This week’s edition is such a treasure chest, I love how many different doors it opens. I keep dipping in and out of the sections and enjoying each one for different reasons.
I wish I could join all the read-alongs (the selection is honestly fabulous), but my January heart is firmly with The Call of the Wild. I have this beautiful old Reader’s Digest copy that’s been sitting unread on my shelf for years, and cracking it open now feels strangely perfect.
I must have read it 20+ years ago. I remember the atmosphere, that immersive feeling, but almost none of the details, so it’s going to be a real rediscovery. And with the snow coming down here in Zurich, it feels like the ideal January companion. Can’t wait to start this weekend. ❄️📚
I love when one work we're reading sheds light on another work we're reading; when one writer unintentionally informs another across space and time. And this week, I can't help seeing the similiarities between Charles Dickens and Henry Eliot.
In the last installment, Dickens asked us to invest in Nell's story more deeply than ever. Dickens' narrative elicited an emotional reaction, an attachment from the reader. Ending the installment with Nell peering into the blackness of the well left the reader with a depth of unresolved emotion.
In his own last installment, Eliot pulled the listener in with his reading of a scene between a father and a newborn child that's as touchingly written as any in literature. Eliot's poignant interpretation of that moment produced a deeply felt emotional attachment, too.
In this latest installment, Dickens lets multiple characters run wild. They ping-ping-ping against each other, producing chapters full of action and giving the reader something new and exciting at every turn.
In his own latest installment, Eliot gives readers a ping-ping-ping of his own with a jeweller's safe chock-full of more subjects than ever, with the promise of something new and exciting at every turn.
Yet, in a quiet moment of mastery, Eliot pauses the liveliness--"because of a recent small addition to my family."
Ha ha! Thanks Alan! This is very much appreciated – and not at all intentional! But I'm very flattered to have my pacing compared with Dickens. Thank you.
It does feel like Dickens has finally decided what his novel is about. (And sorry Nell, but The Old Curiosity Shop is usually more interesting when it's not strictly about you!) Reading these serialized novels has made me wonder about the editing process. Could much editing have been done other than just maybe a proofread? It's fascinating to think how different OCS might have been if it was conceived from the beginning as a full novel and had a real edit. I suspect some of my favorite bits might have been rewritten, moved around, or maybe dropped completely.
And congratulations Henry on the new little Eliot.
Thanks Sandra – yes it's so fascinating – Dickens sometimes made a few corrections / tweaks when he published his serial novels in book form, but they're usually very minor. You very much get the sense that he was making up his early novels as they go along! It wasn't until Dombey and Son (1844-5) that he set out to plan the whole narrative structure before he started writing – and subsequent novels are much more coherent.
Oh, The Call of the Wild is a nostalgic favorite as it passes through home. Dad was for a time the magistrate of Skagway one of two adjacent ports (it's possible to walk from one to the other) from which alternative trails (White Pass from Skagway and Chilkoot trail from Dyea, the other then port) lead up to Lake Bennett then into the Yukon. There's nothing left of the town ofi Dyea now except a few pilings from the long dock that stretched out across the tidal flats and some outlines in the woods where buildings had been.
I read the first pages of The Brothers Karamazov today. I hope I can slow down for the read along because I am already hooked. This is the perfect literary project for 2026 - very excited to be reading this with Read The Classics!
Congratulations, Henry, on your new arrival. Best if luck getting some sleep!
Gordon Bennett! This was edge of the seat stuff with 'The Old Curiosity Shop'.
I'd not warmed to Dick Swiveller until this point - he had seemed to be a Jack-the-lad who was easily manipulated, and a risk if Frederick turned up. As Frederick has been sent on his way, he's able to come into his own.
I don't know why, but the conspiracy against Kit feels incredibly modern to me. And definitely something that I could see easily in cinematic terms. The Marchioness running through the streets would translate to the screen brilliantly - including losing the shoe.
