Title: Martin Chuzzlewit

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Classics

Publisher: Penguin Books

Format: Paperback  

Pages: 942

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Set partly in the United States, this novel includes a searing satire on mid-nineteenth-century America. Martin Chuzzlewit is the story of two Chuzzlewits, Martin and Jonas, who have inherited the characteristic Chuzzlewit selfishness. It contrasts their diverse fates: moral redemption and worldly success for one and increasingly desperate crime for the other.

Review:

It was so great to be back in the land of Dickens. He is such a brilliant writer that I always find his books a treat.

Martin Chuzzlewit follows the character who’s name is the title of the book. He is a young lad who has been cast out by his grandfather for loving a young woman. Left penniless, he tries to make his own way in a cruel world, where having no money means you cannot move up in the world. Many of the characters are vying for older Martins money, which adds an interesting spin to the novel and makes you question whether the family members really just want the money or not.

Martin tries to go to America to make his fortune. Dickens portrayal of America is an interesting one. He portrays it as a wild land where it is a lot more difficult to make your fortune than it comes across as being. Many people during Dickens time traveled to the United States because they thought that it would be easier to make their fortune in the land of the free, rather than in England. Dickens obviously was trying to discredit this idea. 

One thing that I love about Dickens is his character building and development. Not only is Dickens able to create strong protagonists and antagonists, but he also creates strong sub characters that make his works of fiction even more engrossing. While I loved Martin and the evil Jonas, I enjoyed reading about the daughters of Pecksniff and Mrs. Gamp. The daughters were annoying at first, but their character development really excelled throughout the novel and they became characters that I connected too. Mrs. Gamp is one of those ridiculous characters that you can’t take seriously. I feel like there is always one of those characters in every Dickens novels. 

One thing I always stress with Dickens is he is very wordy. He puts a lot of description into the surroundings of the characters, and in this one he described the architecture a bit more than he usually does. So if that is not something you enjoy reading, then this might not be the book for you.

Overall, in my opinion, another great piece of classical literature!

Happy reading!