that you talk was breathtaking and overwhelming to the point that I just wanted to slow you down, but what you had to say about Dickens novels and your enthusiasm for them was really compelling. I have always had great respect for Dickens as a writer (really because of movies based on his novels), but I can't recall that I've ever read any of his novels except A Christmas Carol. Now I will start reading him based on your reviews of your favorite Dickens novels. And I have just subscribed to your channel, so I look forward to hearing more lists of your favorite books!

You have REALLY made me want to read Dombey and Son!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Oh you must, it's so good!

@margobilletz4124

Жыл бұрын

Your voice is sharp and tinny. It is unpleasant to old people. Sorry, it sounds like you are really knowledgeable about Dickens, but I just cannot listen.

What a fabulous video. I just finished a re-read of Great Expectations today and I am still a little breathless from its brilliance. I also LOVE Our Mutual Friend and am looking forward to reading Dombey for the first time this Victober! Thank you!

Thank you. A good honest and helpful review. I've just started reading Great Expectations and I'm loving it so much that I'm now thinking of which Dicken's book to read next. So your video has been very helpful! 😊

Today I finished Our Mutual Friend, wholly on your recommendation as I wasn’t aware of it before. Totally agree with you on the tremendous characters, and of course there are many others you didn’t mention, like the villains Riderhood and Wegg! The one thing I’ll add is that there are several deaths in the book; Dickens handles each of them differently and often beautifully, from the internecine struggle between Headstone and Riderhood, Betty’s painfully noble exit, to orphaned Johnny, the baby who gives away his possessions before he dies! Superb. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks for reminding me what a capacious universe Dickens has created. I am close to finishing my first reading of all of Dickens’ novels. I did two of your read-alongs: Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend - which we’re both great . . . I have just one novel remaining, Martin Chuzzlewit . . . but honestly I had forgotten what an unbelievable variety of characters are featured in his books! The scope is just stunning. It is hard to measure the vitality of these characters. They are really like nothing else in literature - completely unique and utterly distinctive . . .

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much! Dickens is just a great author. I hope you enjoy Martin Chuzzlewit :)

@annetteholman2999

2 жыл бұрын

My favorites are DOMBEY AND SON and BLEAK HOUSE, least loved HARD TIMES. Dickens' women are less developed and lack the depth he allows his male characters but all his books are super.

For me , so far I have read Great Expectations is my personal favorite Charles Dickens book. Good to see your list, I am thankful to you for suggesting Hard Times!

Love your enthusiasm regarding Dickens! Thank you for the reviews on each individual book……now I’ll have to read another Dickens book!

This was really fun to see your rankings! I have Old Curiosity Shop, Bleak House, and Great Expectations on my owned-TBR pile, so I’m glad to see all three of them are fairly high up on your list!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Hope you enjoy them all!

This is a brilliant journey through all of Dickens's novels, thank you. I recently complained to a friend of mine that I just wasn't enjoying reading anymore and he suggested I go back to Dickens. (Like you I love his work and have read all of his novels). I nearly started Dombey and Son because I read it so many years ago and have no memory of it, but chose David Copperfield instead. I will read Dombey and Son again this year on your recommendation. (Little Dorrit is my personal favourite.)

I loved this video! I also love Dickens. I’ve read all 14 of his completed novels, and Dombey and Son is my favorite. It’s so so good!

Loved this and your enthusiasm is so infectious! I have quite a few novels of Dickens left to read but this has made me really excited to get to them 😊

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Gemma :)

This is so cool! I found you through Charlie and her Victober TBR. Looking forward to following this series!

My top ten goes: 1. Pickwick papers 2. A tale of two cities 3. Little Dorrit 4. David Copperfield 5. Mystery of Edwin Drood 6. Nicholas Nickleby 7. Bleak House 8. Great expectations 9. Hard Times. I am currently reading/listening to Our Mutual Friend and this novel is certain be one of my favorites. I very much enjoyed this program and I so appreciate your enthusiasm for and knowledge of The Inimitable One!

I've just found your channel and love your content!❤ I don't have any friends who like to read classics so finding someone who voices their opinions and shares interest in classics(especially ones by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen) made my day!

Once again, fantastic video! Thank you for all of your quality content. It's been a long, dark year here in the States, so a little literature break means a lot!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much!

