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macca02's review against another edition
5.0
surprised at my love for this! beautiful :) nihilistic and quirky.
joyceontheroad's review against another edition
3.0
Read this for my studies. Although I did enjoy the different layers and the artistic styles, it is not my favorite book. It is a staple in English literature, and I understand why.
justareadingmama_charly's review against another edition
4.0
There are such great reviews here already that I'll keep it short. I very much enjoyed reading this classic, though it took me a bit to really get into it. I loved (or loved to hate) every single character presented. I also felt a lot of satisfaction in where the characters each ended up and in the various character arcs.
I listened to audiobook narrated by Peter Batchelor and would give the narration four stars as well. It didn't blow me away, but there weren't many times I was bothered by the way he read it either.
I listened to audiobook narrated by Peter Batchelor and would give the narration four stars as well. It didn't blow me away, but there weren't many times I was bothered by the way he read it either.
uncleallan's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed reading this Classic book by Dickens. It certainly was hard times in those days in that town and elsewhere. I enjoyed the characters of the book and I felt I knew them well by the end of the book. I have found that I benefited from looking on line for details of each character and copied the synopsis of each character on to my notes on my phone so I was able to regularly remind myself of who they were etc and that helped me fully to follow the story.
fateleanor's review against another edition
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
An interesting insight into the Dickensian era with much humour mixed with sadness all wrapped up in a good story
lcsmcat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
poverty, goodness, corruption, redemption
soph22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Charles Dickens has a way of breaking my heart with every book of his I read. Hard Times May never reach the heights that A Tale of Two Cities reached for me, in some ways it was trying to say too much - I wanted longer with these characters, especially Cissy, but I can’t forget the way it made me feel. Dickens is a phenomenon at characterisation, I am blown away and in awe of how he makes each and every one of them - even small players - feel lived in and real, you can’t help but root for or despise them.
While I found some of the anti-union sentiment not to my taste, I appreciated the narrative on people needing more in their lives than work, facts and figures. This was obviously quite bold at the time, as was discussing the plight of workers in the Industrial Revolution. I enjoyed learning more about the times and also saw a lot of parallels to today’s world.
Overall, it was a quick, relatively easy book to read for the age and subject and it made me cry at the end so I’d definitely recommend.
While I found some of the anti-union sentiment not to my taste, I appreciated the narrative on people needing more in their lives than work, facts and figures. This was obviously quite bold at the time, as was discussing the plight of workers in the Industrial Revolution. I enjoyed learning more about the times and also saw a lot of parallels to today’s world.
Overall, it was a quick, relatively easy book to read for the age and subject and it made me cry at the end so I’d definitely recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Classism
blueregard's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Long story short, people are not machines. They should be raised with nutured imaginations and emotions or it will bring about, say it with me now, hard times.
bushpocker's review against another edition
3.0
Suitably Dickens. While not quite as charming as other novels of his, still remarkably full of dense, evocative (and political) prose and some customarily bewildering characters. I had hoped to rekindle my love of Dickens by starting on the short end, but this might've been the wrong book to reacquainted myself with. Still great, but not as memorable.
doyouevendostoyevsky's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite Dickens but still enjoyable, particularly for his jaunty, hilarious writing style and the way he can form the most peculiar and specific villains, whose villainy shines through not in their actions but in their pathetic characters which are just a little off from the stereotypes and therefore infinitely more realistic and infinitely more cringe-worthy in their villainous ways. NO ONE character-writes like Dickens.