Little Dorrit

Whenever I start a Charles Dickens book, I get bogged down in the first few chapters. But I always slog my way through, because I end up immersed in the book and thoroughly enjoying it. This was again the case with Little Dorrit. Many characters were introduced early in the book, and I did not understand what role they would play. Each one ended up being critical to the overarching plot of the story. Little Dorrit and Arthur Clennam are lovely central characters, good-hearted and mostly hopeful among the clueless, callous, and downright cruel others who surround their lives.