Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Original poster

Charles Dickens - which book to read first

41 replies

IchBinEinCurrywurster · 30/01/2022 16:51

I'm ashamed to say I've never read any, but feel in the mood for diving in. Does anyone have any favourites?

OP posts:
Vampiremockumentary · 30/01/2022 16:52

David Copperfield.

purplesequins · 30/01/2022 16:52

david copperfield

WeeFae · 30/01/2022 16:53

Great Expectations

Vampiremockumentary · 30/01/2022 17:19

@WeeFae

Great Expectations
Another favourite.
JSL52 · 30/01/2022 17:20

Christmas Carol or Tale of Two Cities.

BenjiMcSchmenzie · 30/01/2022 17:22

Little Dorrit / Great Expectations / A Tale of Two Cities / David Copperfield. You must read all of them regardless of which order …. All wonderful!

Honourofgrayskull · 30/01/2022 17:24

Christmas Carol is my favourite book ever, maybe not best in January though!
I also really like Oliver Twist and Great Expectations

Idontlikeworms · 30/01/2022 17:25

David Copperfield

Original poster
IchBinEinCurrywurster · 30/01/2022 17:29

Fabulous. Thanks so much everyone. I think I'll start with David Copperfield then. But will try to plough through them all. Thanks for the encouragement

OP posts:
CatCup · 30/01/2022 17:31

A Christmas Carol

purplesequins · 30/01/2022 19:07

I found a christmas carol more of a slog than his other books to be honest.

DuggeeHugPlease · 30/01/2022 20:25

David Copperfield is my favourite but it's not short! I'd start with A Tale of Two Cities before tackling it! Also agree you have to read Little Dorritt and Oliver Twist. I personally didn't like Great Expectations.

Bunnybunny1 · 30/01/2022 20:38

Hard times is wonderful. The characters are brilliantly developed.
It’s also sad to see that some awful parts of life haven’t changed.

SirSamuelVimes · 30/01/2022 20:41

Oliver Twist. It's like a bonkers soap opera.

N4ish · 30/01/2022 20:43

I’d say Oliver Twist first but really all of them are great (except Barnaby Rudge!)

Imissmoominmama · 30/01/2022 20:45

Great Expectations is my favourite.

bumpyknuckles · 30/01/2022 21:27

Great Expectations is the one I'd start with. It's much shorter for a start! And it's funny, moving and very well written. It's got some great characters too - Magwitch, Miss Havisham, Joe Gargery (what larks, Pip!)

David Copperfield is my favourite, but you need to build up to it imo - it's long!

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 30/01/2022 21:53

There's a Hard Times read-a-long about to start soon!

StartupRepair · 30/01/2022 21:55

A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations. Once you're hooked, Bleak House.

Piggywaspushed · 30/01/2022 21:57

Yes indeed there is! Hard Times is short too!

AlexaShutUp · 30/01/2022 21:58

I would start with Hard Times as it isn't too long.

I have a special place in my heart for Bleak House, but that is quite long and probably not the best to get started on.

3peassuit · 30/01/2022 21:59

Great Expectations.

DoItAfraid · 30/01/2022 22:03

Following. Great threadzz zzz!

Original poster
IchBinEinCurrywurster · 30/01/2022 23:30

Ooh I will join the Hard Times read along then. Exciting. Thanks so much everyone- wasn't expecting so many replies. It's great to hear your views. And I still can't believe I've never read any of them. I'm a big Thomas Hardy fan but never read a single book by Dickens Blush

OP posts:
Stookeen · 30/01/2022 23:51

I would absolutely start with Great Expectations — it’s a practically perfect novel, and is lighter on some of the grotesque sentimentality and cartoonishness some people find hard to swallow in Dickens — that, as well as its length is why I’d choose it over David Copperfield.