What I'm Reading Now:

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Pickwick Papers

Title: The Pickwick Papers

Author: Charles Dickens

Pages: 24 discs (Read 10 1/2)

Genre: Classic

Grade: D

Synopsis:  Mr. Samuel Pickwick is a retired businessman and bachelor that is ready to do a little traveling and have some adventures.  He forms the Pickwick Club and he and is fellow Pickwickians form a corresponding society to report back about their journeys and travels. 

My Review: Well,  this may not be fair because I actually didn't finish the book.  I don't remember the last time that I didn't finish a book, but this one was so long, it had been checked out from library for more than 2 months and I just didn't have it in me to keep trudging.  Generally, this book is well-liked, but I found it quite dry (with a little bit of humor here and there) and I had a hard time following along.  A few times I reviewed summaries of the chapters to get a better idea of the plot, but I was never sucked in to the stories.  If I make it through my current 'to-read' list, and once I've read a few of Dickens' other works then I'm willing to give this one another shot.

1 comment:

Stephen Jarvis said...

Hi
I have been searching for Pickwick Papers enthusiasts online – and obviously, as you didn’t finish Pickwick, I can’t count you among the book’s fans. Nonetheless, I decided to leave a comment on your blog, because you spoke of your willingness to give The Pickwick Papers another try – and I wanted to suggest a possible route back into Pickwick to you, via another book.
You see, I have written a novel, called Death and Mr Pickwick, which tells the story of Pickwick’s origins and subsequent history. In my opinion, The Pickwick Papers has the most amazing “backstory” of any work of literature. My novel will be published in May by Random House (in the UK) and in June by Farrar, Straus & Giroux (in the USA). You can find out more at:
www.deathandmrpickwick.com
Anyway, I do hope you will give my book a look, and then perhaps give The Pickwick Papers one more chance.
Best wishes
Stephen Jarvis