Book and Film Review of Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
This is the second Dickens book I read, and it supported my high opinion of Dickens's writing and his ability to construct impossibly detailed and intricate plots.
The book follows the life of Amy Dorrit, a girl who has grown up in the Marshalsea Debtors' Prison. Her father, William, has been a prisoner there for over twenty years. She is free to come and go, and she works to better the lives of others and makes friends with many people. She is kind and gentle, loved by many. It also follows the life of Arthur Clenam, a kind and gentle man who always wishes to help, and finds that his pious and unfeeling mother has taken kindly to Amy. It arouses his suspicion and works to find out why, sparking a friendship between the two as Arthur wants to help her and her family, not expecting where his help and concern will lead everyone involved.
The book is considered one of his weaker novels, but I enjoyed it very much. Arthur Clenam is one of my favorite male protagonists I've read, and Amy was a pleasure to read about. The writing is true to Dickens and his gift of description and putting breath and life in the most minor of characters is still ever present.
This book gets a:
The book follows the life of Amy Dorrit, a girl who has grown up in the Marshalsea Debtors' Prison. Her father, William, has been a prisoner there for over twenty years. She is free to come and go, and she works to better the lives of others and makes friends with many people. She is kind and gentle, loved by many. It also follows the life of Arthur Clenam, a kind and gentle man who always wishes to help, and finds that his pious and unfeeling mother has taken kindly to Amy. It arouses his suspicion and works to find out why, sparking a friendship between the two as Arthur wants to help her and her family, not expecting where his help and concern will lead everyone involved.
The book is considered one of his weaker novels, but I enjoyed it very much. Arthur Clenam is one of my favorite male protagonists I've read, and Amy was a pleasure to read about. The writing is true to Dickens and his gift of description and putting breath and life in the most minor of characters is still ever present.
This book gets a:
A miniseries was made in 2008 that I am very fond of. I thought that it was cast well, and the actors were true to the characters. The screenplay was done by Andrew Davies, a much coveted writer for book adaptations, and this screenplay attests as to why. Due to Dickens's intricate plots, there were many minor characters that did not make it into the production, but the more colorful ones that I loved best did. Pancks and Maggie were some of my favorites, and I felt the actors portrayed them well.
I give this adaptation of Little Dorrit a:
Photo Credit: Katherine Elizabeth
Stars Image Credit: lovethenerddesigns
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