Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

Nicholas Nickleby is left responsible for his mother and sister when his father dies. The novel follows his attempt to succeed in supporting them, despite his uncle Ralph's antagonistic lack of belief in him. It is one of Dickens' early comic novels.

I loved this book. The prose was very different but when you get accustomed to it things even out. His sentences are longer but that's his style. Speaking of, when Dickens spends a passage describing something stark and evil, you feel it, when there is a dramatic and righteous condemnation, it is poetic and cutting. Also this book is FUNNY, once you get a feel for the style and type of humor. I have heard Dickens focuses a lot on the problems with Victorian society too and some of his books can be a downer but Nicholas Nickleby is not a downer. There was a main character to root for, there was hope in the midst of misfortune and that made this book quite enjoyable. The villain is a cruel money lender (an excellent character), and there were loads of entertaining side characters BUT it was unfortunate none of the female characters were given the same dimensionality as the male ones . The books ending was surprising and affecting.

I enjoyed reading this novel and loved the characters and the writing. The ending was satisfying if bittersweet. The plot does meander a bit and I think there are parts that could be left out, but even those parts were enjoyable.