Cityread London - Latest Comments

Re: Do You Want to Read the Truth? Aoife Mannix on Sebastian Faulks’s A Week in December: Chapter Three, Part Three

disqus_BQyH8371hX — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:45:55 -0000

Exaggeration creates a satirical effect, but for me, there are rarely those flashes of wit that lighten the darkness of the novel. The novel's exaggerations also include the extreme lengths characters go to in pursuit of their goals. This creates a dark effect in the novel, where the majority of characters seem to act out of self interest and the minority behave altruistically.

Re: Do You Want to Read the Truth? Aoife Mannix on Sebastian Faulks’s A Week in December: Chapter Three, Part Three

Sarah Parker — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:51:40 -0000

Thank you for your comments! I agree, the characters do verge on two dimensionality, but lots of the novel's exaggerations do have the ring of truth to them too. I suppose this is partly what makes the novel satirical - what do you think?

Re: Do You Want to Read the Truth? Aoife Mannix on Sebastian Faulks’s A Week in December: Chapter Three, Part Three

disqus_BQyH8371hX — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:37:58 -0000

The truth of a novel might lie in its realism. It might convince me that a world I might never have encountered is credible, or the characters are convincing. In this novel, though I found the characters rather two dimensional, I was impressed by the author's detailed knowledge in describing their different backgrounds. Another kind of truth I enjoy is satire or irony.

Re: A Week in December: Online Reading Group

CityreadLondon — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:56:03 -0000

Welcome to the Cityread London discussion

Re: Cityread London

CityreadLondon — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:13:18 -0000

Welcome to the world's biggest book group!

Re: Who Would You Invite To Dinner? Aoife Mannix on Sebastian Faulks’s A Week in December: Chapter One, Sunday, December 16

Barbara Saunders — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:27:52 -0000

I'd choose the jailed members of Pussy Riot so they could escape and have a decent meal - I thought their performance - and the words - in the cathedral was brilliant.

As for callous indifference towards suicide, I was in the Paris Metro when a poor man slashed his wrists. I was so shocked that no one stopped to help him that although I was only 17 I asked him to give me the knife he was still holding. (He didn't though.) Eventually a few Canadian tourists came up too and were much more practical with their help.

Re: Dickens and Dawkins – a guest blog post by writer James Benmore

Trish MacKinnon — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 19:55:35 -0000

Well having read this excellent piece I must jump on Amazon and order "Dodger" by James Benmore in advance of the New Year 2013 before it shows up as "Sold out"!

Re: How Hard Is It To Keep Track? Aoife Mannix on reading on the tube

Natalie Harmer — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:40:16 -0000

Mills and Boon title - Bond Street Lover

Re: How Hard Is It To Keep Track? Aoife Mannix on reading on the tube

annette — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:32:18 -0000

I've always wanted to write a personification of different tube stops. Elephant & Castle (rough round the edges with a good heart); Morden (reserved, removed, softly spoken); Camden (fidgety, restless); Vauxhall (upbeat, distracted). I could go on...

Re: Does Dickens glamorise crime in Oliver Twist? – Aoife Mannix responding to our online book group discussion

Liz — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:48:02 -0000

I agree with the above comment. Television and movies have glamorised almost everyhitng about Oliver Twist. Reading the book is like being thrown back in time into a world of poverty and desperate living that was a lot of peoples' reality.

Charles Dickens writes about a world where criminality is taken for granted by all socio economic classes. I dont know about Dickens being funny but I would say there is a lot of sarcasm in his writing due to having seen and experienced being in the poor house and living from hand to mouth.

Oliver Twist is written with a sense of desperation that people understand what it is to be truly poor - something that a lot of people today could benefit from understanding. Dickens doesnt try to create a happy ending ususally with his stories...he tends to stick to a more real ending that real and ordinary people experience. Oliver Twist is one occassion where a young boy has a future to look forward to - something that a lot of youngsters didnt have back then.

I think that because Dickens himself survived poverty during this time that he felt it to be supportable to give his main character a future.

I enjoyed Oliver Twist and recommend to every reader

Re: Oliver Twist, or, the Parish Boy’s Progress: What kind of book does this title encourage us to expect? What kind of hero does it offer?

