Martin Chuzzlewit is written in the enjoyable language and in the most acrid manner.
First of all, there is a fiendish antagonist – a slick and nefarious charlatan…

Perhaps there never was a more moral man than Mr Pecksniff, especially in his conversation and correspondence. It was once said of him by a homely admirer, that he had a Fortunatus’s purse of good sentiments in his inside. In this particular he was like the girl in the fairy tale, except that if they were not actual diamonds which fell from his lips, they were the very brightest paste, and shone prodigiously. He was a most exemplary man; fuller of virtuous precept than a copy book. Some people likened him to a direction-post, which is always telling the way to a place, and never goes there; but these were his enemies, the shadows cast by his brightness; that was all.

And there is a young romantic dreamer hopelessly in love…

‘I say I am in love. I am in love with one of the most beautiful girls the sun ever shone upon. But she is wholly and entirely dependent upon the pleasure of my grandfather; and if he were to know that she favoured my passion, she would lose her home and everything she possesses in the world. There is nothing very selfish in that love, I think?’

And the present times are mush worse than the long gone days of the past… As usual…

These gentry were much opposed to steam and all new-fangled ways, and held ballooning to be sinful, and deplored the degeneracy of the times…

Forsaken by his distrustful grandfather and expelled by his villainous teacher Martin finds himself without any means for living… Full of hopes for the bright future he departs for the promised land of plenty… He goes to America… There, instead of finding bonanza, he is instantly taken in and sent to a nightmarish deathtrap, which he manages to escape only by the skin of his teeth…

‘Why, I was a-thinking, sir,’ returned Mark, ‘that if I was a painter and was called upon to paint the American Eagle, how should I do it?’
‘Paint it as like an Eagle as you could, I suppose.’
‘No,’ said Mark. ‘That wouldn’t do for me, sir. I should want to draw it like a Bat, for its short-sightedness; like a Bantam, for its bragging; like a Magpie, for its honesty; like a Peacock, for its vanity; like a ostrich, for its putting its head in the mud, and thinking nobody sees it…’

Good personages are few and they are surrounded on all sides with the multitudes of rogues, rascals, scoundrels and swindlers who try to use guileless innocents in all possible ways… But the good thing is that those crooks start finally strangling each other…

Did no dog howl, and strive to break its rattling chain, that it might tear him; no burrowing rat, scenting the work he had in hand, essay to gnaw a passage after him, that it might hold a greedy revel at the feast of his providing? When he looked back, across his shoulder, was it to see if his quick footsteps still fell dry upon the dusty pavement, or were already moist and clogged with the red mire that stained the naked feet of Cain!

Let dog eat dog so the kindly ones could live in peace.

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Dopo avergliene dette peste e corna per un buon terzo del romanzo, nella postfazione che per sua espressa volontà deve suggellare ogni edizione del Chuzzlewit, il buon Charley cerca la tardiva riappacificazione con l'America e gli americani.
Ma non ci casca nessuno, vecchio marpione.

Reread. Martin Chuzzlewit is one of my favourite Dickenses; I love (and invariably start rereading at) the part where Martin falls ill in an American swamp and becomes a better person. Also I adore Mark Tapley.

Things I noticed about the book that I hadn't noticed before:
1. Gosh, that's a lot of vitriol against America. I am touched by Dickens's postscript, in which he takes pains to emphasise how great Americans were on his second trip there, and which he says "so long as my descendants have any legal right in my books, I shall cause to be republished, as an appendix to every copy of those two books of mine in which I have referred to America", as "an act of plain justice and honour". Go Dickens.
2. The food! The food! Dickens loves describing food. I get so hungry reading him, even though it is vile British food that I am not a big fan of.

I wonder why the sexism in Dickens doesn't bother me as much as it does in Heinlein. More obvious objectification of women in Heinlein? Or is it just that I was younger and more happy to ignore these things when I first started reading Dickens?

Thoroughly enjoyed this re-read of one of my favorite Dickens novels, and possibly his most underrated (though the infamous American section still has its issues). Hope to write a full review soon.

Comin' to America...

Old Martin Chuzzlewit's greedy relations have always assumed that his grandson and namesake will inherit the bulk of his wealth. But when young Martin falls in love without his grandfather's consent, the subsequent breach between them leaves the way open for all the rest to try to flatter, sneak or threaten their way into old Martin's good graces. Meantime young Martin must make his own way in the world, a hard lesson for a young man who has never given much thought for anything beyond his own comfort. When old Martin makes it difficult for him to get on in England, young Martin decides to seek his fortune in the youthful United States of America...

