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2024 Update:

Why on earth would I have said that Charles Dickens is predictable? My 2017 self was obviously having a moment of delusion. I don’t think I have ever completely predicted what Dickens was going to do next, and his characters are, in general, nothing if not unique. Other than that shocking opening, I’m not unhappy with my first review of Nicholas Nickleby.

The first read I did alone, this read was with the Dickensians group, and I cannot ever resist saying how much reading with this group enhances the enjoyment and understanding of Dickens�� work. These novels were written as serials and reading them that way and discussing both the book and the times in which it was written is an experience always worth having. If there are libraries in Heaven, Jean is going to be appointed head librarian and teacher extraordinaire.

Of course, having now read Nicholas with the group, I must update my 4-star rating to 5-stars. Whenever I am tempted to give a Dickens�� novel less than 5-stars, it is probably a failing in me and not in Charles.

2017 Review:
I’m really not sure why I like Dickens so much. He is predictable, there will be coincidences that could never happen in the real world, and in the end everyone will get their just deserts except for the poor, sad creature who is destined to see heaven ahead of his time. Ah, but he does it with so much style and panache. He creates characters you are seldom ambivalent about, dastardly villains you can feel no compassion for, and good people who restore your faith in humanity.

In Nicholas Nickleby, as in all his novels, Dickens has a full grasp of the class system of his time and the conditions of the poor. He never fails to illustrate that money brings its own unhappiness for some, and that true value is found in character and dignity, devotion and love. When a Dickens character is at the mercy of the world, you can bet he will see the worst and best sides of humanity rearing their heads.

Nicholas Nickleby has its share of Dickens humor as well. Mrs. Nickleby is a bit of a buffoon, who is saved from herself by the good sense of her children. I will admit that there are times when she is almost too much. There is Newman Noggs, who is sure to remain a favorite for me because he is good without any obligation to be so. He gives from a position in which there is very little to be given and made me chuckle more than once when snipping at the horrible Uncle Ralph. I dare say, most of us would hoard our coins and protect our position in Nogg’s situation, and yet he puts his neck and meager fortune on the line for friendship.

We should all like to think that somewhere in our world there are people like Charles and Ned Cheeryble. They live up to their names, for no two cheerier people could there be in this world and they certainly spread the cheer everywhere. They seem to be proof that goodness is its own reward.

Another thing I love about Dickens, his ability to touch upon the thin divide between our world and that of the departed. ”It is an exquisite and beautiful thing in our nature, that when the heart is touched and softened by some tranquil happiness or affectionate feeling, the memory of the dead comes over it most powerfully and irresistibly. I t would almost seem as though our better thoughts and sympathies were charms, in virtue of which the soul is enable to hold some vague and mysterious intercourse with the spirits of those whom we dearly loved in life.�� I found this observation remarkably accurate.

I have discovered that reading Dickens slowly brings out the best in his writing. I languished over his descriptions of people and places and took my time over his hilarious conversations. If you pay close attention, you can see 1840s London through his eyes. The lessons of his time are the lesson of today, where so many seem to think money and possessions outweigh personal connections and love of humanity. It is good for the soul to read Dickens.

Up next, some Christmas stories and the annual reading of A Christmas Carol. Next year I am planning to fit in three more Dickens novels: Hard Times, Little Dorrit and Pickwick Papers. It is going slowly, but that is fine, since it means there will be Dickens�� yet to come for a long, long time.