AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens, Peter Ackroyd ISBN: 0-7493-0754-4 Publisher: Heinemann Pub. Date: April, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.50

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 3.68 (22 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Another Character Gallery from Dickens
Comment: The Old Curiosity Shop certainly displays the hallmarks of the unstructured, free-flowing make-it-up-as-you-go-along type of story characteristic of Dickens's early novels. Indeed, it is rather generous to call it a story, and it's difficult now to understand the sensation it caused when it was first published. However, if a page-turning plot was all there was to it, very few of Dickens's novels would be readable at all. As ever with Dickens, the pleasure in reading this book comes from the comedy, diversity and richness of the characters, as well as the sheer mastery of the English language which came so naturally to him.

The central characters are old Trent, his granddaughter Nell, the moneylender Daniel Quilp, young Kit and the wonderful Richard Swiveller. Of these, the spotlessly pure Nell and the irredeemably evil Quilp are the moral opposites around which the book revolves, old Trent is rather a pathetic figure, while Kit's sturdy progress from poverty to respectability makes for happier reading. However, it is the moral journey of Swiveller, which perhaps reflects the geographic journey undertaken by Nell and her grandfather, which is the real joy of this book. He enters the book in the guise of a rogue, involved in dubious intrigues with Nell's no-good brother and also with the repulsive Quilp. However, from the time that Quilp gets him a job as a clerk in the office of Samson Brass and his sister, the awful Miss Brass, Swiveller's basic decency and natural good humour begin to reveal themselves, and his soliloquies and dialogue provide many hilarious moments from that point on. The Dick Swiveller who subsequently meets up with the hapless young girl kept prisoner by Miss Brass is funny, considerate, charming and kind, and a long way from the doubtful type of character that he at first appears to be.

The book proceeds along two different narrative lines; one which charts the progress of Nell and her grandfather on their long journey, and the other revolving around Swiveller, Quilp and Kit, and to a lesser extent the families of these latter two, as well as "the single gentleman" and the little girl memorably christened "The Marchioness" by Swiveller. One of the big faults I found with this dual structure is that the characters of one plot line have no contact with those in the other plot line for most of the novel, and it is left to the Quilp, Swiveller and Kit to act out most of the drama. Nell and her grandfather spend most of their time journeying through various scenes of early nineteenth century life in England. Nonetheless these all make for enjoyable reading. One particular scene where Nell and her grandfather sleep beside a furnace in the company of a wretched man who watches the flames is particularly memorable.

All in all, it's not exactly a page-turner, and the ending is not a happy one. I would not recommend this book as an introduction to Dickens, and is best read by people, like myself, who have already decided that anything by Dickens is worth reading. Also it focuses less on London than many Dickens novels, and gives an interesting view of rural, village and town life outside London in those times.

Rating: 4
Summary: Most Dickensian Novel That Still Captures Our Imagination
Comment: Of all what Dickens wrote, there never was one like "Old Curiosity Shop." Most Dickensian in the sense that it exudes everything he created in his career. Outrageous characters including an angelic heroine and impossibly theatrical villain, (too) kind-hearted gentlemen and hilarious comic relief.

The story follows the fate of Little Nell, who together with his grandfather embarks on a wandering trek through England to find her place where they can live quietly. Around her and her old friend Kit appear the colorful characters such as incredibly cheerful, optimistic Dick Swiveller, or grotesque, villainous Quilp (who somehow attracted a pretty lady's attention for he got married!) On top of them, you encounter a lot of vividly described characters only Dickens can create.

As the novel started as a short vignette in a magazine, and then Dickens extended it, following his imagination, to boost the readers' subscription (because the magazine's circulation dropped badly after the initial issue), the plot is very thin, and the whole work is incoherent. The first-person narrator who opens the story disappears soon; Nell's brother Fred is gone almost silently ("Did Little Nell have a brother?" those who had read it may say. So unmemorable.); even Kit, who adores Nell deep in his heart at first, seems to forget her existence before Barbara, his love, after Nell ran away from her house. But all these flaws must be forgotten. Dickens wrote it without a prepared plan; he just used his creative power, and his double plot device, which is awkward, is an inevitable result. It is like some TV sitcoms or dramas (like "Ally McBeal" or "X-Files") that keep on running for years -- you never know where it is going.

So read it slowly, turn your blind eye to the holes in the plot, and enjoy the characters. One of the most favorite episodes was once the last scene of Little Nell, for whom every Victorian actually shed tears, but you might now feel differently about a series of sentimental sentences. Well, remember it was how they felt at that time. And don't miss one very good thing about the book; it is the budding love between the most unlikely couple in the history of English literature, that of Dick Swiveller and the Marchioness, an abused little girl. That comsenpates for the shortcomings of "Old Curiosity Book," most gargantuan novel coming from Dickens's imaginative power.

There are many editions of the book, and as far as I know, EVERYMAN "PAPERBACK" EDITION provides complete, clear-cut original illustartion. Watching them is another joy you can have.

Rating: 4
Summary: Tear Jerker, Victorian Style
Comment: Every night grandfather slips out ...for what purpose? How Daniel Quilp would like to know. For Quilp, a prototype of Fagin, has fronted Grandfather money and grandfather has lost it all. Poor Nell. How she suffers. The two are evicted from their home and shop and take to the highways and byways of Merry Olde England, pursued by Quilp who would like to see them tossed in the debtor's prison. Those who hate the old stories with the 'happily ever after ending' will find relief here. The ending is a bit sappy and sad.