Apparently on publication in serial form, this one didn't take off as well as Dickens' earlier novels, and I can see why. At first, as we meet all the horrible relatives, it's quite hard to see who is to be the hero – they are all so unlikeable, including the two Martins. The major theme of the book is selfishness, perhaps more self-centredness, as each character is out for what he or she can get. The book is populated by grasping Scrooge-like businessmen, hypocritical flatterers and people whose pride gets in the way of their ability to make compromises. Tom Pinch, the put-upon assistant of one of the many Chuzzlewit relations, Mr Pecksniff, is the only main character who is purely good, and frankly he is such a doormat one wants to give him a good shake and shout “Man up, Tom, for goodness sake!” However, once Dickens has created all his characters, he then allows the circumstances in which they they find themselves to change them. And, as is always the case with Dickens, redemption is available for those characters willing to seek it.

n  He was a gaunt man in a huge straw hat, and a coat of green stuff. The weather being hot, he had no cravat, and wore his shirt collar wide open; so that every time he spoke something was seen to twitch and jerk up in his throat, like the little hammers in a harpsichord when the notes are struck. Perhaps it was the Truth feebly endeavouring to leap to his lips. If so, it never reached them.n

Dickens' method of writing for serialisation meant that he often reacted to how early instalments were received by his public, and this book is a major example of that. While he clearly had the main arc of the story mapped out, apparently the decision to send young Martin off to America was made mid-way through in order to revive flagging sales. I'm not convinced it was a great decision – the whole American bit feels tacked on and unnecessary, although it provides a good deal of opportunity for some of Dickens' fine satire as well as some great descriptive writing. Martin, accompanied by his servant Mark Tapley, finds himself at the mercy of the unscrupulous hucksters who prey on the immigrant dream of finding a land of golden opportunity. Ending up instead in a disease-ridden swamp, Martin has a chance to discover the meaning of true friendship, while Mark has at last found a place where he can find some merit in being jolly in the face of adversity.

n  It was hastily resolved that a piece of plate should be presented to a certain constitutional Judge, who had laid down from the Bench the noble principle, that it was lawful for any white mob to murder any black man: and that another piece of plate, of similar value, should be presented to a certain Patriot, who had declared from his high place in the Legislature, that he and his friends would hang, without trial, any Abolitionist who might pay them a visit. For the surplus, it was agreed that it should be devoted to aiding the enforcement of those free and equal laws, which render it incalculably more criminal and dangerous to teach a negro to read and write, than to roast him alive in a public city.n

Dickens' picture of the newly independent United States is either deeply insightful and very funny (if you're British) or rude and deeply offensive (if you're American). Fortunately I'm British – and furthermore I spent a miserable couple of weeks last year in the company of the much more vilely rude Mr Twain as he travelled Europe and Asia in The Innocents Abroad, so hey! I was kinda glad to see Dickens do it the other way round, and so much better! Joking(?) aside, Dickens was surprised by the reaction of the American public, feeling that his satirisation of their society wasn't significantly different to the way he satirised people and institutions in England. True, I feel, but somehow it does read more offensively because of his position as an outsider to their society. I'm not sure he meant to convey the impression that America was inferior to England – given his lowly opinion of the people who abused their power in England, I doubt it. But it nevertheless comes across that way, particularly when he brilliantly (and repeatedly) mocks the never-ending boast of “freedom” coming from men who kept and cruelly abused slaves. Dickens subsequently made a kind of apology to America (more than Twain ever did to Europe, as far as I know) and requested that this apology be always printed at the end of the book.

n  Each long black hair upon his head hung down as straight as any plummet line; but rumpled tufts were on the arches of his eyes, as if the crow whose foot was deeply printed in the corners, had pecked and torn them in a savage recognition of his kindred nature as a bird of prey.n

For me, the book is much better when it stays in England, and fortunately the American interlude is relatively short. Some of the great Dickens characters are to be found here. Mr Pecksniff, the arch-hypocrite and flatterer, is superb – not quite as overdrawn as Dickens' characters can sometimes be, making Tom's belief in him more credible. Sairey Gamp, midwife and layer-out of corpses, with her invisible friend Mrs Harris, her ubiquitous umbrella, and her liking for a little sip of alcohol – just to wet her lips occasionally – is monstrous and comical simultaneously, a combination only Dickens could pull off so well. Jonas Chuzzlewit is one of the great evil characters, and the scenes relating to him in the second half of the book show Dickens at his dark and terrifying worst.

