Victorians! discussion

Published in November 1865
For discussion of these chapters

I have finished and thought the conclusion of ending where we somewhat started a wonderful one. How judgmental society was and I think Dickens disdain for society was quite evident in the last chapter.

How very charming that it was all a game with John and the Boffins. I myself might have been annoyed to be played as Bella was, but she took it well and ultimately did get her wish to marry a wealthy man. So glad that money did not change Mr Boffin. He and his wife were the most admirable characters in this book.

Bradley and Riderhood met their fate together as the miscreants they were. Seemed pretty fitting to me that they died not only together but in the water from which the story sprung.

I was too, Jackie. I still could not figure her out though, very strange presence in this book.

I just finished the book and really enjoyed it. I also appreciated everyone's comments and the summary posts.

I was happy that Jenny ended up with Sloppy. A nice touch by Dickens.

All in all, a fun read, albeit very long.

Sera, so glad you enjoyed the book. I think we got to know Dickens a bit better through reading this 900+ page book. Thanks for reading along with us!

Thank you! As a result of this book, my fondness for Dickens has grown.

Finished it! I don't have too much to say, because honestly, this being my first Dickens, I am a bit overwhelmed with the entire story and I know there are things I missed and I will have to read this book again.

But I do have 2 things to say, first and foremost, hooray for Twemlow! I'm so glad he was able to have his say and just at the end. What a bonus, especially since I'd so been enjoying Twemlow all through the book.

In chapter 12 I was thinking about how tired I am of the storyline of having a male being mysterious and a woman having to "prove" herself by standing next to him no matter what. I was thinking how I have never seen this with the gender roles reversed. And then I remember that I recently read a book that is exactly like this, in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. It just reminded me of exactly how progressive Anne Bronte was.

I am not sure I would've been able to finish this book without it being a group read. Reading everyone's thoughts really helped me to make it through. I'm looking forward to doing other Victorian reads this way.

Kelly wrote: "Finished it! I don't have too much to say, because honestly, this being my first Dickens, I am a bit overwhelmed with the entire story and I know there are things I missed and I will have to read ..."

Yay, Kelly! I hope that we make a Dickens fan out of you. I really enjoyed reading this book in a group setting, too. I'm looking forward to reading Villette with this group.

....and we are looking forward to having you with us too!

:)