I've read Hard Times, Great Expectations, and Tale of Two Cities. If I remember correctly, Hard Times is the shortest of the three, so that might be a good place to start if you are unwilling to read a long novel by an author you have never read before.
The stories of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations may be the most familiar to you, having been televised and made into movies so many times, so I'd suggest them. If you haven't seen TV or film versions, may I suggest you use them to support your reading? The BBC has some wonderful adaptions which are available wherever you are in the world. And Charles Dickens was a cracking story teller and aimed to entertain people, so enjoy! But if you get to a 'heavy/dull' bit in the book--obviously he was writing in a different age so some passages can be difficult for readers nowadays--don't feel guilty about skimming past.
I have not read any of Dickens but I do have his A Christmas Carol, published in 1909 by Educational Publishing Company for only .15 cents. It stays in a Ziplock bag, it's the only way I now how to protect it. I'd be interested also in reading some of his writings, more for a comparison of today's writers. Sandy
My teachers here at the University seem to think he is god in writer form. I tend to disagree; I don't think he's anything to go on about (though his use of language was often amazing) but things like this are really subjective. I first read Oliver Twist, and then Bleak House; of the two I enjoyed Bleak House a lot more. But like I said, this is purely my own opinion.
The one thing I don't like about him is that he's too wordy. But since he was paid by the word, I can't say I blame him since I would have done the same thing to get some extra cash.
I've read a christmas carol. I swear that mid 19th century way of speaking was really difficult to read alot of times. I'm not certain I could get thru a larger Dickens book.
The ones I have read, and enjoyed include: - Oliver Twist - Great Expectations - Bleak House - Tale of Two Cities - A Christmas Carol You can start with any of those, there all well written.
I'll have to hunt for it, but they used to have a Dickens weekly serialized story that would be sent to your email in-box. Since the stories were serialized (i.e. written as episodes for regular publication), it's a fun idea. So, if you sign up for Great Expectations, you get the first chapter one week, the second the next week through email. Let me do some digging.
I really liked David Copperfield. I'm reading Tale of Two Cities right now, and it's been a little harder for me to get into. What I liked in David Copperfield is how there seemed to be a lot of little plot lines and he didn't drop any of them. It kept it entertaining to see which direction he would go off in next. I really loved that book.
