This was fabulous. I am one of those whose first taste of Dickens was Hard Times at school and it meant I avoided Dickens for the next 40 years 😂. I have now reread it and loved it and read ATale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol and I want to continue until I’ve read them all 😊
I think rankings are so hard to do! The bottom is usually easy but when you love an author those top five are tricky. I’m not sure I can choose between Bleak House and Dombey and Son because the first one was my very first Dickens and I have read three times whereas Dombey only once but it was such a wonderful experience. I’ll send you my tentative ranking on Voxer Kelly!
Hi Kelly, I have a hate and love relation with Dickens. I loved Christmas Carol. And Hard times and Great Expectations were ok. I recently dnf Bleak house however I would return to it. I want to love Dickens but somehow I don't have patience with him. 😅 Hope you have a good week and happy reading 💛
@@charmainesaliba5546 I know you have a complicated relationship with Dickens! You are not alone. I do hope you’ll give Bleak House or maybe Dombey and Son a try! But you are my friend, regardless! I hope you are well. 💛
this has got me so excited to read bleak house! really enjoyed your ranking! loved dombey and son and a tale of two cities (ahhhh my favorite). a christmas carol has got to be one of the greatest stories ever written
@@sashahawkins Oh! I’m so excited for you to read Bleak House! You must tell me what you think when you get to it. Thank you so much for watching and commenting on my video! 💛
A Christmas Carol is the only Dickens I've actually read so far (and I love it!), though I've seen a few adaptations too. Maybe one day I'll try something from the higher end of your list, when I'm feeling up to the challenge of reading something chonky! Thanks for sharing your recommendations. 💜
Love this video, Kelly. I, too, adore Bleak House. It's the one Dickens novel that I re-read every couple of years and have been doing so since I was 18. It was always my #1 also, though lately I've been thinking a lot about David Copperfield too, which I recently re-read in tandem with Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. I'm torn between Bleak House and David Copperfield now for my #1. The ones I have taught are A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, which, I guess, are pretty standard fare for high schools. Thanks for a very thoughtful video, as always.
@@BookChatWithPat8668 Pat, thank you so much for sharing with me and your kind words! I was surprised to see I gave David Copperfield 4 stars so it is in my re-read future! I really need to re-read the three I read in 2012! 💛
@@booksimnotreading I don’t remember if I loved DC the first time I read it, but I adored it this last time around. Oh and like you, I do re-read A Christmas Carol every year too! I have a considerable Dickens Village that I put out most Christmases. ❤️
_Mutual Friend_ sounds good. I’ve read _Oliver!_ (😉) and _Great Expectations_ (not to mention _Tale of Two_ in high school) but right now I’m starting Collins _Woman in White_ and don’t know if I’ll ever get back to Dickens. But if I do I’ll keep your ratings in mind.
It was fun to see your rankings. Mine are pretty similar. I've read the same number of his novels as you and have 3 of the same 4 that are unread. I have read Oliver Twist but not Edwin Drood. We agree on the one at the bottom. I gave Hard Times three stars and it's the only one with less than four stars so far. I waver between my top pick being Bleak House or Dombey and Son. I liked Dombey more, but I can see the mastery of Bleak House and feel it should be ranked higher. I read Our Mutual Friend in March and didn't plan to read another Dickens this year, but I spontaneously decided to jump in with the GR Victorian group to read Barnaby Rudge. It's only 8 chapters each week for 10 weeks, so I can fit that in. I know nothing about what it's about or the others I haven't read. I dread Drood though since it isn't finished and can't decide if I should save it for last or not.
@@LaurieInTexas Drood won’t take you very long and I don’t think you will feel as invested in it since it was far from finished. Thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm for Dickens with me! 💛
Hey Kelly, great rankings, and it was very informative/helpful to me!! I hope to return to Dickens at some point (read "Hard Times" about the time you were reading it). I have obtained a copy of "Dombey and Son" on your recommendation...
I've seen several film adaptations of Dickens novels, though I haven't read any of his books yet. A few weeks ago, I read the first chapter of Little Dorrit, and wasn't exactly drawn into the story like I'd expected to be. It seemed more like a prologue than the start of the actual story. I'll try to come back to it after I'm done with the most extensive part of my current editing and rewriting duties.
