Seriously, save yourself some time and read the summary on Schmoop:

http://www.shmoop.com/little-dorrit/

If you've read a lot of Dickens, you know that he has a tendency to get a little in over his head with multiple plots; his biggest flaw, in my opinion, is that he cannot seem to intertwine all of his story lines. I do not believe the readers are the only ones who get lost somewhere in the middle. Most of us are willing to forgive this flaw, because the introductions and conclusions to his novels are always so damn moving. However, in this novel, the introduction is interesting enough, but the conclusion is just thrown together in a big, sloppy, confusing mess. Heck, even at the time he wrote this novel, people were so confused he had to add notes to explain what the hell just happened! I'm sorry, Dickens, but this novel was a flop. I'll still give you three stars, though, because you still wrote a nice beginning, and, well, I'm a little biased towards you. Thanks for trying!

I was in such a mood for Dickens and I came away from Little Dorrit amply rewarded. Little Dorrit is quite possibly my favorite Dickens' novel I've read to date. I loved David Copperfield and this is easily on a par with it. I'd give it 6-stars if I could.

Amy Dorrit has a love of humanity and seeks only to help others. She was born in the Marshalsea prison, daughter of a man imprisoned for debt. Arthur Clennam takes notice of the young woman as his mother's seamstress. The story slowly, wonderfully unfolds from there.

Dickens is in top form, railing against the abuses of society toward its poorest members and the hidebound bureaucracy that is 19th century England. He takes all this to task.

Little Dorrit might not be your first choice for a Dickens novel. At 860 pages, it takes a little diligence to get through. But you'll be so rewarded: Dickens writes of Marseilles, London, Switzerland, Venice, and Rome. His humor and fantastic turns of phrase are in top form. And the characters that bolster the story are as memorable as any Dickens character: Mrs. Clennam, the Meagles, Flora Finching, Jeremiah Flintwinch, John Chivery, and the solid Mr. Pancks (one of my all-time favorite Dickens' characters ever).

Little Dorrit shows Dickens' writing at its mature best. Does it drag? At nearly 900 pages, there are places. But even the slowest Dickens is worth reading. Modern day readers look down on his use of caricature and coincidence until you realize he does so to make his points.

Dickens is to be read and re-read. I'm sure this will not be the last time I'll read Little Dorrit. Highly recommended.

Don't read this with a deadline. Allow yourself the time to read slowly and savor the details.

Dear Dickens,

I love you, I love this story, I just wish that you weren't incentivized to write such long stories by the periodicals.

I have to say, I was extremely disappointed by this novel. Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors and I was really looking forward to reading this one. I found it to be incredibly hard to follow and I found myself getting bored with it quickly. I had trouble following along and keeping track of the convoluted plot. I still love Dickens, I guess this one just wasn't meant for me.