Thank you so much for your brilliant analysis of Dickens's novels. Will definitely read Dombey & Son & Martin Chuzzlewit. Have read the others. Your enthusiasm is great !

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

I'm so happy with the French subtitles for this video. It's nice to be able to mix my hobby of language learning with my hobby of reading Victorian novels. If all of the videos from this channel have French subs, I'll be binge-watching them. 🌹 💕

Our mutual friend is also one of my favourite books (not just of Charles Dickens). What I Iove so much is while it has it's bleak moments, unlike a lot of his other work it has so much variety in character, setting and theme. It is such a well balanced book. Reading it again at the moment. I really want to get a nice leather cover hard copy version at some point.

Luckily our English teacher chose Dombey and Son for our A level book in the early 80s. He was a great teacher, but I learned many new things about the book from your videos. I remember my Dad telling me what a wonderful book Our Mutual Friend is and being surprised that he'd read it. Anyway, I'm inspired to read it now. We read a 'concise' David Copperfield at school. I'm reading the whole book now - marvellous.

@sistafila

7 ай бұрын

I read great expectations first and lost interest along the way and felt a bit of an anti climax but I loved copperfield. David copperhead was fun. Each chapter and page, got you glued.

So wonderful to hear all your thoughts about Dickens! I am amazed at how you are able to give a concise description of each book, because it is almost impossible to describe a Dicken's book since they are all so complex.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! It really is so hard to describe his books - I feel like I have to just pick one or two elements or characters as he has so many plots.

Great job. I have only read David Copperfield but I absolutely adored it. You make me want to read your numbers 1-4 now.

Oh I am so pleased you made this video! You probably won't remember, but I commented a few months ago requesting a video in which you rank all of Dickens's novels! Thank you for doing this! You turned me onto Dickens, and prompted me to read Our Mutual Friend and Dombey and Son this summer. Cheers!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much :) Hope you enjoyed Our Mutual Friends and Dombey and Son :)

I read Dombey and Son based on your channel this month. It is by far my favorite Dickens at this point in my life. I mean, I’ve only read three, but still! It deserves more hype than it gets.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Yay, glad you enjoy Dombey and Son, it's SO good.

I love PICKWICK PAPERS !!! I feel the same about Oliver Twist: you know you ought to sympathise with him but he does get on your nerves, doesn't he...😑 Fantastic video, cheers from a new subscriber from Poland 👍

Of the 2 novels I’ve read so far, Bleak House is my fave, but there are so many more to read. Yes, can find Dickens overly long,, but them I’m rewarded with some wonderful passages! You introduced me to him as I’d always been scared that I wouldn’t understand his writing. Thanks as always 💖

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much - Dickens is just so great :)

Very interesting to hear your opinions. I really love Nicholas Nickelby. I enjoy the parts set in Yorkshire. They feel different to most other Dickens books. I also thinks some of the side characters are among his best, particularly the Crummies troupe.

@mikesnyder1788

2 жыл бұрын

The Infant Phenomenon!

Thanks for this updated/concise ranking... I always go back to your Dickens author week to check your rankings before I chose the next Dickens book to read so this makes things easy for me haha! The first Dickens I ever read was Oliver Twist and if I hadn't heard from you that it was your least favourite, I don't know if I would have continued on with him or just assumed he wasn't an author I enjoyed. Right now I'm struggling to decide my favourite Dickens between A Tale of Two Cities and Bleak House (although it could just be that those are the two that I read this year... I feel like every Dickens I finish I think is my favourite!).

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much! So glad you enjoy Dickens :)

I learned about your channel through those original Dickens videos, and so this kinda felt like a nice nostalgia. Plus, I didn’t even know I needed this video as much as I do now until I read the notification for it. #MadeMyDay

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :D And yes, felt weirdly nostalgic for me too.

I really really love and adore your videos! They absolutely make my day. Your excitement is contagious. I' m studying literature and currently reading Hard Times. It's my fist Dickens. As I grow older I find it I can read Dickens. I used to think it was too difficult for me, too many characters and storylines. I'm going to try reading your top novels. I'm sure at any point I will find myself reading Our mutual friend alongside the videos you made analysing it. Thanks for sharing and for everything you do!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for your comment :) I hope you enjoy the rest of Hard Times.