n  Did no men passing through the dim streets shrink without knowing why, when he came stealing up behind them? As he glided on, had no child in its sleep an indistinct perception of a guilty shadow falling on its bed, that troubled its innocent rest? Did no dog howl, and strive to break its rattling chain, that it might tear him; no burrowing rat, scenting the work he had in hand, essay to gnaw a passage after him, that it might hold a greedy revel at the feast of his providing? When he looked back, across his shoulder, was it to see if his quick footsteps still fell dry upon the dusty pavement, or were already moist and clogged with the red mire that stained the naked feet of Cain!n

Of course, there is romance and one of Dickens' never-ending parade of nauseatingly sweet young heroines – this time, Tom's sister, Ruth. But I must say the love scenes in this one are done mainly for humour and that works so much better than some of the sickly sweet love affairs in later books (yes, I am thinking of David Copperfield and Drippy Dora).

Despite the rather slow start and the detour to America, for me this still ranks up there as a truly excellent novel. While it took me a bit of time to warm up to any of the characters, as they developed I became fully invested in wanting to see the goodies reach a happy ending and hoping the baddies would get their just desserts. The second half in particular, with its mixture of evil, justice and redemption reaches close to being some of Dickens' best work. The sheer quality of Dickens' writing always takes my breath away – it reads as if written so effortlessly and yet his descriptions of both place and people are unique, insightful and often unforgettable. A true master of his craft - I'm glad I live in a world that once had Dickens in it!

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Let no one fool you: this is one of the very best novels by Dickens. Yes, it does feel dated in places, yes, it monstrously unfair to the americans, yes, it abounds with cultural references which are impenetrable today (especially in terms of clothes), yes, the structure is sloppy at times, yes, the main plot does not always work too well and does not carry conviction in places, but Martin Chuzzlewit is almost as good as Bleak House itself, and at places even better.

It is a commentary on how capitalism works, and it is also a commentary on the USA and how it used to be at the time (actually, the way the book is constantly denigrated for this implies that the comments on the USA contained here are still very much valid). It is also one of the funniest books in world literature (again, the american parts are monstrously funny and still feel apposite. Just think of Trump after all). And the characters are some of the best Dickens ever created. Especially the two arch hyppocrites, Pecksniff and Mrs Gamp.

Pecksniff could very well have served as the protoype for Tony Blair. All the sanctimony, the false piety, and the prostration to Mamon are there. Strange how the likeness has not been commented on as much as it might have been. Needless to say, Pecksniff is vastly more interesting than most of the likeable characters. But Mrs Gamp is even better. She is as irrepressible and as impossible to pin down as Falstaff, to whom it is only just to compare her. Without her, the novel would still have been a good one, but it is the presence of Mrs Gamp and all she does and says that make it most memorable. In fact, as soon as she appears, after almost half the novel has passed, Mrs Gamp, abetted by the marvelous drawings by Phiz, decides to make the novel her own, in true bakhtinian and/or bartheian fashion, and lets the author take a back seat.

There are also other important themes running through the book, such as information and its collection (Dickens, as a highly successful parilamentary reporter knew at first hand how important that could be). Such another is friendship, and how people get to quarrel. And there is, as usual with Dickens, a lot on wealth, and more especially money.

I have rarely felt so miserable at a book ending. I would have wanted it to go on and on. I cannot recommend it enough to all readers who enjoy Dickens or who like humour. And although Americans might hate me for saying this, I loved every single joke directed against them here and still can't stop laughing

Martin Chuzzlewit, Senior is tired of his greedy relatives, so he disinherits everyone, including his grandson, Martin Chuzzlewit, leaving him to make his own way in the world. We also follow a cast of other characters including the hypocritical Mr. Pecksniff, the genuinely good Tom Pinch, Mr. Pecksniff's daughters, Merry and Charity, and their cousin, the devious Jonas Chuzzlewit. This wide array of characters added so much life to this novel! They are witty and nuanced and get into the most dramatic and funny situations.

