Little Dorrit [Import] [Paperback]

Charles Dickens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2009

“Thirty years ago there stood . . . in the borough of Southwark . . . the Marshalsea Prison. It had stood there many years before, and it remained there some years afterwards; but it is gone now, and the world is none the worse without it.” — Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit

Amy Dorrit’s father is not very good with money. She was born in the Marshalsea debtors’ prison and has lived there with her family for all of her twenty-two years, only leaving during the day to work as a seamstress for the forbidding Mrs. Clennam. But Amy’s fortunes are about to change: the arrival of Mrs. Clennam’s son Arthur, back from working in China, heralds the beginning of stunning revelations not just about Amy but also about Arthur himself.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born on 7 February 1812, Charles Dickens was no stranger to the harsh reality of Victorian Britain. When he was twelve years old, he was sent to work in a shoe-polish factory, while his father was imprisoned for debt. Dickens's critical opinion of a number of the government institutions of his time, such as the English political, legal and financial institutions, and the prison system, is evident in his characteristically satirical portrait of Victorian society. Dickens enjoyed his first commercial success with The Pickwick Papers in 1836, swiftly followed by the serialization of Oliver Twist a year later. By the publication of The Old Curiosity Shop in 1841, Dickens was internationally famous. Little Dorrit was first published between 1855 and 1857 in monthly instalments, to great public delight. Dickens died in 1870, a greatly respected and much-loved author. His novels, many now adapted for TV and film, continue to entertain readers all over the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 848 pages
• Publisher: BBC Books (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846076005
• ISBN-13: 978-1846076008
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1.7 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BBC companion book to the 2008 TV series, June 12, 2009

By 

DCGUY (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Little Dorrit (Paperback)

This book edition is the companion novel to the BBC miniseries shown on TV in the UK in late 2008. The series companion book for the PBS USA show in April 2009 was published by Penguin books (ISBN: 0143115871). The book is the complete edition of the Little Dorrit novel by Charles Dickens. It does not have supplemental material that is available in other published editions of the novel. It also does not have any illustrations. There is a preface by the author and an introduction by Andrew Davies, who did the screenplay for the TV series.

The novel is a story about the Dorrit family whose father lives in a debtors prison and whose future is changed by a man (Arthur Clennam) whose dying father's words triggers a search for answers from his past. The theme of imprisonment pervades the entire story and nearly everyone is affected by it in one shape or form. The storyline focuses on the youngest Dorrit child, Amy, and Arthur who encounter many different people in London and European society, but remain very simple, good, and practical people throughout the story. The novel provides Dickens with a platform to criticize many of the then current English forms of bureaucracy, class snobbery, and greed. The Dorrit family gains a fortune and then loses it all while the Clennams also sees their financial house collapse as well. But through it all, the hero and heroine of the story end up together.

The BBC series does take some very different plot developments that differ from the novel. It would be too numerous to list them all. Much of those differences are posted in my comment on the DVD listing for the TV series on Amazon. There are strengths and weaknesses between the novel and the TV series. I would suggest watching the TV series first before reading the novel which avoids the common reaction of "hey wait a minute, that wasn't in the book!".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great story, April 26, 2010

By 

Philip C. Gregory (Irving, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Dorrit (Paperback)

I got this book because I could not figure the relationship between little dorrit and the family from the video. I was surprised to find the story was written in 70 installments which made it very readable. It was also entertaining to discover what the video left out. very entertaining book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Little Dorrit, April 4, 2011

By 

Vivian Turnau (Winston Salem, NC United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Little Dorrit (Paperback)

An excellent book. I'm pleased to have. The script is easy to read and it clears up what the PBS program was difficult to understand.