Very good. I've read Chuzzlewit, Rudge, and Bleak House. Wasn't sure what I'd try next. From what you said in this, I think I'll read Little Dorrit next. Thank you.

I'm just reading Our Mutual Friend now. I'm almost through the first of 4 parts and it is quite wonderful, hard to put down. Everything you say it is. Thanks for the suggestion.

Love this vid. I'm reading Dickens every December, and so far my faves are Bleak House, Great Expectations, and David Copperfield. I have yet to read your top three and will start with those next. Thanks!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Very good favourites :) Hope you enjoy my top three too!

Hi! Jane here. I am a great fan of Charles Dickens. We read Great Expectations in class in the 9th grade and I thought it was tremendous. I am a gramma now, and have read all of his novels and Christmas stories that I know of except Martin Chuzzlewit. Barnaby Runge did not get finished; one day I must complete it. My favorite Dickens is Dombey and Son. Florence is a great character, and like Nell in Old Curiosity Shop, has far too much weight on her shoulders. Florence has never known a gentle mom, and she only has little Paul to love. And in spite of all that she presses on. A tender scene for me is when she watches the neighbor family happy together, from her sad little window. The ending is so beautiful, as the pain of the past is healed by the change in old Dombey. I loved it. Bleak House, and our Mutual Friend share next best status with Little Dorrit and Old Curiosity Shop right behind them. Charles Dickens is such a great writer! Thanks for sharing with your lovely channel!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Hi! Sounds like you have great Dickens taste :) Dombey and Son is just so amazing.

This was great. I love your enthusiasm! And I agree with your rankings.

Fun to see someone else with the same top 5 even if they are in different order. My favourite is David Copperfield, we agree on #2 as Dombey and Son, and then for me it's Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend and #5 is Little Dorrit.

@katiejlumsden

2 жыл бұрын

Good choices :D

I've read A Christmas Carol, Hard Times, A Tale of Two Cities, and right now, I'm reading A House to Let. I think my next will be Great Expectations, due to your praise of it!

Thank you for this video! I'm thinking of reading Dickens in 2021. I'm setting up my reading goals today :)

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Enjoy!

I adore A Christmas Carol and reread it every year, but other than that I have only read four Dickens noves I think. I remember loving David Copperfield. I need to read more by him and really enjoyed your ranking of his novels.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

I hope you like more Dickens as you read more. A Christmas Carol is so great.

David Copperfield was my gateway to Dickens, but my 2nd book was Dombey & Son; and now after reading all but 2 of his finished novels, Dombey & Son remains in my Top 3! (I'm currently doing a re-read of it.) It's a wonderful, wonderful book.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Dombey and Son is just so good.

Wow. You are a Dickens savant. I have read Oliver Twist and Great Expectations recently and both were excellent. You have enticed me to read more.....Thanks!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much :)

Such an interesting video, Katie! I’m watching the series ‘Dickensian’ right now and I’m trying to figure out from which books the characters are, haha. I really like the Bleak House characters, so that one might go on my tbr. Our Mutual Friends sounds really interesting!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Dickensian is really interesting - I got half way through but must finish it sometime! I think Mr Wegg is the only Dickensian character from Our Mutual Friend - bit of a random one to pick, but there we go!

@MilenaReads

3 жыл бұрын

@@katiejlumsden oh right, he’s the bar owner. Glad to hear you liked the first bits 🙂

Great video as always Katie. I tried to read Dombsey and son twice and DNF(ed) in both times. Hope one day will pick it up again and manage to finish it. I am more a plot kind of reader so when you said that Tale of two cities is focused more on the plot, you get my interes. Hopefully I will pick it up very soon.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Definitely A Tale of Two Cities is worth a try - it's a bit different.

I love Hard Times. I'm hoping to read more Dickens very soon, and your enthusiasm helps with this. I feel as if many people remember movie scenes from Oliver quite vividly, and expect to love the novel. When/if they don't, it probably deters them from exploring further books by Charles Dickens, as they had assumed it would be the best and most accessible. In fact, A Christmas Carol is perhaps better, if readers want to start with a familiar story.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I always think Oliver Twist isn't a great place to start with Dickens - A Christmas Carol is a much better place to start, actually. I really love A Christmas Carol!

Ahhh Toots, it’s of no consequence, the least consequence of all. Dombey and Son is one of my favourite books ever.

