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Shut-up about Charles Dickens!
Dec. 20th, 2011 06:48 amMy teenreads review of Andrea Warren's Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London is finally up at teenreads with only minor changes. The strength of my feelings on this topic surprised me as did my political confessions; I generally try not to let these colors show in my reviews. This review has also led to some fascinating discussions. There's a lot more to say about this book than appears in the review, even if some of it's digressions are a little odd:
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/charles-dickens-and-the-street-children-of-london
And, I wrote a little mini-sermon on A Christmas Carol over at Barnes & Noble Letter Blocks. One of the things that struck me about this book is that it pretty much kick-started secular Christmas. It's notable how many signifiers of the season are not present in the book, and how, aside, from Tiny Tim's "God bless us everyone!" the big G is largely absent.
I have a very emotional response to A Christmas Carol, and it gets stronger every year. The parallels to It's a Wonderful Life are also becoming painfully apparent, as you will see from the last paragraph of the review.
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Letter-Blocks-The-BN-Parents-and/Charles-Dickens-A-Christmas-Carol/ba-p/1242675
Neither review really gets at the heart of what I've been trying to say about Charles Dickens, who I don't particularly like, but who has come to be a topic of fascination --- and led to some fabulous discussions --- as I've done some of my background reading. 2012 is the 200th anniversary of his birth, so he won't be going away any time soon.
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/charles-dickens-and-the-street-children-of-london
And, I wrote a little mini-sermon on A Christmas Carol over at Barnes & Noble Letter Blocks. One of the things that struck me about this book is that it pretty much kick-started secular Christmas. It's notable how many signifiers of the season are not present in the book, and how, aside, from Tiny Tim's "God bless us everyone!" the big G is largely absent.
I have a very emotional response to A Christmas Carol, and it gets stronger every year. The parallels to It's a Wonderful Life are also becoming painfully apparent, as you will see from the last paragraph of the review.
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Letter-Blocks-The-BN-Parents-and/Charles-Dickens-A-Christmas-Carol/ba-p/1242675
Neither review really gets at the heart of what I've been trying to say about Charles Dickens, who I don't particularly like, but who has come to be a topic of fascination --- and led to some fabulous discussions --- as I've done some of my background reading. 2012 is the 200th anniversary of his birth, so he won't be going away any time soon.
