It was delightful, though sometimes grim: just what one would expect from Dickens. It was like taking a mental multivitamin. I just felt smarter while reading it.
I loved the characterization: the clerk who pulls on his hair and makes it stand on end to reflect his mood, the rich patriarch with a serene bald head and long silver fringe, the bizarre old aunt who comes up with outrageous invective. Many of the characters are described as greasy or filthy, such that I would have felt relieved to read about some good scrubbings and washings.
The message of selfless duty to others is a good one, but a bit discouraging. I'm not sure I want to spend too much time thinking about wearing myself out in the service of others.
You DO wear yourself out in the service of others. Remember, you are a mother!
ReplyDeleteI'm having fun reading through your reviews. I tried reading Tale of Two Cities twice and have never made it through—too much description for me. However, I've recently watched several Masterpiece Theater productions of Dickens' novels. I love them, so I'm giving Dickens' another chance. Bleak House was fantastic, I'm currently enjoying Great Expectations, and I'm going to read Little Dorrit next. I now appreciate how Dickens really paints a picture.
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