Regarded by Dickens himself as his best novel upon publication, the experiences of Martin Chuzzlewit relate a tale of familial selfishness and eventual moral redemption. While he is in love with the young Mary Graham, Martin alienates himself from his grandfather and begins working for the corrupt and dishonest Seth Pecksniff. Though he meets the unequivocally kind Tom Pinch during this apprenticeship, Martin is fired and decides to travel to the United States, where he nearly dies. It is in the swampy land of Eden, however, that he reforms, and upon return the crimes of other characters in Dickens's exceptional cast of characters are revealed, particularly those of the arch-villain Jonas Chuzzlewit. A dark comedy full of greed, manipulation, and duplicity intertwined with humility and selfless kindness, "Martin Chuzzlewit" is an exemplary story that carries a timeless message for its readers.
Martin Chuzzlewit
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Editorial Reviews
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"Dickens' funniest novel." —William Boyd, author, Any Human Heart
"Black, anarchic laughter, his lurid fantasies, his zest for hypocrisy, violence, and murder, [and] his surreal world of animated objects, are at the core of Dickens' creative being." —John Carey, author, Eyewitness to History
From the Publisher
This book is in Electronic Paperback Format. If you view this book on any of the computer systems below, it will look like a book. Simple to run, no program to install. Just put the CD in your CDROM drive and start reading. The simple easy to use interface is child tested at pre-school levels.
Windows 3.11, Windows/95, Windows/98, OS/2 and MacIntosh and Linux with Windows Emulation.
Includes Quiet Vision's Dynamic Index. the abilty to build a index for any set of characters or words. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
With this novel, Dickens left behind the shallow characters that sometimes marred his early works, and developed full-fledged people. Pecksniff and his daughters are marvelous creations that make one cringe with embarassment while laughing at their incredible selfishness. Tom Pinch is another character in a distinguished line of "too good to be true" Dickensian personalities, but he is shown to suffer and grow into a believable human being. The American episodes are biting in their satire, but overall they are on the money. Dickens' contempt for American armchair philosophers and "freedom-loving" slave owners fueled some of his most pointed social commentary. As always, there is a happy ending, but the plot is more complex than anything Dickens had written before. I have read Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiousity Shop, and Barnaby Rudge, and Martin Chuzzlewit ranks right up there with his best.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Martin Chuzzlewit is a funny, memorable, and insightful book. The engravings in the Oxford Illustrated edition are a charming addition to this story of hypocrisy, family intrigue, selfishness, loyalty, and friendship. Dickens's use of language is precise and often stinging. The book is laced with humor in the service of more profound goals. If you buy the Oxford Illustrated edition, skip the critical essay at the start of the volume, as it gives away some plot elements best left for the reader to discover. (Read the essay AFTER you have finished the book, if you like, or just ignore it.) My 9 rating reflects the combination of humor, satire, memorable characters (most especially the resolutely jolly Mark Tapley and the hypocritical Mr. Pecksniff), and a thoroughly entertaining plot.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Ted Magnuson
Format:Paperback
Martin Chuzzlewit the elder is dying and all the family has designs on gaining their inheritance. His grandson seems the odds on favorite but young Martin, the grandson has fallen madly in love with the elder Martin's altruistic nurse, Mary Graham. Why the elder Martin finds this terrifying is puzzling. Does he really think Mary's interest in Martin the younger will compromise the quality of her job? Oh, oh...I've done it, I've caught Dickens capturing the foibles of humanity again!!!
These characters sometimes make me scream. I'd like to be face to face with them, vigourously attempting to argue them out of their other-destructive behavior...Of course it would be totally useless as far as they're concerned, but hopefully cathartic for me.
The PBS video (6 hours) is how I was introduced to this story. After viewing the video I read the book. Dickens offers a marked contrast to his near contemporary Alexis deTocqueville's. Where Tocqueville saw free association and high community spirit in his Democracy in America, Dickens saw flim-flam and greed everywhere. -As greed and selfishness are big themes in Chuzzlewit, America proved an apt foil. It is said American publishers pirated Dickens work, paying him no royalties, adding fuel to his ire. Other reviewers have commented on Pecksniff , Mrs. Gump, Jonas Chuzzlewit and Tom Pinch. Oh, there are Dickensian characters in this book. The rivalry between Mercy and Charity Pecksniff results in this case, in alarming tragedies of self-centeredness. If there be humor in such goings on, you'll love Montigue Tigg (Tigg Montigue). He is every bit the operator, having much in common with Mr. Merdle of Dicken's Little Dorritt. Rest assured, as Dickens torments the reader with the trials of his characters, this is one of those tales where just desserts are served in the end.
These characters sometimes make me scream. I'd like to be face to face with them, vigourously attempting to argue them out of their other-destructive behavior...Of course it would be totally useless as far as they're concerned, but hopefully cathartic for me.
The PBS video (6 hours) is how I was introduced to this story. After viewing the video I read the book. Dickens offers a marked contrast to his near contemporary Alexis deTocqueville's. Where Tocqueville saw free association and high community spirit in his Democracy in America, Dickens saw flim-flam and greed everywhere. -As greed and selfishness are big themes in Chuzzlewit, America proved an apt foil. It is said American publishers pirated Dickens work, paying him no royalties, adding fuel to his ire. Other reviewers have commented on Pecksniff , Mrs. Gump, Jonas Chuzzlewit and Tom Pinch. Oh, there are Dickensian characters in this book. The rivalry between Mercy and Charity Pecksniff results in this case, in alarming tragedies of self-centeredness. If there be humor in such goings on, you'll love Montigue Tigg (Tigg Montigue). He is every bit the operator, having much in common with Mr. Merdle of Dicken's Little Dorritt. Rest assured, as Dickens torments the reader with the trials of his characters, this is one of those tales where just desserts are served in the end.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Martin Chuzzlewit
I am enjoying reading this book, especially on my kindle, because I know it is not as dark as some of his other books. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Lillie B Ivy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good even great
That's if you skip over the entire trip to The United States portion. It's so derogatory and boring . I picked up the story again about 2/3rds through. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Georgia Daly
3.0 out of 5 stars
Whatever
I enjoy Amazon's scope and convenience. Why do I need more words? I like the service, but will not respond again.
Published 2 months ago by Brian C Considine
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT SLOW-MOVING WRITING
It's difficult NOT to give this book 5-star rating; however, styles change...Hemingway would rate this book at about the one- or two-star level. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Les
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charles Dickens is great as usual.
It was interesting to go back to a style of writing not used today. It is a side of Dickens I had not read before.
Published 2 months ago by Phyllis Doyle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
One of my favourite Dickens Novels, packed from cover to cover with classic Dickens characters from the comical to the irretrievably evil. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Paul Crew
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterful
The art of writing is very well displayed by a master! The guilt trip of the murder throbs deep in the bosom of the reader. Read more
Published 3 months ago by graphicfunk
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love Dickens!
I love Dickens and I hadn't read Martin Chuzzlewit. The plot is inferior compared to other Dickens, but the characterization is hilarious.
Published 3 months ago by Carol Gerrond
5.0 out of 5 stars
martin chuzzlewit
Really great series. I would highly recommend this author and any books that he writes. Very enjoyable to read and will probably read them again in a few months.
Published 5 months ago by John F Brown, Jr
3.0 out of 5 stars
....not every rose smells quite as sweet
1843 was the year that Dickens decided to explore the potential psychological changes that a person may undergo. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ronald W. Maron
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