A readalong of Barnaby Rudge has just started on Goodreads in the Victorians! group...started 13 Oct runs to 21 Dec...that is the Dickens I am reading this year.
Interesting to see your ranking. David Copperfield is my favorite of Dickens novels, I have two left to read (Barnaby Rudge and Nicholas Nickleby), three if you count The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Katie Lumsden's favorite I believe is Our Mutual Friend, which was also a five star book for me. Bleak House was the only book I reviewed as a "one minute review" where I admitted defeat, there is so much going on in that novel it would be impossible to sum it up in just one minute. I will probably make a ranking video when I have read the remaining novels.
@@jimsbooksreadingandstuff David Copperfield is so wonderful! I do want to reread it. Your video about the Barnaby Rudge video made me think that was you last Dickens novel to read? But now I hear there are two others. You will finish them all before me, but then I am going to go back and read those three I first read. Lovely to hear from you, as always! 💛
This was great! I'm reading Little Dorrit this year and have been thinking a lot about how his different novels compare. Hard Times is definitely a weaker one for me and you're right to delay on Oliver Twist. My favourites are Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend, but I've only read about half so far. I agree, with Dickens you need to pay attention! Must have been harder with serialisation
@@tillysshelf Oh, don’t you think the Victorians must have had much better memories than we do? And they could re-read the previous “episode” more than once before the next one appeared. I’m so glad you enjoyed this video! Jason and I are thinking of you! 💛
Really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on these books! The only Dickens I've read so far is A Christmas Carol, which I did enjoy. I own Great Expectations and David Copperfield, and I swear one of these days I will read them 😅
The Little Dorrit mini-series was so good! The main reason I haven't read any of his books besides A Christmas Carol is the page count. I always end up opting for something smaller becasue big books just make me nervous. Silly, I know.
@@groovypoptartwashere Long books give he author time to create intricate plots and fully fleshed out characters! You should try reading Little Dorrit if you loved the mini-series so much! You can do it! 💛
I love this! I've only read Great Expectations (in high school), Hard Times (in college), and a Christmas Carol, so this will give me an idea of where to go next.
That is my Dickens ranking thus far: 1. Our Mutual Friend 2. David Copperfield 3. Christmas Carol 4. Oliver Twist 5. Nicholas Nickleby 6. A Tale of Two Cities 7. Great Expectations 8. Dombey & Son 9. The Old Curiosity Shop Loved seeing your ranking 😊
@@andreagergis6379 I really enjoyed your ranking - although Dombey and Son is awfully low! 😂 Thank you so much for watching and sharing your ranking with me! 💛
@@booksimnotreadingYeah haha I know it’s a bit controversial to rank Dombey and Son so low, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the others. The characters didn't grab me like the other books did. Maybe on a future reread, I’ll feel differently and bump it higher.
You should check out A Christmas Carol illustrated by Roberto Innocenti !!!! It will blow you away ! It'sy favorite as well . I too read it every Christmas Eve as well. My second favorite is the Old Curiosity Shop, then Great Expectations , Oliver Twist , David Copperfield, and A Tale of Two Cities . I haven't read anything else by him.
God's Nightgown Kelly, I need to read more Dickens, I think having them free on Project Gutenberg makes me think I'll eventually get to them. I absolutely loved the musical Oliver! as a kid. 🥣, I broke into song watching this video..."Consider yourself 🎶 🎵...you get the idea. I've added a couple to my 2025 TBR, so this was a good reminder. Happy reading, go well.
I'm currently in chapter 48 of Bleak House. It is very good. I've only read A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield all the way through. I couldn't choose a favorite.
When you have finished the remaining novels, I suggest rather than re-reading anything that instead you move on to the journalism. A whole new cast of great characters, great set pieces, impassioned campaigning, but this time all true (well subject to a degree of artistic license!)
