Reading the Classics discussion

Please discuss chapter 27 to the end of Book Two, which is also the end of the book. Thanks!

I just finished and I found it to have been a very satisfactory read. I liked the happy ending too.

Hi Catherine! I also just finished, and thanks for the audiobook recommendation - it made part 2 so much better and I really ended up getting into the book!

I agree that the book turned into a very satisfying read, but was a hair disappointed with the ending because it seemed too rushed to me. The whole book was a very slow, meandering pace, then at the end everything just worked out magically and very quickly. Almost like he didn't include enough of the book in the previous installments and had one installment left in which to wrap up all of the loose ends.

I liked HOW it ended (yay happy endings!) Just wish we would have gotten a bit more than the quick and contrived wrap-up.

Kaycie wrote: "Hi Catherine! I also just finished, and thanks for the audiobook recommendation - it made part 2 so much better and I really ended up getting into the book!

I agree that the book turned into a ve..."

Good points Kaycie. I will concede that it was rather abrupt. Have you watched the BBC series? I really liked it too.

I have not watched the BBC series yet, but do want to find it once I have a bit more time! :-)

Partway through I started listening to an audio book too -- the one narrated by Simon Vance. I've never completely enjoyed and audiobook before, but this one was great! I think Dickens's writing style really lends itself to narration. I'm now working my way through Bleak House, switching between audio and text. :)

I agree that the ending of Little Dorritt was rushed, especially for such a long novel! The conclusion was far fetched and just. not. convincing. I also didn't buy into the whole meek & submissive heroine bit -- I didn't find Little Dorrit to be a believable or even a particularly admirable character. She lucked out when her papa passed away and was fortunate that Tip didn't try to meddle with her life. I suppose there's no need to assert yourself when you can quietly have the stars align for you. ;) Overall, though, I'm glad that I read the book. I did appreciate Dickens's writing style, the social commentary, and the many secondary plots & characters. I'll have to search for the BBC series!

I've just got to the part where Mr Dorrit dies. I wasn't expecting that -- it came on so suddenly! So now to see how that affects our heroine.
I really want to see how long it takes for Arthur to realize Amy could be more than a dear friend.
Well, at least daddy won't be pressuring her to find a husband now.
I want more Arthur-Amy interaction. Get these two in the same location!
But I see by the comments that Dickens will keep the romance part hanging til the very end. Like he did with Bleak House.

E :) wrote: "Partway through I started listening to an audio book too -- the one narrated by Simon Vance. I've never completely enjoyed and audiobook before, but this one was great! I think Dickens's writing st..."

Glad you also enjoyed that audio book. Funny you should mention Bleak House since I am leaning heavily towards that one for my next classic read and plan to alternate between audio and ebook too. Matter of fact, I think I am going to go pluck that out of my Audible wishlist right now and get started on it. I am not really interested in the pick for February. :-)

Can someone explain to me Mrs. Clennam's part in the Dorrit's financial distress - something about Frederick? It was such a convoluted confession, I don't think I understood the Dorrit connection beyond the fact that Frederick had encouraged Mr. Clennam's lover to become a singer.

"Bosom" is used several times but the meaning is lost on me. Anyone have a clue? For example: "Mrs. Merdle...conveyed to Mr. Dorrit an idea that the bosom flushed" (p. 716).

Lyn wrote: ""Bosom" is used several times but the meaning is lost on me. Anyone have a clue? For example: "Mrs. Merdle...conveyed to Mr. Dorrit an idea that the bosom flushed" (p. 716)."

I thought that 'the bosom' referred to Mrs. Merdle herself - the symbol of her entire pompous image and status.

Trudy - I think that a thousand guineas was left by Arthur's Uncle in his will as he felt guilty about the woman his nephew had loved. Because Arthur's mother had died, he left it to the youngest daughter of the man who had helped her (i.e. Frederick Dorrit) or if he had no daughters, the youngest daughter of his brother - i.e. Little Dorrit.

Personally, I thought the book pretty meh and it confirmed all the reasons that had put me off reading the enormous Dickens novels that had shamed me on the bookstore shelves. Not encouraged to explore further.

Oh - and how did the Clennam's house explode?

My GR review - 3 stars

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I found this book infuriating. It veered between being rated 5 stars and 2 stars and I ended up giving 3 because I was so desperate for it to finish that I couldn't justify giving 4. The problem is that there is simply only enough plot and action and interest for a book a third of its size. Had it been 300-400 pages long this might have been an excellent book, but at 950 pages, it's like wallowing through cold mud. Apart from Little Dorrit herself (and her Uncle) the Dorrits themselves are insufferable, only getting more so when they grow rich; in fact almost all of the characters are annoyingly horrible - and not in a smart witty anti-hero way like Becky Sharp, but just irritating.

It's confirmed so many of the prejudices that had put me off reading Dickens' classic doorstops for so long: overwritten, sentimental, stereotypes instead of characters, that awful phonetic way of writing accents, expanding events to 20 times their necessary length, baggy plot with threads that go absolutely nowhere. Let's just say that this hasn't encouraged me to explore Dickens further.

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Phil wrote: "Trudy - I think that a thousand guineas was left by Arthur's Uncle in his will as he felt guilty about the woman his nephew had loved. Because Arthur's mother had died, he left it to the youngest d..."
Thanks, a friend pointed me to a helpful website that explained that confusing and convoluted confession!
The crumbling of the house reminded me of Poe's House of Usher. It makes for great symbolism, but can't be very realistic. The timing was too impeccable. Those rafters and boards were tired of holding up all that evil?