2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Hard Times is how the book is to Read
Date of Review: Feb 12, 2000
The only reason I read this book was because it was assigned to me in English Class. Our teacher could pick any Dickens' book, and to think, she picked this one, what a mistake. Anyway, it was a difficult read, especially because my intelligence lacks the vocabulary Dickens uses, as it does for most people.
Dickens uses an incredibly descriptive writing style, which makes the storyline difficult to follow (thank God for cliff's notes). The book is full of symbolism, irony and other such things that will make you go mad after a while. The book has a good historical background, being that it takes place during the Industrial Revolution, and Dickens paints a beautiful background on that so the reader can understand.
The story within is rather confusing. Most of the characters are rather complicated, and Dickens' writing style does not make it any easier to comprehend. I would recommend using Cliff's Notes if you would like to actually understand what is going on, instead of being confused half the time. The story has a great message, which is the only reason I am giving it a decent rating.
