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“Such is hope, Heaven’s own gift to struggling mortals; pervading, like some subtle essence from the skies, all things, both good and bad; as universal as death, and more infectious than disease!��

Another wonderful experience reading slowly through this with the Dickensians! group. Thanks to Jean and all the participating members, I learned a great deal, and the slow pace gave me time to fully appreciate Dickens�� developing style and his dramatic accomplishments.

I also read A Tale of Two Cities this year, and it is interesting to compare the feel of these two. A Tale felt very mature, whereas Nicholas feels younger, each accurately reflecting the age and mindset of the writer. But it astounds me to think he was only in his mid-twenties when he completed this one.

When we meet Nicholas, he is a young man who has lost his father and finds himself in London with his mother and sister, appealing to his Uncle Ralph for assistance. It turns out Ralph is a scoundrel, and sends him to Yorkshire to be an assistant to a tyrannical schoolmaster by the very Dickens-y name of Wackford Squeers. In addition to these two devils, Nicholas also meets with some angels, who endeavor to rescue him, and, as in the Pretty Woman line, Nicholas eventually rescues them right back.

The story is delightfully entertaining, complete with romance and intrigue and laughter and even with elaborate theatrical productions. The characters are dazzling, particularly the sweet Smike, the longsuffering Newman Noggs, the dastardly Sir Mulberry Hawk, the warm John Browdie, and the benevolent Cheeryble brothers. I wanted a little more depth from the females in the story, but in this one, the women play more minor but still memorable roles, from the selfishly rambling Mrs. Nickleby of the beginning to the “Infant Phenomenon�� of the middle to the decrepit housekeeper Peg Sliderskew near the end.

So the adventures of Nicholas Nickleby were by turns nail-biting and heart-warming, making for a very satisfying read. Again, I’m left shaking my head at this author’s greatness, and happily, I have a few more of his works still to experience for the first time.