NEW Dickens readalong Dombey and Son - the 2025 Dombeyalong!

[Piggywaspushed]

Join me in the next Dickens readalong, Dombeyalongadingdong! This is probably the last big Dickens we haven't done.
The novel was originally published by Dickens in 19 instalments, all exactly 32 pages long (I do find this obsession with 32 pages intriguing- writing to such an exact brief must have involved quite a lot of editing and , as I recall from Nickleby, much padding at times!) and then published in full in 1848. I know nothing of this one really - except the name Paul Dombey sticks in my head. Apparently , this one is more focused on marriage and is read as marking a change in Dickens' presentation of women. Seafaring is involved but this is also his first book about the arrival of railways which Dickens was not altogether sold on. This period was referred to as 'railway mania'. It's really quite hard to conceptualise the rapid progress and change surrounding Dickens.

This one has not been on TV for a long time. Andrew Davies had been working on a version - but it was ditched because it was felt we had had too many 'bonnet dramas'. I swear we have still had many since but rather heavily 'adapted' and maybe Sarah Phelps hasn't read Dombey...

I propose condensing this to an eight month read, using Dickens' shorter sections as a guide . We begin in May, as follows:
May - Chapters 1 - 7
June- Chapters 8-13
July- Chapters 14-22
August - Chapters 23-31
September - Chapters 32-38
October - Chapters 39-45
November - Chapters 46-51
and finishing for Christmas in
December - Chapters 52 - end

Considerably more chapters in this one, so I am guessing some must be quite short.

I'll link Katie's intro in my next post.

Anyone and everyone welcome!

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.

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!

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.

Thank you @cassandre

Missing everyone at the moment!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

Me too - have cancelled my membership!

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

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.

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

I went to see The Importance of Being Earnest yesterday which I highly recommend - most amusing. Whilst watching Lady Bracknell in full flow it struck me how similar she is to Mrs Chick in many ways.

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.

Just a reminder that the month is drawing to a close!

I have one chapter to read tomorrow but otherwise am on top of things. It's all got a bit dark.

Morning and welcome to November.

I have had a tough month but managed to get through my chapters. Carker is still machinating but I am still not clear why. Dickens is definitely at that 'needs to get on with it' stage. There were some great chapters for atmosphere , however, and some rich comedy , courtesy of the confrontation between Susan and Mrs Pipchin. Mrs Pipchin actually talks like a Shakespearean what with her range of insults for poor , loyal Susan. I am very worried for Floy still who has loyal defenders aplenty but is now left alone without the protection of Susan. I am hoping for a Diogenes and Carker showdown.

Speaking of Diogenes, he offered up some delicious Toots related comedy(poor Toots, so sensitively rejected and so adoring):

Mr Toots would run headlong at anyone too. A military gentleman goes past, and Mr Toots would like nothing better than to run at him, full tilt made me chortle, as did:
Mr Toots in his earnestness hurried away- but backwards, that he might lose no glimpse of her. Bless. I was glad for this comedy now that Dickens has killed off Cleopatra.

Walter does still keep being mentioned so I anticipate a helpfully timed heroic return.

Dombey is so interestingly repressed. The many signs that he truly loves Florence but can't bring himself to show it say much about fatherhood in Victorian times.

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 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.

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!

Hope November is a better month for you Piggy!

I completely agree @ChessieFL. Dombey drops further again in my estimation! Poor Florence and Edith too. Carker is a grimy but slightly inexplicable character - as @Piggywaspushed said I don't quite get his motivation. Maybe it will be revealed later.

Hello all, I'm dropping in to say hello.
I haven't been able to read anything in recent weeks, but December will be the month to catch up with this book and all my other abandoned books.

I hope that November will be a better month for you, Piggy.

Dombey is getting more monstrous and Carker more devious. Toots is adorable with his ‘it’s of no consequence’ mantra and his total adoration of Flo. I fear he’s going to get his heart broken when Walter inevitably turns up. Maybe he’ll get Susan Nipper as a consolation prize. I also hope Sol comes back in one piece - but this is Dickens, surely we'll have a happy reunion?
I wish Florence would grow a backbone where her father is concerned and stop mooning over him, he’s a cold, verging on abusive, parent and now Edith has been instructed to show no affection to her either. Poor old Flo.

Not a lot to add, but I think this might be the first Dickens where I’ve been this close to the end and genuinely not known what’s going to happen, who’s going to end up with whom, etc. I felt very sorry for Edith when she proposed to Dombey to stop fighting/defying each other and see if they could knock along happily enough - and he found any idea of compromise utterly inconceivable. Surely this failed marriage, in the time period, can only be resolved with the death of one of the partners?