Barnaby Rudge – Charles Dickens

 This is one off my Book-et List, completing the fourteen (finished) novels of Charles Dickens. I read Oliver Twist in 1975, David Copperfield in 1977, ploughed through six novels in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, two more in the noughties, and the last prior to this in 2009.

Set earlier than most of his novels, we are in the period of the Gordon Riots of the 1780s, when the mob, whipped up by Lord George Gordon, head of the Protestant Association, took to the streets to protest at the removal of official anti-Catholic discrimination that had been in place since 1698.

Dickens’ plots cannot be given justice in a precis so instead, themes and characters. Star crossed lovers across the religious divide, Edward Chester and Emma Haredale; their respective father and uncle, lifelong enemies; good-hearted Joe Willet, at odds with his innkeeper father and rebuffed by flighty locksmith’s daughter, Dolly Varden, who prefers to bask in the attention of the local dandies.

Then there is Barnaby Rudge, a simple youth eager to please and easily led. By, for example, black-hearted ‘gypsy looking’ Hugh, who sees the riots as an outlet for his violent tendencies, and apprentice locksmith Simon Tappertitt, who fancies himself as a commander of the rabble.

The action ranges between London and its hinterland. Catholic’s property is at risk from the rioters; the rioters are at risk from the military; the ladies are at risk from the villains; love is at risk of being frustrated; and poor young Barnaby Rudge, an innocent abroad amid the chaos, is at the most risk of all.

The characters may be stock rather than memorable, but the descriptions of the riots are vivid and filled with jeopardy.

So, with Dickens done with, my pick of his fourteen major works are: Great Expectations, Bleak House, and Our Mutual Friend.

Review of 2022 Reading Year

The return to normality after the worst effects of the pandemic resulted in a slight decrease in reading levels with 34 books read in the year. Again the majority (62%) were by ‘new to me’ authors. The gender balance tipped this year with a 60:40 preference for male authors, and the males dominate the best reads list by 6 to 2. The reading group was back on providing 7 titles (including 2 best reads) and the ‘bookpacking’ reading journey progressed through Asia in 5 books (though none of these get a place at the top table).

My eight best books of the year are: (Month of full review in brackets.)

 

Ella Minnow Pea – Mark Dunn: Clever, funny, and cautionary tale told in epistolatory form of how dogmatism can develop into totalitarianism, even in a small island with an educated and literate populace. (Jan)

 

The Shining – Stephen King: Rightly considered a classic of the horror genre, the storytelling skill of King making the unthinkable all too credible. (Feb)

 

American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins: Frenetic, tension-ridden ride through Mexico as a woman and her young son join the tragic flow of those fleeing crime, terror, and injustice to seek sanctuary in the US. (May)

 

The Rotters Club – Jonathan Coe: Ben Trotter’s life unfolds from adolescence to adulthood in 1970s suburban Birmingham, full of iconic references, humour, and pathos. (Jun)

 

The Miniaturist – Jessie Burton: Atmospheric and engrossing novel set in 17^th century Amsterdam about a young woman’s introduction (as wife) into an older merchant’s claustrophobic household. (Jul)

 

Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari: A masterly and very readable account of human history with some original insights and thought-provoking ideas. (Aug)

 

There’s Only Two David Beckhams – John O’Farrell: Written years earlier but set at the 2022 Qatar world cup, a humour packed novel about football and parenthood, winning and doing the right thing, and the choices to be made between them. (Sep)

The Farther Corner – Harry Pearson: The author revisits the northeast football scene at all levels, the result as funny as the original Far Corner but underscored by a layer of personal reflection. (Sep)