A very good review. We have very similar taste. My personal favorite is Dombey and Son. I have never seen anyone rate it as highly as you have here. It's so fun to see someone else appreciates it as much as I. Well done.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Dombey and Son is SUCH a wonderful Dickens novel, and so underrated.

Very energetic, no wonder you got tired at the end!lol I'm actually "doing all the dickens".. I've listen to the Audiobook read by Dave Timson for Our Mutual Friend, ... amazing! Characters' voice adds so much to the story when they are done well, especially with a Character focused Author like Dickens. I've also received the book, ... on my next 5 readings... Right on top of the Dickens with... for me different than you... Oliver Twist! Thanks for your video, very entertaining!

I love your break down and ranking of the books, and subscribed. I did want to mention that your microphone echos a bit if it hasn’t been brought to your attention yet, and make it a bit difficult to hear you thoroughly at times.

Ohhh brilliant video thank you.i have passed this on to my husband, who is in a Dickens odyssey right now. Sorry I missed your earlier ranking. I will go back and watch.i am so enthused to read and reread Dickens for the rest of 2020. I haven’t read Dombey and son... so yippppeeee

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much - I promise Dombey and Son is so great :)

@tumblyhomecarolinep7121

3 жыл бұрын

@@katiejlumsden I am reading it now...it is BRILLIANT

Great summary. I agree with you that Dickens can be quite prolix but…always profound. I’m not where you are at now but I’ve made my way through A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Martin Chuzzlewit and am currently reading Nicholas Nickleby. Great Expectations is my current favorite. The character of Estella really pulls at the heart strings as she develops even up to the very end of the novel.

Love love love this. So pleased David Copperfield has shot up the rankings here 😀👍🏻 I really must read A Tale of Two Cities

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

David Copperfield is so great!

I absolutely love hearing your enthusiasm for Dickens. I have decided to make 2024 the year of reading Dickens. I am almost finished with Great Expectations. I started it because I wanted to try Dickens on my exploration of great classics. It was good, then 2/3 of the way through it totally hooked me!

This was a fun video. Having only read 4 Dickens novels, there are plenty more to be explored. Your “author fortnight” video reviews were great guides for reading Hardy, Dickens, the Brontes and of course Jane Austen. For any folks new to this channel, I wholeheartedly recommend they look them up.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :)

So happy Hard Times rose in the rankings. I read it for the first time this year and loved it, although I’m glad I read Gaskell’s North and South first to give me a broader perspective on the same issues. My husband’s a horse racing steward so I can’t help noticing the race cards that cross my path. Sadly Betsey Trotter came last in her race but Daniel Deronda came third this week. I think it’s wonderful that these names are used and that they might catch someone’s interest to explore Victorian literature. Deb

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Hard Times and North and South are definitely very interesting to compare.

Wow that’s a lot of enthusiasm for Dickens. Well done. My fav is Bleak House, followed by Great Expectations. I liked Nicholas Nickelby because it was fun and mostly light. Hard Times bored me the most. I agree with your criticisms of Oliver Twist. And finally, I was expecting something more from Tale of Two Cities.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

So much enthusiasm for Dickens! Bleak House is a very worthy favourite.

I put Dombey and Son on my TBR after your recommendation from a previous video but I have yet to see a copy in any of the second book shops I frequent. I'll just have to keep looking!

@NeilBruder

3 жыл бұрын

Looks like I spoke too soon! I just went to browse a second hand bookshop I don't visit very often and they had two different copies! I'm all set :)

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Well, perfect - enjoy Dombey and Son!

I just finished "David Copperfield" last night a. I absolutely loved it. I've got a lot more Dickens to read I've read A lot of Charles Dickens works but clearly not enough I'm gonna work on reading his entire catalog. I absolutely loved this video I really enjoyed it thank you.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

It's such a great book!

Hello new subscriber here!!!!! Love your review I only have two Dickens book have not read them yet I am reading Jane Austin almost done with her collection. I was really impress with David Copperfield and your top 3. Bleak house I definitely have to get. I have only Hard Times and Great Expectation. Is a toss up on which one I will read first David Copperfield or Great expectations . Thank you again for this review 🤗🤗🤗🤗

@katiejlumsden

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much!

Still have 6 to read, interesting choices.