But Dick is such a wonderful creation. His disastrous love-life and his thoughts of revenge make him a comic character (but not particularly likeable for me). But the way he treats the Marchioness really changed my view of him - and we see that she may not be quite the shrinking violet we first thought.
I love the way keeps us guessing about whether the Marchioness is in a position to prove Kit's innocence - and will she be in time? And will Chuckster foil any rescue?
This was such a page-turner, I may need time to recover.
The Brass family got me thinking about the Murdstones - another horrible brother/sister combination, where the sister seems to be the brains of the operation.
I'm with you, Bren. I hadn't warmed to Dick--or more to the point, I hadn't trusted him until these installments. Finally, he earns my trust and even admiration as he matures from an impulsive man-child into a real, reliable friend.
Just wanted to mention that on BBC Sounds there is a play called Meeting Jack which is about an encounter with Jack London while he was sailing in the Pacific in 1908. It’s available for 30 days from today.
I was interested in the section about Quilp and the figurehead - it seems like there are lots of caricatures and figures with the waxworks and the puppet show in the first part of the book.
And yes! Great point about Quilp’s figurehead – the novel has definitely been full of simulacra of different kinds (also Gog and Magog in Master Humphrey’s Clock). What effect do they have? I suppose they combine to create a pervasive atmosphere of grotesquerie – a variety show of uncanniness – and they also serve as a comparison and contrast to Nell’s superhuman purity and Quilp’s superhuman malignity.
This week’s edition is such a treasure chest, I love how many different doors it opens. I keep dipping in and out of the sections and enjoying each one for different reasons.
I wish I could join all the read-alongs (the selection is honestly fabulous), but my January heart is firmly with The Call of the Wild. I have this beautiful old Reader’s Digest copy that’s been sitting unread on my shelf for years, and cracking it open now feels strangely perfect.
I must have read it 20+ years ago. I remember the atmosphere, that immersive feeling, but almost none of the details, so it’s going to be a real rediscovery. And with the snow coming down here in Zurich, it feels like the ideal January companion. Can’t wait to start this weekend. ❄️📚
Wonderful! I'm really looking forward to discussing it with you! And many thanks for the kind words about the selection.
I love when one work we're reading sheds light on another work we're reading; when one writer unintentionally informs another across space and time. And this week, I can't help seeing the similiarities between Charles Dickens and Henry Eliot.
In the last installment, Dickens asked us to invest in Nell's story more deeply than ever. Dickens' narrative elicited an emotional reaction, an attachment from the reader. Ending the installment with Nell peering into the blackness of the well left the reader with a depth of unresolved emotion.
In his own last installment, Eliot pulled the listener in with his reading of a scene between a father and a newborn child that's as touchingly written as any in literature. Eliot's poignant interpretation of that moment produced a deeply felt emotional attachment, too.
In this latest installment, Dickens lets multiple characters run wild. They ping-ping-ping against each other, producing chapters full of action and giving the reader something new and exciting at every turn.
In his own latest installment, Eliot gives readers a ping-ping-ping of his own with a jeweller's safe chock-full of more subjects than ever, with the promise of something new and exciting at every turn.
Yet, in a quiet moment of mastery, Eliot pauses the liveliness--"because of a recent small addition to my family."
Congratulations, Henry.
Ha ha! Thanks Alan! This is very much appreciated – and not at all intentional! But I'm very flattered to have my pacing compared with Dickens. Thank you.
It does feel like Dickens has finally decided what his novel is about. (And sorry Nell, but The Old Curiosity Shop is usually more interesting when it's not strictly about you!) Reading these serialized novels has made me wonder about the editing process. Could much editing have been done other than just maybe a proofread? It's fascinating to think how different OCS might have been if it was conceived from the beginning as a full novel and had a real edit. I suspect some of my favorite bits might have been rewritten, moved around, or maybe dropped completely.
