The Pickwick Papers

7/10

My werdick? A wery funny and heart-warming read.

This novel may well be the funniest that I have ever read. I can only think of ‘Mariana’ by Dickens’ granddaughter, Monica, when considering rivals [Please note that at the time of writing this, I had not started ‘The Chronicles of Blarnia] [Later edit – Ignore earlier comment] During the early stages of the book, I was worried that it would mirror ‘Don Quixote’, and contain only unrelated anecdotes, loosely connected by an overarching narrative. However, I had nothing to be concerned about and the digressions and short stories within the book served to elevate it and did not affect its flow. Particularly, it was interesting to observe the foundations of Dicken’s hatred of the legal system, interest in pickpockets, love of Christmas miracles, and meeting shady characters from earlier in a book in a prison towards the end; that would play such prominent roles in his later work. For me, Sam’s interactions with Job Trotter or the surly groom were among the most enjoyable sections, while those involving Allen and Sawyer were least entertaining. Despite some issues with predictable plot points, i.e. the bedroom of the potential future Mrs. Magnus; wide of the mark comedic moments, i.e. Dowler’s wife; or incongruous story moments, i.e. the violent clash of the editors; this novel was humorous and entertaining throughout.