Have you ever seen a first edition of Dickens? I managed to buy one from a used bookshop, the print size is extremely tiny and set in two columns per page. I haven't read it yet but the old cover design is the favourite of all that I own!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

I've seen some in bookshops :)

@ATG76

Жыл бұрын

@@katiejlumsden In another of your videos, when you showed us your antique book collection, it looked like you do own two or three first editions. 👍🏻

I'm listening to the audio book of David Copperfield narrated by Richard Armitage and I'm loving it so much! Also recently bought Little Dorrit

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

That is such a great audiobook.

@sveabryan9126

2 жыл бұрын

I listened to Little Dorrit on audible. It was amazing. I’m here to figure out which of Dickens’ books to listen to next.

Some time ago I tried to read Little Dorrit, but just couldn’t get into it. Later I listened to the audio book and really enjoyed it. Now I’m coming back to try reading Dickens again and I’ve got your top 2 favourites to try! I’ve read the first chapter of Our mutual friend, so I’ll probably also read the first chapter of Domby and son and then make a decision which to read first.

Great Expectations is by far my favorite so far. I did not care for Our Mutual Friend at all, although as always your enthusiasm is contagious.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Ha each to their own. I adore Our Mutual Friend. I sometimes feel like Great Expectations is a bit different to other Dickens, and some people who adore Great Expectations don't get on so well with other Dickens books.

It would be so interesting to consider how Dickens would deal with our current technological revolution (thinking of his social critique of Hard Times)

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

I know, wouldn't that be great!

My only experience with Dickens is A Christmas Carol and the first few pages of The Pickwick Papers. The one that interests me the most is Bleak House, maybe because getting to the end of a court case is about as complicated today as it was 100 years ago.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

I recommend trying Dickens again - Bleak House is great.

I just bought David Copperfield, I can’t wait to read it!!! I’ve only read Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, but I’m excited to read more of his work :) have you read The Mystery of Edwin Drood? Even though it’s unfinished, it sounds so intriguing!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

I have indeed read The Mystery of Edwin Drood - I didn't rank it here as it's hard to compare, being only about half finished - but it is a great read!

@mikesnyder1788

2 жыл бұрын

Have you managed to read "Mystery of Edwin Drood?" Very different for Charles Dickens but I found it thoroughly enjoyable despite the fact that it was unfinished at his untimely death. A couple of authors have tried their hand at "finishing" the novel based on what they "think" Dickens would have done. Also, there is a delightful musical comedy titled "Drood" that you might want to watch. Very different approach than the novel but the main points are the same. Some very fine songs included as well. Happy reading!

It would be interesting to see how you rank the novels when you are 10 or 20 years older. I know that my opinions have changed with age. I'm now 71 and just discovered Hard Times. The only other that I haven't read or seen is Barnaby Rudge. I think my favorite characters are both from Nicholas Nickleby, aunt Betsy Trotwood and Mr. McCawber. I had a family member name a town in Ohio after her.

I’m reading a tale of two cities next week and I’m more excited about it now. I plan to read our mutual friend at the start of next year and need to find dombey and son. I did think Oliver Twist was good but it’s not as good as David copperfield which is my favourite or great expectations which I also enjoyed 😊

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Emily! Hope you enjoy Our Mutual Friend :)

Thanks for your Analysis !

I was glad to see how you rated Bleak House. Another great video. Have a great day.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

It is so great :)

Listening to you talk about Oliver Twist, I had a visceral memory of playing an urchin in the musical Oliver 😂 I was in high school and already 5’8” so I don’t think it was convincing...

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Haha! Oliver the musical is so little like the book.

I have read various Dickens works and I have a love-hate relationship with him 😬 but can’t believe I still haven’t gotten to your top three will have to put them on my TBR 😉

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

I highly recommend my top-three, obviously :)

I'm late to this video but love your list. I also love Dombey and Son, and I cried copious tears over the alteration in Mr. Dombey's character - more than I did over Scrooge. But not as many as I did over the death of Jo in Bleak House (that scene did me in) or Smike in Nicholas Nickleby. I ADORE Besty Trotwood - she may be my favorite Dickens character - though I'm also very fond of Dick Swiveler and Jolly Mark Tapley. But there are so many wonderful minor characters ... which makes all of the books worth reading. I don't dislike Oliver Twist as much as you do, but I think it's because like A Christmas Carol, I'd seen so many film and stage versions prior to encountering the text that I was predisposed to like it and to forgive its weaknesses.