Felicity Page — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:11:54 -0000

This is a subtle point - I just laughed inwardly when I read this paragraph about Oliver's birth, thinking that Dickens was being sly and poking fun at muddling adults. He also gives us a hint of Oliver's character and determination at a very early stage in his life - the very first stage - as a sign that he will be a survivor, not like many poor children in Dickens' novels who die at an early age, overswhelmed by their unfortunate circumstances and the indifference of the adults around them. The mid- wife is not misty eyed at the miracle of life as one might expect, but by over indulgance of beer - and she is a key to his identity, as we later discover, so a very important character in his life.

Re: First instalment from guest blogger Dr Holly Furneaux, who is leading the online reading group

aoife — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:51:26 -0000

Glad it was useful Barbara. Another good resource if you're interested in readers' involvement in the creative process is Jennifer Hayward's book, 'Consuming Plesures': http://www.amazon.com/Consu...
Cheers, Holly

Re: First instalment from guest blogger Dr Holly Furneaux, who is leading the online reading group

Barbara Saunders — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:38:59 -0000

Thanks very much for the link to Robert Pattern's series. I found his explanation of influences on "Oliver Twist's" serialisation exciting & inspiring. It makes serialisation sound closer to what happens to creative writing on blogs, with input of current topics, news, other blogs & feedback of readers.

Re: Why Oliver Twist? – Author David Nicholls on a classic

Felicity — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:18:13 -0000

I agree that Oliver Twist has a surprising and disturbing darker tone - and it is flawed, but has great power.

Dickens wore himself out - but what a production line!

I want to see this film of Great Expectations - I aggree it's just about perfect as a novel.

Re: How Much Has London Changed? – discovering the streets Dickens roamed

Felicity — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:22:54 -0000

I think he might have been of the opinion that the poor are/could always be with us, but still would have been outraged by the disparity that still exists between the lives of the haves and the lives of the have-nots.

When I walk around I am reminded of the Victorian style and look of the city, which has not changed.

Re: Why Oliver Twist? – Author David Nicholls on a classic

Amanda — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:06:54 -0000

Great blog post David, I haven't read Oliver Twist but will be picking up a copy and reading along now.

Re: Why Oliver Twist? – Author David Nicholls on a classic

Trudi Mullerworth — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:44:34 -0000

Like you David, my passion for Dickens started with the Lionel Bart musical. I was a California kid and my parent's couldn't quite understand what this obsession was all about. They bought the vinyl record for me which I wore out and had to be replaced. I soon found the comic book version which I wore out and then when I was 12 or 13 I launched into the novel.

To make a long story short, I went on to be a Dickens scholar and part of my thesis was on Oliver Twist. I am now 50 years old and living in the UK .... that film and book changed my life.

I thought I was the only one out there!

Re: Catherine and Charles – great expectations? A guest blog post by Dave Walker, Local Studies Librarian, Kensington Central Library

James Hamilton — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:32:31 -0000

'Tis yerself, Dave!

Re: Does inspiration linger? Visiting young writer in residence Femi Martin at the Charles Dickens museum

aoife — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:08:38 -0000

Here's a link to the Charles Dickens Museum's explanation of why they're renovating in 2012 - http://www.dickensmuseum.co...
They're open till Easter so there's still time to drop by :)

Re: Does inspiration linger? Visiting young writer in residence Femi Martin at the Charles Dickens museum

Steve Hewitt — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:19:34 -0000

Unfortunately, The Charles Dickens Museum has decided that 2012 would be a good time to renovate, and is closing its doors from 9th April until December!

Re: Should We Feel Guilty? reading Dickens biography by Claire Tomalin

Barbara Saunders — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:15:46 -0000

On a positive note, I'm glad I finally read Oliver Twist.

Re: Should We Feel Guilty? reading Dickens biography by Claire Tomalin

Barbara Saunders — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:12:54 -0000

I think we do have a responsibility towards each other. We may not be able to change society in our lifetime, but everyone can do something, in whatever way they feel most able, to help someone.
It's a pity that the media, who seem to themselves up as judge, jury and executioner, are biased in favour of the interests of business and the "Haves" - much as it was in Dicken's Day.
Perhaps it doesn't need saying, perhaps everybody is waiting for someone to say something.