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bernab's review against another edition
3.0
It is like a collection of short stories. I liked all of them but some were more exciting, still a good read.
allylu's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a very interesting concept - to have 4 writers collaborate on one book. I had read Wilkie Collins before and, of course Dickens. The poet was also easy to spot. All the pieces fit so well and made for a lively story. I recommend it. And it's only 93 pages!
nadyne's review against another edition
3.0
Other thoughts/reviews:
Iris on Books: http://irisonbooks.com/2010/11/23/a-house-to-let-by-charles-dickens-wilkie-collins-elizabeth-gaskell-and-adelaide-anne-procter/
Iris on Books: http://irisonbooks.com/2010/11/23/a-house-to-let-by-charles-dickens-wilkie-collins-elizabeth-gaskell-and-adelaide-anne-procter/
bookhound's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story written by several of my favorite 19th century novelists. I wish I could see them collaborating in person! A puzzling series of stories that come together in a mystery. The audio narrated by Michael Ward is a delight.
cheshta's review
4.0
First published in the year 1858 in Dickens' magazine- Household Works, "A House to Let" is a collaborative work involving chapters from Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Anne Procter. While the first 3 remain well known to this day, Procter has been quite forgotten; although her poetry was quite famous in her own time, in fact, she was Queen Victoria's favourite poet!
Its a novella about Sophonisba, an old lady who is advised by her doctor to get a change of air and scenery. She thus decides to lodge in London for some months. However, she soon finds herself worrying about the story of the House opposite to her's which is 'not to let'. Her long-time admirer Jarber and faithful servant Trottle are employed by her to find out the mystery of the House.
A cozy mystery with an amazing build-up and satisfying end, even if some parts were quite disjointed and sad. The first and last chapters are written jointly by Dickens and Collins. Though I am yet to read Collins' works, I loved their joint forces in writing! The second chapter, my favourite, is written by Gaskell (I hadn't read her before either). The third chapter is by Dickens and is the odd-one-out because it didn't really flow smoothly with the other chapters but it was thoughtful, pondering, and thus quite enjoyable in a different way. Fourth chapter is a sad poem by Procter which I'm sure I need to re-read to grasp its full depth but otherwise, I very much liked it! Lastly, Collins contributed the fifth chapter which brings us to the resolution and was quite pleasant to read.
I'm so glad that we decided to read it as a part of #DickensDecember! I particularly loved the characters Mr Openshaw and Jarber. I must say that most of the main characters felt very Dickensian and I adored them for that! The mention of dates and the overall feel of the story made it easy to connect it with Christmas.
Its a novella about Sophonisba, an old lady who is advised by her doctor to get a change of air and scenery. She thus decides to lodge in London for some months. However, she soon finds herself worrying about the story of the House opposite to her's which is 'not to let'. Her long-time admirer Jarber and faithful servant Trottle are employed by her to find out the mystery of the House.
A cozy mystery with an amazing build-up and satisfying end, even if some parts were quite disjointed and sad. The first and last chapters are written jointly by Dickens and Collins. Though I am yet to read Collins' works, I loved their joint forces in writing! The second chapter, my favourite, is written by Gaskell (I hadn't read her before either). The third chapter is by Dickens and is the odd-one-out because it didn't really flow smoothly with the other chapters but it was thoughtful, pondering, and thus quite enjoyable in a different way. Fourth chapter is a sad poem by Procter which I'm sure I need to re-read to grasp its full depth but otherwise, I very much liked it! Lastly, Collins contributed the fifth chapter which brings us to the resolution and was quite pleasant to read.
I'm so glad that we decided to read it as a part of #DickensDecember! I particularly loved the characters Mr Openshaw and Jarber. I must say that most of the main characters felt very Dickensian and I adored them for that! The mention of dates and the overall feel of the story made it easy to connect it with Christmas.
tarajoy90's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lachesisreads's review
4.0
A House to let is a novella-length mystery collaboration between Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Wilkie Collins and Adelaide Anne Procter. Despite these Victorian heavyweight authors, it is, I believe, pretty unknown. It's certainly nearly impossible to track down in print as a single volume, although I am sure you could probably find it in a collection of Dickens' shorter fiction. I read the free public-domain version available for the Kindle.
And it's so undeservedly forgotten! It's a really fun and fast read with an intriguing mystery at its core. Guessing who wrote which part added to the fun, although I find I was pretty wrong about most of it.
And it's so undeservedly forgotten! It's a really fun and fast read with an intriguing mystery at its core. Guessing who wrote which part added to the fun, although I find I was pretty wrong about most of it.
lnatal's review
4.0
I am reading it as an e-book at Gutenberg Project.
Contents:
Over the Way
The Manchester Marriage
Going into Society
Three Evenings in the House
Trottle’s Report
Let at Last
Page 5:
All at once—in the first-floor window on my right—down in a low corner, at a hole in a blind or a shutter—I found that I was looking at a secret Eye.
Page 28:
“O, sir, you must go. You must not stop a minute. If he comes back he will kill you.”
Page 52:
Or, to put it in plainer terms still, the subject was no other than the mystery of the empty House.
Page 67:
To make short of a long story—and what story would not be long, coming from the lips of an old woman like me, unless it was made short by main force!—I bought the House.
Contents:
Over the Way
The Manchester Marriage
Going into Society
Three Evenings in the House
Trottle’s Report
Let at Last
Page 5:
All at once—in the first-floor window on my right—down in a low corner, at a hole in a blind or a shutter—I found that I was looking at a secret Eye.