@katiejlumsden

2 ай бұрын

Dombey and Son is just such a wonderful and powerful novel :) Jo's death in Bleak House is definitely another of Dickens's most moving scenes!

I've now only read two Dickens, David Copperfield and Hard Times. Looking forward to reading them all! My plan is to try and get to 1 a year.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Hope you enjoy more Dickens :)

I just finished Dombey and Son! It’s amazing!! Amazing! Bleak House was my previous favourite but this now takes top spot! Captain Cuttle had me laughing out loud.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Dombey and Son is just so great :)

The Nonesuch press editions released a few years ago are really lovely editions of some of Dickens best novels.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'll have a look!

I haven't read them all, but I think "Our mutual friend " is great!

Your time stamp reads ‘Zombie and Son’ 🤪. Didn’t know Dickens wrote about such things. 🍁

@viviandarkbloom8847

Жыл бұрын

you should read the sequel he wrote in collaboration with a young and promising Bram Stoker: things get even scarier.

I loved the ending of A Tale of Two Cities too! It is a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done before. It is a far, far better rest I go, than I have ever known.

Any plans to do another Dickens readalong? It was your previous 2 readalongs that got me to read (and enjoy) Dickens - I gained a lot from reading along with you. Little Dorrit or Dombey and Son would be amazing!

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

So, I'm not sure. No immediate plans (though I might do a little Christmas Carol readalong this December, if I can) - the serialised readalongs were a lot of work and I didn't enjoy reading the novels serially as much as if I had just read it in one go. I also sort of felt a bit discouraged while doing them as not many people watched the readalong videos, but it does seem like more people have watched and used them since, which is nice to know and does change my opinion a bit on them. Basically, I'd like to do another one some time, but I'd have to have more time available in my life to to it!

@sarahg3479

3 жыл бұрын

@@katiejlumsden I wasn't keen on reading serially, so waited until you had finished and then read at my own pace with your videos alongside. Which probably defeats the point of what you were trying to do...! Thanks for all the time you put into them.

Reading Martin Chuzzlewit right now. I've got to say, it's better than I thought it would be!

Thanks for the opinions, and to each his own. My rankings would be much different with David Copperfield and Great Expectations in the first two positions, and The Old Curiosity Shop, Martin Chuzzlewit and The Pickwick Papers in the last 3 positions. Otherwise, the novels placed high here., I generally agree with and likewise many of the lower ranked ones -- except for Nicholas Nickleby.

Love Dombey and Son and Our Mutual Friend. Little Dorrit as well.

Love Dickens! I only have 2 novels left to read, but so far Our Mutual Friend and Bleak House are my favourites.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Hope you enjoy your final two :) Glad to hear you love Our Mutual Friend too.

I have only read A Tale of Two Cities which I really enjoyed so I look forward to reading more Dickens

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Enjoy more Dickens :)

@garywatters11

3 жыл бұрын

Oh I plan too. I have a Bleak House on my immediate TBR, dunno if I’ll get to it in Victober but there’s always November

I read David Copperfield recently and was so wowed by it, I think the reading vlog of that one is just me trying to find words for it 😂

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

It's just such an amazing novel, right?!

Oliver Twist is such a great book.

@chrisreed3385

8 ай бұрын

Not my favourite Dickins work, but I would have ranked it about higher.

I think that Oliver is an interesting character because of his flaws. He is the first child protagonist ever, at least in high modern fiction, and really sets the tone for later child characters penned from dickens through c s Lewis to j k Rowling

I have only read Great expectations and i absolutely loved it what other book would you suggest me to go in with.

@katiejlumsden

2 жыл бұрын

David Copperfield :)

@tanny3403

2 жыл бұрын

@@katiejlumsden Thankyou🤍❤

Surprised Nicholas Nickleby was so far down on your list. I love the karma Dickens deals to those unsavory characters. Have you ever read The wreck of the golden Mary? It’s a good novella, I’d like to hear your take on it.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

I have not, but I must! I really need to read some of his shorter works. Yeah, I just don't love Nicholas Nickleby, and I love the rest so much!

Bleak House (by far my favourite), David Copperfield, Little Dorrit, Our Mutual Friend, Great Expectations and then more or less all the rest.

@katiejlumsden

3 жыл бұрын

Dickens is just so great.