Great reviews and enthusiasm, Kelly! I re-read a lot of these (on audio) with Katie's read-along, and several went way up in my estimation. Of the books you haven't read, I like Barnaby Rudge the most (lots of action); but I would recommend reading the 4 you have left in publication order, just to see how Dickens develops over time (Katie's read-along really opened my eyes to this aspect). Of the books to re-read, please, please! re-read David Copperfield, and if you can, listen to it on audio (either Simon Vance or Richard Armitage)--I think it will soar in your estimation. Of your rankings, I'm with you on your lowest 3. My top 3 (in no particular order) are Bleak House, Little Dorrit and David Copperfield. The thing about David is that (for me) the book is about all the other characters--David is just a vehicle to tell everyone else's story (I don't think he's the "hero" of his tale at all, as he so famously questions in the book's first line!). Happy Victober!
I’ve only read seven of his novels. I like Dickens, but I have to be in the mood to enjoy his writing. Our Mutual Friend is my favorite. I quite like Barnaby Rudge (thanks to Katie’s Mega Dickens Read-along), Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield. Bleak House is my least favorite so far and it was two years after reading that before I picked up another of his books. Had I read Bleak House at another time in my life, I may well have loved it. Go figure. 🤷♀️
@@athertonca Hello friend! So nice to hear from you. It’s tricky, isn’t it? If you read a book at the wrong time, it can throw off your whole experience with an author. I have had two people tell me they DNF’d Bleak House. I hope to reread it one day and see if I feel differently. I am glad you found some Dickens to enjoy! 💛
Great list. Your #1 choice is spot on. There's a moment in Our Mutual Friend which spoiled the book for me. Don't push off the shorter fiction forever. They're Dickensian without the gabby bits (which I admit I love about the novels).
I have only read Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol (Christmas Eve tradition), and A Tale of Two Cities. Weirdly, now anytime Dickens gets mentioned, I flashback to Monty Python's bookshop sketch. "Do you have any Charles Dickens?" "Yes, of course." "No, I mean Dickkens with 2 'ks'" and on and on it goes with the bookshop proprietor getting progressively more exasperated. I'm am sure it is available on YT. 😂
@@cynthiasmith2685 That’s great, Cynthia! It’s a great book. I need to read it again, but only after I have read the missing 4! Thanks so much for commenting! 💛
I finished Hard Times last night and I wasn't the biggest fan either. English is not my first language and Dickens made it really hard for me at times, especially with the dialect. I looove Aunt Betsey, she's one of the best characters I've ever come across. Great that the Penguin English Library cover of David Copperfield has the donkeys on the cover 😄
@@irinanka Sometimes my husband and I just randomly shout, “Donkeys! Donkeys!” It is one of the best scenes ever. Thanks so much for commenting! Can I ask what your first language is? 💛
@@booksimnotreading It's German. I left Germany for England 17 years ago. I now live in London and just found out that there's a pub here called Aunt Betsey 🤣
I've only read 3 novels by Dickens so far: Oliver Twist, which is my least favourite, David Copperfield and Great Expectations, which is my favourite. I'm mostly interested in reading Bleak House and The Tale of Two Cities next. Hopefully, I'll pick up one of these two next year.😊
I've only read David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. I would give a slight edge to A Christmas Carol. As it is sbort, I am more likely to re-read it
@@stuartgriffin1001 A Christmas Carol is a perfect gem. I read it every year. Still, you should give yourself credit - you can read more Dickens if you want to! 💛🎄
I actually quite enjoyed Oliver Twist. Ive gotten other doubters really into it by getting them to read a GK Chesterton essay on the work and it frames it super well. Not his best work still, but Dickens wouldnt quite be Dickens without Twist i think
Every year I get the weird urge to try Dickens again, I guess these videos give me FOMO. I would have to rate Great Expectations as the best as it's the only one that I didn't DNF, maybe I should try Edwin Drood as he DNF'ed that one himself. I might read one of the christmas novellas when Katie does her readalong.
@@AaronReadABook Ah, Aaron. You keep buying Dickens’ novels, but then you DNF them? How many have you DNF’d? I might have to try Katie’s readalong as well. Who knew it was Dickens Monday? 💛
