NEW Dickens readalong Dombey and Son - the 2025 Dombeyalong!

I agree that this felt like another filling-in section, with lots of chapters moving on separate bits of the story without it being obvious yet how things link up.

Poor Florence - Susan has been taken away and Edith has been told not to be nice to her. What sort of father tells his new wife not to be nice to his child?! And even worse getting someone else to pass the message on!

I felt in these chapters there were lots of character comparisons. Captain Cuttle being so humble and Mr. Dombey’s pride. Then there was the contrast between Edith and her mother and Good Mrs Brown and her daughter. The similarities in their relationships despite the differences in wealth.

In the last few chapters women are being punished and isolated for showing strength and I think Dickens will put this right in the story … we shall see.

Thanks Piggy

I agree it does feel like Dickens does need to get the plot moving a bit more now. Perhaps a twist incoming?

I'm also hoping Walter comes back as Florence has no one now. Although I'd quite like her to save herself in some way.

I've caught up again. I don't appear to be very good at reading along on time!

Really enjoying reading all your thoughts. I'm hoping Walter is actually ok and on a Caribbean beach somewhere ready to make a reappearance.

Hi all, I don’t have much to add but I wanted to say “thank you” for all the fascinating insights especially around Dickens and what was going on in his life at the time. Have a wonderful weekend

Thanks for the kind words @Terpsichore and @CutFlowers ! It was @Piggywaspushed 's comments that made me start thinking about how needy/dependent Edith is in relation to Florence.

And thanks Terpsichore for the fascinating insights into Dickens' troubled relationship with his mother, and how that spilled over into his work.

Me too - have cancelled my membership!

Thanks @cassandre @Piggywaspushed Piggywaspushed and @Terpsichore for the insights about Florence and Edith and Dickens and mothers.

No, not Owen Teale - it's narrated by David Timson

Is it Owen Teale reading it? @InTheCludgie. If so I agree he does an excellent job. I’m very miffed it’s been removed from the freebie section in audible.

Nothing really to add but agree this was a bit of a 'filler' section. I've switched to audio format as I started falling behind in a big way and its working quite well for me. Bonus is the major is less annoying to listen to than to read!

In a way, maybe Florence is the mother bestowing love, and Edith the daughter. Which means that poor Florence is still being 'parentified' and made to mother a loved one

That's on the nail and a great insight, @cassandre.

The whole question of mothers was so emotionally-charged for Dickens and I can’t help feeling that everything he wrote about mother-child relationships goes back to his own deeply-ambivalent feelings towards his own mother. When he was sent to work at the infamous blacking-factory as a 12-year-old it was his mother who wanted him sent back there when he was sacked - he never forgot it and held it against her for the rest of his life. Despite becoming rich and famous he was always ranting about her uselessness and what an injustice it was that he had to keep bailing out his hopeless parents. Plus of course his sister was the one sent to school rather than him (unusual for the time, actually - but she had a musical talent) so he held that against his mother too, although he was always very close to his sister.

I suspect that helps explain why mothers in his books were often sanctified as impossible ideals of goodness, and hence usually dead, or - like 'Cleopatra' - scheming two-faced social climbers, or, like Mrs Nickleby, terminally stupid.

Every time Florence calls her 'Mama' I have an inner cringe for some reason. It just seems such an ill-fitted term to apply to Edith.

I was also intrigued by Piggy's remark that the 'damaged' Edith might prove to be dangerous for Florence. It's true that love-starved Edith is lavishing all her affection solely on Florence - she has no other friends or real human connection in her life. In a way, maybe Florence is the mother bestowing love, and Edith the daughter. Which means that poor Florence is still being 'parentified' and made to mother a loved one.

Thank you @cassandre

Missing everyone at the moment!

Ha, crossposted with @CutFlowers and @LadybirdDaphne !

Good point Cutflowers about the parallels between Alice and Edith, even though they're at opposite ends of the social spectrum.

And excellent plot summary LadybirdDaphne! I hope you have safe travels.

Best of luck with your course, @FuzzyCaoraDhubh , that sounds intense! I noticed you hadn't been around much of late. I'm glad you're all right though overworked!

I don't have much to add to the novel discussion either, and agree with everyone else that these seem to be largely transition chapters.

The background you've given about Dickens' life at the time is very interesting, @Terpsichore ! I'm not sure how I feel about Dickens' interest in 'fallen' women. It's an excellent cause of course, but it also seems quite paternalistic maybe? I'd like to read more about his life, on the basis of what you say.

@Piggywaspushed I had completely forgotten about the lurking lady under the tree; thanks for the reminder.

I liked the succinct irony of a couple of chapter titles: 'The Happy Pair' (not happy) and 'The Housewarming' (nothing warm about it).

In Ch. 37 ('More Warnings than One'), I found Mr Carker's speech to Edith quite cryptic. His language is so euphemistic and smarmy, I read it a couple of times and still wasn't sure what the warning consisted of. Edith seemed to understand him though. The gist of it seems to be that if Edith wants to keep Florence living in the Dombey house, she needs to make sure that Florence avoids Walter's friends, because Mr Dombey would disapprove of her association with them and would banish Florence from the house if he knew. But maybe there was also a veiled threat that if Edith doesn't behave, Carker might take steps to inform Mr Dombey of Florence's unworthy low-class connections, and facilitate Florence's banishment? I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into things with that last bit.

Anyway Carker is a loathsome bastard and multiple female characters agree on this point!

I read this during long-haul travel - currently in transit through Singapore, back to NZ - can’t remember any detail due to jet lag! Edith was sad; Carker was scheming and trying to put a wedge between Florence and her father; some ex-con turns up who seems to have been ruined by the nasty Carker and so hates all Carkers, even the good ones. Dickens pulling his usual trick of introducing new characters past tie halfway point.

I think Alice could be an interesting character and I liked the parallel with her and Edith about both essentially bought and sold but Edith having the protection of marriage on account of her status. Not that it is always a good thing - Dombey was horrible chastising her in front of Carker Not a Dombey fan. I also felt a bit sorry for Miss Tox - to seek out the Toodles - just to have someone to talk to about Mr Dombey. They do sound a lovely family so at least hopefully someone will be kind to her.

Very interesting to hear what was happening in Dicken's life when he wrote this.

I don’t really have much to add to what others have said - agree that these were filler chapters and I’m also intrigued to find out the history between the Browns and Carkers.

Yes, I got that bit, @DesdamonasHandkerchief - I’m just keen to know how they both fit into the overall storyline - why/how the daughter was so touched by the Carker sister's charity but so furious once she realised who she was.