A Review

I finally ran out of interesting titles (for the moment...) so I just called this "A Review."
I finished Little Dorrit, so now that I'm finished singing "One Day More" every time I get on the computer...

I loved it.  I will definitely read more of Dickens' works- in fact, I've already started in on A Tale Of Two Cities.  But before I get too off track, I'll go into what I liked and what I didn't about this book.
I LOVED the main character.  Little Dorrit was so sweet, caring, and giving, and she really loved her family even when they all looked down on her.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."  (NIV)
 -1 Corinthians 13:4–8a

Little Dorrit seems to embody that.  She's forgiving, loving, patient, kind...I could go through the entire list showing how she has each of those characteristics, but I don't want to give anything away.  Those of you who have read the book know how sweet she is, and those who haven't should read it without any further delay.

Arthur Clennam immediately jumped to my favorite heroes list.  (Still have to do a post on that, hmmmm...)  He pities Little Dorrit and, although he has some flaws (like being completely clueless about people's emotions), he is an upright, honorable, kind man and one that I'd love to know.

Edmund Sparkler was rather...well, for lack of a better word I'd have to say funny, but it isn't that.  It's more like...cute, maybe?  Anyway, I found him to be good comic relief- which is sorely needed in Little Dorrit.

I didn't like Fanny or Tip- Tip because he just didn't show up often enough for me to get to know him, and Fanny because she didn't seem evil.  I mean, occasionally I'd get annoyed with her, but mostly I just despised her.  Maybe it's because of the movie...I should see that soon.  :)

Mr. Dorrit...ugh.  Just ugh.  ;)

Blandois?  Yikes!  That guy was creepy- I was literally yelling at Dickens, "Come on!  Tell me what he's going to do already!"  My family thought I was crazy, but it seemed to work.  ;)

The little side story of Tattycoram was sweet and I really liked the lesson in it.

'O, Mrs Clennam, Mrs Clennam,' said Little Dorrit, 'angry feelings and unforgiving deeds are no comfort and no guide to you and me. My life has been passed in this poor prison, and my teaching has been very defective; but let me implore you to remember later and better days. Be guided only by the healer of the sick, the raiser of the dead, the friend of all who were afflicted and forlorn, the patient Master who shed tears of compassion for our infirmities. We cannot but be right if we put all the rest away, and do everything in remembrance of Him. There is no vengeance and no infliction of suffering in His life, I am sure. There can be no confusion in following Him, and seeking for no other footsteps, I am certain.' 

I don't think Dickens was a Christian, but Little Dorrit was!

The main thing I didn't like about Little Dorrit was that the characters and plot sometimes felt contrived- I felt like Dickens had just created them to get his point across and that they wouldn't  "live on" after I'd closed the book.  Sometimes the characters just weren't real enough for me, and I felt like the author didn't care about them.  And if the author doesn't care about a character, how is that character going to survive?

Well, that's my take on Little Dorrit.  If you're interested, you can read it online here, and if you want it free on Kindle, it's here. 

Notes:  I have a LOT of post ideas, if I can just get them written down.  I'm going to do a top ten favorite heroes post, a TSP34 review, a Jeeves and Wooster review (I'm reading through these and laughing hysterically at them!), a post on my favorite secondary characters, and a post on the most controversial subject of them all... *Cackles diabolically*
Really, it's going to be controversial if past experiences are any judge.  I'll leave you in suspense for a while though...;)
Please comment and tell me what you think and what you'd like to hear next!  Maybe I'll do a poll later...
-Miss Jane Bennet