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A review by katykelly
The Old Curiosity Shop: A Tale by Charles Dickens
3.0
3.5 stars.
I try and audioread a Dickens or two every year. I'd been holding back on this one, it's not one I knew from films or culture and I knew it's a sad one.
its very long too, but its easy to relish Dickens' convoluted and well constructed sentences. I didn't find it so easy to like the main characters, Nell and her grandfather. Put upon, good hearted and created for sympathy, I found their story mawkish and overly sentimental, though the audio narrator (though good) overly pushed this.
The minor characters were those I looked forward to seeing again - fantastically devilish Quilp, the Marchioness and the sniggersomely-named Dick Swiveller, and the Thenardier-like Brasses. They were great, some funny scenes, all much more lovely than Nell.
Nell is just too perfect and martyr-like. Never complaining, forgiving, drove me mad.
There's a lot of Victorian poverty here a mystery Gentleman whose identity these days would easily be guessed into the plot, but back them his role and would probably have been much more of a surprise.
It will never be one of my favourites, but I'm glad to be more familiar with it and some wonderful minor characters, who brought it to life and kept me listening.
I try and audioread a Dickens or two every year. I'd been holding back on this one, it's not one I knew from films or culture and I knew it's a sad one.
its very long too, but its easy to relish Dickens' convoluted and well constructed sentences. I didn't find it so easy to like the main characters, Nell and her grandfather. Put upon, good hearted and created for sympathy, I found their story mawkish and overly sentimental, though the audio narrator (though good) overly pushed this.
The minor characters were those I looked forward to seeing again - fantastically devilish Quilp, the Marchioness and the sniggersomely-named Dick Swiveller, and the Thenardier-like Brasses. They were great, some funny scenes, all much more lovely than Nell.
Nell is just too perfect and martyr-like. Never complaining, forgiving, drove me mad.
There's a lot of Victorian poverty here a mystery Gentleman whose identity these days would easily be guessed into the plot, but back them his role and would probably have been much more of a surprise.
It will never be one of my favourites, but I'm glad to be more familiar with it and some wonderful minor characters, who brought it to life and kept me listening.