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ladydewinter's review against another edition
4.0
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed “Nicholas Nickleby”. I blame “Oliver Twist” - I suspect that since he wrote parts of them during the same period, I expected them to be similar. Luckily, I found “Nicholas Nickleby” a lot more entertaining. Because while it’s nowhere as cohesive as his later novels, it reads like an outrageous soap opera with bonus social comedy. And even though he does the same thing every single time, his death scenes make me tear up despite myself.
It’s not as good as “Bleak House” or “Great Expectations“, but I had almost as much fun as reading “David Copperfield”.
I admit at the beginning of this month I was kind of side-eyeing myself because of my Dickens project, but this book gave me reason to go on. And it is still fascinating to stick with one author book after book - at this point, I’ve read about 4,200 pages of Dickens. Now I’m almost at the halfway point, and for now I’ll keep going.
It’s not as good as “Bleak House” or “Great Expectations“, but I had almost as much fun as reading “David Copperfield”.
I admit at the beginning of this month I was kind of side-eyeing myself because of my Dickens project, but this book gave me reason to go on. And it is still fascinating to stick with one author book after book - at this point, I’ve read about 4,200 pages of Dickens. Now I’m almost at the halfway point, and for now I’ll keep going.
bimblinghill's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favourite Dickens novel. It's long and wordy, and although it contains some good characters and scenes, there's not much that he hasn't done better elsewhere.
abradybuysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
themodvictorian's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
martinbihl's review against another edition
4.0
Great. Sure, it's a little uneven, but it's an early novel and he was still learning the craft. But a great novel to start with if you're looking for a place to start with Dickens.
chrisannee's review against another edition
4.0
Loved Mrs. Nickleby's proposal scene. Classic Dickens. I can see why it would be more popular as a film adaptation though. There are tons and tons of side-characters and sub-plots. From my memories of the others that I've read I would almost say that there are more than usual. But I could be wrong.
jmoran4's review against another edition
1.0
Having already read 8 Dickens novels before I got to this one, there was little here that I hadn't already read elsewhere. Which made for a tedious reading experience.
maryelmccoy's review against another edition
4.0
Lately, I am having a thing with Charles Dickens, and this is my favorite of the books I've read so far. Unlike Oliver Twist, who faints at the first sight of danger, Nicholas Nickleby is actually a fairly violent youth. Dickens also does a lot of scandalous class-mixing here, and the book's conclusion was genuinely shocking.