Posted: February 1,2023
The Old Curiosity Shop
"The Old Curiosity Shop" begins in London where we are introduced to Nell Trent and her grandfather. The pair lead a strange existence where Nell's grandfather goes off on his own at night and returns by daylight. The pair seem to be on the verge of poverty.
Before long, the secret is revealed: Nell's grandfather is irresistibly lured by the false promises of gambling. His addiction plunges them into destitution and forces them to leave London for the countryside.
The destruction of Nell's world includes her parting from the amiable Kit - a guardian and playmate to her and a help to her grandfather. The villain of the story is the grotesque and evil Quilp. He is aided by the Brasses: Sampson and Sarah, both lawyers.
Also thrown into the mix is Dick Swiveller, a down-on-his-luck character who will increasingly become endearing as the tale is revealed.
Nell's and grandfather's countryside journey includes an encounter with a kind-hearted schoolteacher in the grip of a tragedy, an adventure with a Punch and Judy travelling show, work at a wax works, a harrowing encounter with an industrial town, and finally, a stay at a sleepy countryside village.
This book has all the wonderful stuff we have come to expect from Dickens: clever prose, paragraph-long sentences that are somehow structurally sound and easy to read, an enormous amount of pages, and memorable characters.
The one thing that mars this book is Daniel Quilp, the villain. He is an example of Dickens' propensity to do caricature, but this time taken a bit too far. Quilp comes across as an impossible character. The portrayal simply isn't human anymore. He is shown staying up all night, drinking boiling rum, and doing so many other things that destroys suspension of disbelief. Where it not for Quilp I would have given this book a higher rating.
On the other hand I am quite fond of Dick Swiveller, who starts out as a bit of a rogue and shows that he is one of those loveable rogues-with-a-heart.
Read this, by all means. In the grand tradition of the best books it will take you to another place. You'll wander through the Victorian countryside, stop over in a restaurant for a wonderful meal of oysters, walk among a troup of travelling entertainers, be with Nell under the shadow of an old church and cemetery, walk around in the London cold. The Dickens magic, it's all waiting within the pages of "The Old Curiosity Shop".