And congratulations Henry on the new little Eliot.
Thanks Sandra – yes it's so fascinating – Dickens sometimes made a few corrections / tweaks when he published his serial novels in book form, but they're usually very minor. You very much get the sense that he was making up his early novels as they go along! It wasn't until Dombey and Son (1844-5) that he set out to plan the whole narrative structure before he started writing – and subsequent novels are much more coherent.
Oh, The Call of the Wild is a nostalgic favorite as it passes through home. Dad was for a time the magistrate of Skagway one of two adjacent ports (it's possible to walk from one to the other) from which alternative trails (White Pass from Skagway and Chilkoot trail from Dyea, the other then port) lead up to Lake Bennett then into the Yukon. There's nothing left of the town ofi Dyea now except a few pilings from the long dock that stretched out across the tidal flats and some outlines in the woods where buildings had been.
The magistrate of Skagway! Amazing! I'm looking forward to reading your comments about this novel that's so close to home for you.
Incredible! Thank so much for sharing, John – did you live in Skagway yourself? I can't wait to hear more!
Congratulations to you and your family!
I read the first pages of The Brothers Karamazov today. I hope I can slow down for the read along because I am already hooked. This is the perfect literary project for 2026 - very excited to be reading this with Read The Classics!
Thanks Danielle – and I'm so thrilled you're enjoying Karamazov so far!
Congratulations, Henry, on your new arrival. Best if luck getting some sleep!
Gordon Bennett! This was edge of the seat stuff with 'The Old Curiosity Shop'.
I'd not warmed to Dick Swiveller until this point - he had seemed to be a Jack-the-lad who was easily manipulated, and a risk if Frederick turned up. As Frederick has been sent on his way, he's able to come into his own.
I don't know why, but the conspiracy against Kit feels incredibly modern to me. And definitely something that I could see easily in cinematic terms. The Marchioness running through the streets would translate to the screen brilliantly - including losing the shoe.
But Dick is such a wonderful creation. His disastrous love-life and his thoughts of revenge make him a comic character (but not particularly likeable for me). But the way he treats the Marchioness really changed my view of him - and we see that she may not be quite the shrinking violet we first thought.
I love the way keeps us guessing about whether the Marchioness is in a position to prove Kit's innocence - and will she be in time? And will Chuckster foil any rescue?
This was such a page-turner, I may need time to recover.
The Brass family got me thinking about the Murdstones - another horrible brother/sister combination, where the sister seems to be the brains of the operation.
I'm going to miss this when we finish.
.
I'm with you, Bren. I hadn't warmed to Dick--or more to the point, I hadn't trusted him until these installments. Finally, he earns my trust and even admiration as he matures from an impulsive man-child into a real, reliable friend.
I completely agree! Dick suddenly comes into his own, doesn’t he? And his relationship with the Marchioness is really charming.
Congratulations Henry, on the new addition to you family!
So excited to be reading Brothers Karamazov and really looking forward to reading the Age of Innocence with you in February.
Many thanks Poonam! Much appreciated!
Many congratulations to you all.
Just wanted to mention that on BBC Sounds there is a play called Meeting Jack which is about an encounter with Jack London while he was sailing in the Pacific in 1908. It’s available for 30 days from today.
I was interested in the section about Quilp and the figurehead - it seems like there are lots of caricatures and figures with the waxworks and the puppet show in the first part of the book.
Thanks so much Emma! And many thanks for this tip.
For anyone with access to BBC iPlayer, here is the Jack London play that Emma mentioned: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001kvy4
And yes! Great point about Quilp’s figurehead – the novel has definitely been full of simulacra of different kinds (also Gog and Magog in Master Humphrey’s Clock). What effect do they have? I suppose they combine to create a pervasive atmosphere of grotesquerie – a variety show of uncanniness – and they also serve as a comparison and contrast to Nell’s superhuman purity and Quilp’s superhuman malignity.