Select Short Fiction

Interesting set up, and organized well. This is a collection of short stories by Charles Dickens, and it is easy to see where he was playing with ideas that were developed into the fuller novels. He wrote for magazines, and it is easy to forget that, since we now think of him as a book writer, but even those he used to send 3 chapters at a time for publishing in the magazines. These stories are short, but still feel complete. Obviously I like his work more expanded, but these have worth and show the writing ability of the man. Highly recommend if you like his work. This one is well worth the time.

For anyone thinking that Dickens isn’t accessible and would like to try, but is put off by the length of some of his most famous tales – try this first!

The story of the goblins who stole a sexton (gravedigger) – on Christmas Eve, goblins visit a cantankerous gravedigger to have chat with him about his ways... This story made me laugh out loud! The way Dickens writes just makes me smile! Within a few sentences I am there, engrossed in the scene; I can feel the cold in my chest and hear the goblins’ echoes!

This just felt like a good old fashioned (obviously…) children’s fairy tale – complete with mythical creatures and a smattering of violence (don’t all the best fairy tales have violence or gruesome ends!?)

I love the rhythm of his prose, which feel melodic, comforting and strangely familiar – it's more like the book is being read to me, rather than I am reading the book.

If you enjoy Charles Dickens and don't have the time to devote to reading or re-reading one of his classics, this is a great volume to keep on your shelf and revisit from time to time. When I first began reading this collection, my intention was to read it cover to cover. After reading a few stories, I started skipping around and decided to read the stories in no particular order and take my time. I found this to be a much better way to enjoy this collection of short fiction. Charles Dickens is not an author to be rushed through. His works are best enjoyed when one can pay full attention and savor his wit an eccentricities.

The collection begins with stories of the supernatural, which is for the most part what we'd consider to be Victorian era ghost stories, not unlike the spirits in <i>A Christmas Carol</i>, although shorter in length. The second section are "Impressionistic Sketches", which are short pieces written mostly during his career as a young reporter. I wasn't sure what to expect from the category of Impressionistic Sketches, but they tend to describe characters of his time. Some of these were more engaging than others, and some I just didn't really enjoy. I skipped around in this section a lot because there didn't seem to be a theme throughout the section. The final section is "Dramatic Monologues" and includes excerpts from longer works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dover publishing for providing me with a copy to review. I will be revisiting the stories in this volume for years to come.