The Old Curiosity Shop (Charles Dickens, 1841)

(555 pages)

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.