Barnaby Rudge
A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty
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4.4 • 62 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Gathered round the fire at the Maypole Inn, in the village of Chigwell, on an evening of foul weather in the year 1775, are John Willet, proprietor of the Maypole, and his three cronies. One of the three, Solomon Daisy, tells a stranger at the inn a well-known local tale of the murder of Reuben Haredale which had occurred 22 years ago that very day.
Customer Reviews
Love Dickens, but...
Dickens is an unquestionable genius, and this work far surpasses the abilities of
most. Still....Pros: great history lesson; all's well that ends well; Dickens wrote this. Cons: I found it very difficult to like any character, but a few men, the locksmith Varden and two sons. There were so few to cheer or relate to or admire. The characters were weak, wretched, criminal or loathsome. The women were caricatures of vanity; shrewdness and weakness. The lead character was what was then called "the village idiot," if you loath group think, mob mentality and chronic poor choice, this book is hard to take. The anti-Catholic sentiment born of ignorance and propaganda is a hard read, but educational. If you're anDickens fan, it's an must read. If you want to sample Dickens, try Great Expectations or David Copperfield.