Saturday 2 March 2013

What she was finding also was how one book let to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren't long enough for the reading she wanted to do - Alan Bennett

Over coffee in work this week with a fellow expat, we got to reminiscing about home and the things we miss most. And buy most once back there. It was a no-brainer for me: chocolate, every time. Galaxy is my favourite by far. But the list is long.

There’s something about going into a British supermarket and seeing all the things you no longer see on a regular basis. It’s so much fun to pile everything into your trolley. To pay in British pounds. 

But then the fun is short-lived. The memory of these treats is much stronger than the delight of indulging in them in the present day. 

We decided this was due to the joy an infant experiences from a treat. As opposed to an adult. That treats were less frequent when we were children. That they came from others, rather from ourselves. And that gorging on all the chocolate was not in the spirit of the memory. Whatever the explanation, the experience now is no match for then.

In that spirit, I read Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop.  Now, you know that this was one author on my Classics Club challenge list that was most intimidating.  Since my high school experience.  Which I really disliked.  Whenever I think of Great Expectations, the memories are dark and painful. All hail York Notes for getting my through my exams.

And yet, years later, I’m writing that I really loved this little tale of Nell, Kit and co. It was a surprisingly easy read. It’s short, I know. But still, it was a most pleasant experience. In stark contrast to the expectations I harboured in the shade of my memories.

It has very dark moments. Quilp is a terrifying character. The situation of the grandfather and child appalling. Of Quilp’s wife, tragic. The end comes along a tad abruptly. And not totally satisfactorily, I might say.

But the tale is animated and colourful. And dispatched with lighter treads on the page than I could have conceived. 
Nell is the prematurely wise young orphan trying to protect her much less sagacious grandfather. In their dire need, they meet some reassuringly generous, kind people. And as though to balance out the dire being that is Quilp, there are those whose fortunes enable them to prosper others.
In a very simplistic overview of the whole, it would seem that Dickens buys or sells the idea that evil will not prevail. And that those who suffer will be saved to something better. For the most part.
Having conquered one Dickens, I am drawn to the challenge of his other works.  I remain somewhat cautious, but less intimidated. Maybe The Old Curiosity Shop was just the easiest of his novels to read. Can anyone help me? Guide me? Direct me? Or should I wait another few years before daring to open another Dickens?

8 comments:

  1. I love Dickens. He is among my favorite writers. Great Expectations is my favorite so far with Bleak House being a close second. I think GE would be the place to go next. It's more compact than so many of his other books but still filled with great plot and delightful characters.

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    1. Really? One of your favourites? Well, this experience has been an eye opener. I did GE for A'level and really didn't get along with it. I've got Bleak House on a list of to-reads though after my latest conquest. I hear such good things about it and I'm now a bit more open to Dickens. I will keep you all posted... :0)

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  2. I found u book blogger and I'm glad I did! I loved bleak house back in college - ages ago . I read GE last year and found it a tad tedious. While I love Dickens' outlook I just found the novel too long and too much of a struggle. New follower :)

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    1. Welcome! Glad you share my concerns about GE. Dickens' fundamental ideas are great. I just seemed to get lost in the detail. But I will give BH a go. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  3. I'm glad you liked the story, it is a good one.
    Have you ever read Wilkie Collins?
    I read The Woman in White for a classics book club and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Turned out that Collins and Dickens were good friends and influenced one another very much.

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    1. Hi! No, never read Wilkie Collins. But TWIW has been recommended to me before and is on another reading list of mine. Didn't know WC and CD were friends. Amazing. Can't you just imagine the conversations?? Thanks for your contribution :0)

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  4. I' had the same experience as you. Whenever anything was assigned to me in school, I hated it but loved it when I read it on my own.
    Also, I think we do need to grow up and experience life a little before we can enjoy some books.
    That happened to me with Wuthering Heights. When I first read it I hated it. Years later I came back to it and got it. Now it's one of my favorites.

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    1. I agree that growing up and experiencing life makes a huge difference to our perception of books. Sometimes I think classic books should not be inflicted on youngsters for that reason. You can put them off reading for life which I think somewhat defeats the point...

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