Author Charles Dickens

[Venusian42]

Sadly I stopped reading Charles Dickens after I read Oliver Twist. There were too many racist remarks by him in that book. There was a blitz against foreigners in Europe at that time. I put the book aside and vowed never again to read his books. He sickens me. I call him Charles Sickens.

[Steve Freeman]

I have read Great Expectations, A tale of two cities, Hard Times and the Old Curiosity Shop. The worst for me is The Old curiosity shop. I really don't understand that book. Charles Dickens is an extremely talented writer. He is very descriptive, however, some sections of the books can be very boring.

I agree. Even though Dickens is my favorite author, I just didn't feel the dramatic tension that way other readers apparently did. An interesting fact, though, is at the time of its publication, "The Old Curiosity Shop" was a huge hit. People in the US lined up along the pier to greet the boat bringing the latest installment and shouted to the passangers, "Is Little Nell still alive?"

I guess some books stand the test of time better than others.

[LittleWilma]

I'm embarrassed to say I've never read A Tale of Two Cities before, but am currently reading it. It's much different than I thought it'd be. It's actually quite funny in places, which I didn't expect. I didn't read the wikipedia writeup or anything like that before starting this book, because I wanted to see it with my own mind, not someone else's ideas. So with that said, I'd better not say too much more about the book, except that it certainly deserves its place in the list of classics.

I read it through for the first time last year. So far, it is my favorite.

-- 19 May 2014, 00:31 --

He is definitely one of my favorites. I have read seven of his novels and quite a few of his short stories. The only negative regarding Dickens, is the difficulty in deciding which of his works to read next.

[amansmith]

I liked a Christmas Carol and I was supposed to read A Tale of Two Cities in school, but I ended up reading the cliff notes. However, I can say that it sounded really interesting from the cliff notes and I wanted to go back and read it. Sadly, I have never gotten around to it.

[LittleWilma]

I liked a Christmas Carol and I was supposed to read A Tale of Two Cities in school, but I ended up reading the cliff notes. However, I can say that it sounded really interesting from the cliff notes and I wanted to go back and read it. Sadly, I have never gotten around to it.

It is definitely worth the time to read. It took me three tries to get through it, but the first two times was with a regular book and the smaller print tired my eyes easily and I just lost interest. The third time was on my Kindle and with my eyes not strained, I got through it rather quickly. I was so glad that I didn't give up on it.

[David Dawson]

Sadly I stopped reading Charles Dickens after I read Oliver Twist. There were too many racist remarks by him in that book. There was a blitz against foreigners in Europe at that time. I put the book aside and vowed never again to read his books. He sickens me. I call him Charles Sickens.

Of all Dickens' books Oliver Twist is (by far) the worst offender in that regard, so if you enjoy his writing otherwise, his other books may sicken you less.

[Smokey]

My favorite Dickens is Bleak House, in which his description of the court system is amazing. He is one of my favorites. Some of the character's names are so clever.

[PashaRu]

My favorite Dickens is Bleak House, in which his description of the court system is amazing. He is one of my favorites. Some of the character's names are so clever.

Glad to know someone else likes Bleak House so much! These days it's not one of his more popular novels. But I do believe it's one of the greatest works in English literature. If I had to choose my favorite Dickens novel, I'd have to say David Copperfield, but Bleak House is a very close second.

I have read all 14 of Dickens' completed novels, some multiple times. I have also read the unfinished The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I agree with the above comments about The Old Curiosity Shop. It's my least favorite. The writing and characters are classic Dickens, but the story seems to lack direction and just wanders and meanders for much of the second half of the book. And it gets a bit too melodramatic and sentimental for my taste.

That having been said, Dickens on his worst day is better than most other writers on their best.

[LittleWilma]

My favorite Dickens is Bleak House, in which his description of the court system is amazing. He is one of my favorites. Some of the character's names are so clever.

You have helped me decide which one to read next.

[Smokey]

My favorite Dickens is Bleak House, in which his description of the court system is amazing. He is one of my favorites. Some of the character's names are so clever.

Glad to know someone else likes Bleak House so much! These days it's not one of his more popular novels. But I do believe it's one of the greatest works in English literature. If I had to choose my favorite Dickens novel, I'd have to say David Copperfield, but Bleak House is a very close second.

I have read all 14 of Dickens' completed novels, some multiple times. I have also read the unfinished The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I agree with the above comments about The Old Curiosity Shop. It's my least favorite. The writing and characters are classic Dickens, but the story seems to lack direction and just wanders and meanders for much of the second half of the book. And it gets a bit too melodramatic and sentimental for my taste.

That having been said, Dickens on his worst day is better than most other writers on their best.

I absolutely agree Dickens is the best. I cannot choose a favorite author as such, but he's my favorite for the time period.

[Alpona]

I have read A tale of two cities and found it to be my first 'book' crush. No other author has had such an impact. Truly a genius!!

[raindropwriter]

Charles Dickens is a much talked about author. I have read A christmas Carol and was an amazing read.

[Jhinuk]

There comes a time in your life when you need to rediscover Dickens. You can't help but admire his cast of lively characters and perhaps find yourself among them! On my reading list- The Pickwick Papers, Bleak House, The Old Curiosity Shop, and of course David Copperfield and Tale of Two Cities, again.

[amen jamir]

I am a great fan of his writings too. Great Expectations is my favorite among his stories.

[RussetDivinity]

I've read a little Dickens and enjoyed him (though I didn't like Great Expectations at first because I had to read it for school). I'd read more, but my sister's a bigger fan, and it's sometimes hard to get her to lend me books.