Scan barcode
karen_unabridged's review against another edition
4.0
I was actually disappointed that this novel was unfinished. Dickens seemed to be on his "A game" here and I would dearly like to know what he intended to happen. Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be) people love to speculate about this one, and some have even published their answers.
danglo's review against another edition
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the ultimate mystery novel which no one will ever truly solve. Was Edwin murdered or did he disappear? If he was murdered, was it by his uncle Jasper, the obvious choice, or by another character? What did Princess Puffer see the night she meet Edwin prior to his disappearance or hear from Jasper during his opium altered states? How will the engagement ring fit into the mystery? Exactly who is Mr. Datchery and what is his interest in Jasper? Is Mr. Datchery someone else wearing a disguise that includes a wig which makes it too uncomfortable to wear a hat? We can speculate but never know!
After finishing Dickens, in close to publication order, below is my forced rankings:
Bleak House (1852)
David Copperfield (1849)
Great Expectations (1860)
Our Mutual Friend (1864)
Little Dorritt (1855)
Hard Times (1854)
Dombey and Son (1846)
A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
The Pickwick Papers (1836)
The Old Curiosity Shop (1840)
Nicholas Nickleby (1838)
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843)
Barnaby Rudge (1841)
Oliver Twist (1837)
After finishing Dickens, in close to publication order, below is my forced rankings:
Bleak House (1852)
David Copperfield (1849)
Great Expectations (1860)
Our Mutual Friend (1864)
Little Dorritt (1855)
Hard Times (1854)
Dombey and Son (1846)
A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
The Pickwick Papers (1836)
The Old Curiosity Shop (1840)
Nicholas Nickleby (1838)
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843)
Barnaby Rudge (1841)
Oliver Twist (1837)
dlnapier's review against another edition
5.0
Loved listening to this! I knew I would be infuriated since we all know how this ends (it doesn’t), but it’s worth it. Highly recommend! (Also, I definitely had to read chapter analyses sometimes to understand exactly what was going on, but that made it more fun!)
daffers60's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad, a bit of a slow start, the usual bizarre characters. Wouldn't have read this through choice, it was the book group selection. Didn't quite finish it in time, but I don't suppose that really matters with this one.
lmconway_ak's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think I might like this one more if I had more context.
colinhayes's review against another edition
4.0
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood fascinates me. It's Dickens final but unfinished novel making the title more apt than he could ever have known when he began writing it. He died when it was only half finished. As was usual with Dickens he released his novels in parts, they were published monthly. The Mystery Of Edwin Drood was due to be published in 12 monthly parts but he died after writing only 6 of those parts.
This is perhaps one of Dickens darkest novels. It deals with themes of opium addiction, sexual obsession and jealousy. I suspect if the novel had been finished it may well have become one of Dickens most celebrated works.
Edwin Drood is contracted to marry Rosa Budd when he comes of age. However his uncle John Jasper choirmaster of the local cathedral has an unhealthy obsession with Rosa. The obsession of perhaps fueled by his dependency on opium. Edwin goes missing and it's suspected that he may have been murdered. Was he? Will he turn up again? I can't give any spoilers away because we don't know. Dickens took the solution to the mystery to the grave with him.
It's a fascinating read but it's bound to leave you with a certain amount of frustration as we can never know the conclusion. But it includes some great writing by Dickens. Some great characters as we can expect from Dickens many larger than life ones. We see the good and the bad and we see people from every sort of background. Dickens was a great observer of the human condition and a great social commentator. Jasper is a duplicitous character, he leads a double life as a respected choirmaster while also visiting opium dens and showing a cruel obsession to Rosa. But there is also the humour that we always find in any Dickens novel no matter how dark it gets.
Events start to happen that we can see Dickens is working towards a pay off in the second half of the book. But how Dickens intended them to work out we can only guess.
This edition includes an introduction and various notes and appendix by David Paroissien that make an interesting addition. The introduction gives his opinion as to what Dickens intended with regard to Edwin's disappearance. Dickens left very few notes about how the story would conclude but he did give some information to his illustrator and there is testimony reported to have come from Dickens son. I have read Edwin Drood before however if you've never read it before and you do read this edition I'd recommend reading the introduction after the actual story as it gives Paroissien's view of how he thinks the story would conclude. Also contained in the Appendix are various articles of varying interest including an interesting article on opium use in the 19th century which helps put Jasper's use of opium in the book into context.
