I was much interested in this particular Dickens work - partly because of the descriptions in his biography of readers in America - as installations of the serialized book reached American shores, supposedly crowds on the waterfront were shouting "What happened to Little Nell?"
But in the story arc, I found Little Nell a bit flat. And her grandfather a bit annoying.
Swiveller - an unexpected role! The schoolmaster plays a key role. The "small servant" at the law firm, also. Kit (and his mother), Barbara (and her mother).
The dwarf (Quilp) - drove a lot of action; mostly comic character. Nell's unkind brother. The two lawyers aren't very nice.
I read this immediately after the Joseph Conrad novel described below. OK the two authors are going for different things. But the difference in character-drawing is so striking. Dickens characters often one-dimensional, but he's effective at driving a plot using this. Conrad characters so much more balanced, complicated.
These are just enjoyable reads.
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