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lgpiper's review against another edition
2.0
God was this tedious. I suppose if one were an English Lit. major and wanted to delve back into the beginnings of novel writing, this might be an ok place to begin. But if you're just an ordinary person looking for a GoodRead, this book is not likely to satisfy you. The writing style is long-winded and archaic (albeit not so archaic as Shakespeare or Chaucer). The story line, such as it is, is meandering and rather pointless.
It seems that one Roderick Random suffers an almost endless series of misfortunes, most of which are caused by his own fecklessness, but all ends up well in the end thanks to the smiling face of Divine Providence, or something.
The reason I read this book was because it was one of the books that David Copperfield read to the inmates of the school where he landed. Sometimes, getting ideas for other books to read from literature works out as did my having read The Winning of Barbara Worth , thanks to a tip in The Grapes of Wrath . But, as in this case, it led to an unpleasant experience I should best be advised to forget as soon as possible.
It seems that one Roderick Random suffers an almost endless series of misfortunes, most of which are caused by his own fecklessness, but all ends up well in the end thanks to the smiling face of Divine Providence, or something.
The reason I read this book was because it was one of the books that David Copperfield read to the inmates of the school where he landed. Sometimes, getting ideas for other books to read from literature works out as did my having read The Winning of Barbara Worth , thanks to a tip in The Grapes of Wrath . But, as in this case, it led to an unpleasant experience I should best be advised to forget as soon as possible.
chxnty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
lawrenceevalyn's review against another edition
4.0
I'm glad I finally read some Smollett! And I did enjoy it, overall. It has the classic 18thC lack of structure that can also contribute to a lack of consistent character (Rory's passionate undying love is capable of being forgotten for impressive stretches of time) but really what I enjoyed was the glimpse into 18thC social norms and values. The economics were fascinating: the constant recourse to gambling as a reasonable but unexpectedly unsuccessful source of income; the many vicissitudes of fortune!; the way Rory seems to forget that he has actually been trained in a professional skill... the very abrupt and underdeveloped introduction of the slave trade as the only way Rory actually succeeds in turning a profit. The sexual politics were also interesting, especially the brief encounter with the gay Earl Strutwell in ch 51, who annoys Rory but doesn't particularly disgust him. It somewhat hinders my desire to interpret Rory and Strap as being partners: Strap is certainly as devoted as a lover, and they do a lot of sharing of households and of beds, but evidently Rory knows to be on the look-out for queer behaviour and is never alarmed by Strap. All in all, an odd but fascinating book! It makes me curious to see how Smollett changes (or not) in his later works.
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