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood is a book that will always fascinate me because of the unintended mystery that we are left with. How would Dickens have finished the book? What actually did happen to Edwin? What role if any did his uncle have in it all? But it's not just the unfinished nature of the book that makes it interesting. It contains some great writing by Dickens showing he hadn't lost his skill as a writer even at the very end..
story.
A few years ago the BBC televised an adaption of the story complete with their own ending. It's a good adaption and It's well worth checking out if you want some sort of conclusion. However the ending of that version differs from how David Paroissien sees the story concluding. It just goes to demonstrate how non of us can really know what Dickens intended. The Mystery Of Edwin Drood is perhaps Dickens most aptly titled book.
This is perhaps one of Dickens darkest novels. It deals with themes of opium addiction, sexual obsession and jealousy. I suspect if the novel had been finished it may well have become one of Dickens most celebrated works.
Edwin Drood is contracted to marry Rosa Budd when he comes of age. However his uncle John Jasper choirmaster of the local cathedral has an unhealthy obsession with Rosa. The obsession of perhaps fueled by his dependency on opium. Edwin goes missing and it's suspected that he may have been murdered. Was he? Will he turn up again? I can't give any spoilers away because we don't know. Dickens took the solution to the mystery to the grave with him.
It's a fascinating read but it's bound to leave you with a certain amount of frustration as we can never know the conclusion. But it includes some great writing by Dickens. Some great characters as we can expect from Dickens many larger than life ones. We see the good and the bad and we see people from every sort of background. Dickens was a great observer of the human condition and a great social commentator. Jasper is a duplicitous character, he leads a double life as a respected choirmaster while also visiting opium dens and showing a cruel obsession to Rosa. But there is also the humour that we always find in any Dickens novel no matter how dark it gets.
Events start to happen that we can see Dickens is working towards a pay off in the second half of the book. But how Dickens intended them to work out we can only guess.
This edition includes an introduction and various notes and appendix by David Paroissien that make an interesting addition. The introduction gives his opinion as to what Dickens intended with regard to Edwin's disappearance. Dickens left very few notes about how the story would conclude but he did give some information to his illustrator and there is testimony reported to have come from Dickens son. I have read Edwin Drood before however if you've never read it before and you do read this edition I'd recommend reading the introduction after the actual story as it gives Paroissien's view of how he thinks the story would conclude. Also contained in the Appendix are various articles of varying interest including an interesting article on opium use in the 19th century which helps put Jasper's use of opium in the book into context.
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood is a book that will always fascinate me because of the unintended mystery that we are left with. How would Dickens have finished the book? What actually did happen to Edwin? What role if any did his uncle have in it all? But it's not just the unfinished nature of the book that makes it interesting. It contains some great writing by Dickens showing he hadn't lost his skill as a writer even at the very end..
story.
A few years ago the BBC televised an adaption of the story complete with their own ending. It's a good adaption and It's well worth checking out if you want some sort of conclusion. However the ending of that version differs from how David Paroissien sees the story concluding. It just goes to demonstrate how non of us can really know what Dickens intended. The Mystery Of Edwin Drood is perhaps Dickens most aptly titled book.
elendiliel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
The book opened very interestingly: by giving the readers the same stream-of-conscious thoughts as the first (smoker) character, it draws the readers in and makes us sympathetic with his mother (much more sympathetic than we otherwise would have been).
I found Mr. Grewgious similar to Mr. Lorry from A Tale of Two Cities. He insists on being an "Angular" man (comparable to being "a man of business") although he apparently harbors kindly emotions towards Rosa.
Although initially I disliked him, Mr. Crispackle's character improved upon further acquaintance.
I found Mr. Grewgious similar to Mr. Lorry from A Tale of Two Cities. He insists on being an "Angular" man (comparable to being "a man of business") although he apparently harbors kindly emotions towards Rosa.
Although initially I disliked him, Mr. Crispackle's character improved upon further acquaintance.
rebeccajane's review against another edition
Not going to rate an unfinished novel, but I enjoyed what exists.
marjorieapple's review against another edition
3.0
Probably my least favorite by Dickens, but still better than almost anyone else. Had he finished the novel, perhaps he would have reworked some of the weak spots and strengthened it overall. The women were better developed than women in Dickens' earlier novels. Perhaps as a dying man, with an ex-wife, daughters, and a lover, he now observed more of the complexities of women and portrayed them more fully in his story. I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly sympathetic (very unusual for Dickens) and the villain wasn't quite detestable enough to fully hate him. He seemed weak and pathetic, and in the end, manipulative and cruel.
If you never get to this one, oh well. But don't skip any of the others !
If you never get to this one, oh well. But don't skip any of the others !