Page 28:
“O, sir, you must go. You must not stop a minute. If he comes back he will kill you.”
Page 52:
Or, to put it in plainer terms still, the subject was no other than the mystery of the empty House.
Page 67:
To make short of a long story—and what story would not be long, coming from the lips of an old woman like me, unless it was made short by main force!—I bought the House.
pao986's review
4.0
4-
"Fu così che la prima volta che guardai la casa sfitta, da quando ero divenuta sua dirimpettaia, avevo su i miei occhiali. [...]
Sapevo già che era una casa con dieci stanze, molto sporca, e molto fatiscente; che le ringhiere erano arrugginite e si stavano scrostando; che c'erano vetri rotti alle finestre, e macchie di fango su altri vetri, a cui i ragazzi avevano mirato; [...] che le finestre erano tutte chiuse da persiane cadenti, o tapparelle, o entrambe; che i manifesti 'Affittasi' si erano accartocciati, come se l'aria umida del posto avesse fatto venir loro i crampi; o erano caduti negli angoli come fossero morti. [...]
Tutt'a un tratto - alla finestra del primo piano, sulla mia destra - in un angolo in basso, attraverso un buco in una persiana o una tapparella - mi accorsi di star guardando un occhio nascosto."
Premesso che un quadro critico e ben articolato su quest'opera e i suoi autori viene fatto nella bellissima introduzione di Camilla Caporicci, che dire su questo breve racconto fatto di racconti?
Anzitutto che voleva essere il consiglio di lettura 'ottobrin-hallowiniana' che invece si è svelato come perfetto racconto da consigliare per un Natale con un bel tocco di suspense. La cornice narrativa creata da Dickens e Collins - una anziana signora che, vedendo un fantomatico occhio apparire nella casa sfitta dirimpetto la sua dimora londinese, viene presa da un'ansia incoercibile che può essere placata solo scoprendo che mistero eventualmente quella casa celi - si adatta bene a contenere quattro racconti (quattro storie di 'fanstami passati', se vogliamo) che svelano la storia della casa sfitta.
Il quadro che viene fuori è armonioso, sebbene ogni autore non rinunci al suo stile peculiare (il capitolo scritto dalla Procter è in poesia), e offre un quadro ben delineato della società vittoriana, dei suoi valori, delle sue contraddizioni, oltre che - chiaramente - una serie di 'ritratti umani' che mostrano empatia, bontà, gentilezza, ma anche crudeltà, grettezza, piccolezza. Il tutto poi è raccontato in modo che mai si perda la suspense, la tensione riguardo al mistero che avvolge la casa, fino al disvelamento nei capitoli finali.
Direi bravi agli autori, ma stiamo parlando di Dickens, Gaskell (e la pletora di sfighe che accompagnano i suoi personaggi), Procter e Collins... il 'bravi!' è quasi scontato.
"Fu così che la prima volta che guardai la casa sfitta, da quando ero divenuta sua dirimpettaia, avevo su i miei occhiali. [...]
Sapevo già che era una casa con dieci stanze, molto sporca, e molto fatiscente; che le ringhiere erano arrugginite e si stavano scrostando; che c'erano vetri rotti alle finestre, e macchie di fango su altri vetri, a cui i ragazzi avevano mirato; [...] che le finestre erano tutte chiuse da persiane cadenti, o tapparelle, o entrambe; che i manifesti 'Affittasi' si erano accartocciati, come se l'aria umida del posto avesse fatto venir loro i crampi; o erano caduti negli angoli come fossero morti. [...]
Tutt'a un tratto - alla finestra del primo piano, sulla mia destra - in un angolo in basso, attraverso un buco in una persiana o una tapparella - mi accorsi di star guardando un occhio nascosto."
Premesso che un quadro critico e ben articolato su quest'opera e i suoi autori viene fatto nella bellissima introduzione di Camilla Caporicci, che dire su questo breve racconto fatto di racconti?
Anzitutto che voleva essere il consiglio di lettura 'ottobrin-hallowiniana' che invece si è svelato come perfetto racconto da consigliare per un Natale con un bel tocco di suspense. La cornice narrativa creata da Dickens e Collins - una anziana signora che, vedendo un fantomatico occhio apparire nella casa sfitta dirimpetto la sua dimora londinese, viene presa da un'ansia incoercibile che può essere placata solo scoprendo che mistero eventualmente quella casa celi - si adatta bene a contenere quattro racconti (quattro storie di 'fanstami passati', se vogliamo) che svelano la storia della casa sfitta.
Il quadro che viene fuori è armonioso, sebbene ogni autore non rinunci al suo stile peculiare (il capitolo scritto dalla Procter è in poesia), e offre un quadro ben delineato della società vittoriana, dei suoi valori, delle sue contraddizioni, oltre che - chiaramente - una serie di 'ritratti umani' che mostrano empatia, bontà, gentilezza, ma anche crudeltà, grettezza, piccolezza. Il tutto poi è raccontato in modo che mai si perda la suspense, la tensione riguardo al mistero che avvolge la casa, fino al disvelamento nei capitoli finali.
Direi bravi agli autori, ma stiamo parlando di Dickens, Gaskell (e la pletora di sfighe che accompagnano i suoi personaggi), Procter e Collins... il 'bravi!' è quasi scontato.
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