“This vivid historical and political novel by Dickens is centred on the infamous ‘No Popery’ riots, instigated by Lord George Gordon, which terrorised London in 1780.”
“Dickens’ targets are prejudice, intolerance, religious bigotry and nationalistic fervour, together with the villains who exploit these for selfish ends. His intense account of the riots is interwoven with the mysterious tale of a long-unsolved murder and with a romance involving forbidden love, treachery and heroism. Barnaby Rudge abounds in memorably strange, comic and grotesque characters. Furthermore, recent historical events have renewed its political topicality.”
hilaryfbbc
/ May 31, 2012And now I’m up to the riots and the ‘rescuing’ of prisoners from Newgate jail – it’s brilliant – what a story! Mind you there could be some long-windedness in the non-abridged version I guess…..
hilaryfbbc
/ May 28, 2012Well I have now started on Barnaby, evidently one of Dickens two historical books, the other being Tale of Two Cities of course.
I am listening on audio but I think it has been abridged too heavily because I didn’t get all the ‘bells’ description that enchanted Michele. There was a bit about the pub but mostly it seems the dialogue and ‘action’ is kept and the rest has been discarded.
I like the raven, there hasn’t been much wildlife in Dickens so far apart form horses and dogs all over the place!
michelebbc
/ February 11, 2012Started reading Barnaby Rudge this week with no prior knowledge of the book. Already gripped after reading the description given by the bell ringer of how, on going to ring the bell on the death of a local, he imagines that all the corpses of the people he has known in the graveyard are going to come out and sit above their graves for the night, keeping him trapped inside the church. Also great descriptions of the pub and the local characters.