accomplishedNumber of pages: 829
This book opens with a depiction of the Pecksniff family before introducing an old man by the name of Martin Chuzzlewit, who is also a miser who will not left anyone get their hands on his money. We are told that Mr. Pecksniff is expecting a new pupil, and this turns out to be Chuzzlewit's grandson, also called Martin. Young Martin Chuzzlewit, also disinherited by his Grandfather, soon after sets of to America.
I found this book to be quite a difficult book, largely because of the number of characters and plot strands than run throughout the book, but the segment where young Martin Chuzzlewit moves to America makes this book stand out from other Dickens novels with its portrayal of the United States in the 19th Century. Among the other characters, the ones who stand out most are Jonas, Tom Pinch and Mr Pecksniff, who is shown quite early on to be a dislikable character similar to Mr. Squeers and Mr. Bumble.
I had mixed feelings about this book overall; while it was quite long and felt overly long-winded at times (a lot of the action seemed to revolve around characters making business deals), there were some moments that did keep me reading intently to see what happened next. Overall, this mostly felt more light-hearted than many other Dickens novels, though there were a couple of shocks throughout as well.
Overall, if you're thinking of reading something by Dickens, I wouldn't recommend starting with this one.
Next book: Waterloo-City, City-Waterloo (Leanne Shapton)