Dickens's satirical portrayal of America really struck me as I was reading this book because while it may have been hyperbolic at the time, many of the things he comments on are so accurate and very thought provoking. He also reflects on England and how members of society are treated.

n  "What is substantially true of families in this respect, is true of a whole commonwealth. As we sow, we reap. Let the reader go to the children's side of any prison in England, or, I grieve to add, of many workhouses, and judge whether those are monsters who disgrace our streets, people our hulks and penitentiaries, and overcrowd our penal colonies, or are creatures whom we have deliberately suffered to be bred for misery and ruin."n

This is a theme explored in other Dickens novels, and one that is worth repetitive reflection. That being said, the American storyline would have been just as impactful if it had been significantly shorter, and most of the the Americans depicted were one dimensional and lacked nuance.

I really enjoyed the exploration of selfishness and how, to quote the author himself, "selfishness propagates itself; and to what a grim giant it may grow, to small beginnings." He explores rather well how selfishness permeates society as a whole and how society is dominated by greed. Dickens also includes murder, blackmail, hidden identities, and fraud in the various plotline and keeps the reader on their toes.

The characters were some of my favorite parts of this book. The cinnamon roll, Tom Pinch, is my favorite character. He is so genuinely kind and unassuming. Mark Tapley is another wonderful character who is just so jolly and wonderful. There is also Mr. Mould, the undertaker, who has a smile on his face until he reminds himself to act grim at funerals, and Mrs. Gamp, the lover of drink and the midwife was always a hoot.

Dickens is fantastic at writing characters that evoke emotions from the reader. Anytime something terrible happened to Tom, my heart hurt for him. Whereas any time the villain came on the page, my heart raced in frustration at his actions and motivations.

I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this, and the aspect that really drew me in was the humor. This is such a witty novel, and I highlighted so many funny passages.

n  "She may have tried to disengage her hand, but might as well have tried to free herself from the embrace of an affectionate boa constrictor."n

I buddy read this with friends, and we had such a good time sharing funny quotes and scenes.

It has been an interesting journey to read Dickens's novels in publication order because I can see how he improves as a writer. Each novel has its strengths, but I feel like Dickens improves those qualities in the next one, at least so far, such as the humor from The Pickwick Papers or the romantic elements in Nicholas Nickleby. However, despite its few faults, Martin Chuzzlewit won me over with its humor, vivacious characters, and compellingly readable plot.

Old Martin Chuzzlewit is disgusted with his greedy relatives who only want his money, so he disinherits everyone, including his grandson, Young Martin, who is named after him. Young Martin falls in love with an orphaned ward, Mary Graham, who acts as Old Martin's nursemaid. But the two young people are torn apart when the family quarrel causes Young Martin to seek his fortune out in the world.

When he goes to work for a hypocritical architect, Mr. Pecksniff, Young Martin befriends poor Tom Pinch, a lowly clerk with a good and innocent heart. Because of his generosity and humility, Tom is always being taken advantage of and overlooked.

Mr. Pecksniff and his two daughters renew their relationship with their cousin, Jonas Chuzzlewit, a devious man who longs to inherit the family business and be rid of his doddering old father.

This book includes blackmail, murder, hidden identities, and fraud, as well as two sweet romances, hilarious characters, and a compelling redemption story.

I loved so many of these characters! Tom Pinch is definitely a favorite. In the beginning, he appears to be only a minor side character, but as he is thrown into the spotlight, Tom becomes a central figure in each plotline. He is so painfully innocent, but with a strange angelic wisdom of his own. I want to protect and shelter him from the cruel world, and towards the middle and end of the book, I rejoiced to see Tom's friends rallying around him.

Young Martin is a frustrating character at the beginning. He is self-centered and thoughtless, but as his story unfolds, and he goes through terrible disappointments, adversity, and suffering, he learns valuable lessons and gains wisdom. He becomes more humble and begins to be more considerate of others. The outstanding character development and the gradual change in his personality is remarkable writing!

The women characters are incredibly engaging, although I wish the heroines had more complex personalities. Both Mary Graham and Tom Pinch's sister, Ruth, are sweet and innocent and kind. They exist to be adored by all the menfolk. They are the perfect Victorian ladies, all sugar and no spice. They do have some lovely scenes, and some good dialogue, but I wish they had a little bit more depth and flavor. I love them though!

The unpleasant women in the book are much more complex. The Pecksniff sisters have more intensity in their personalities, as they scheme and plot for money, husbands, and social standing. They are always competing for attention, arguing at the same time that they profess their undying sisterly love. They want their own selfish way in everything, but are masters at hypocritically pretending to be humble and good, which they learned from their hypocritical father, Mr. Pecksniff.

I loved the plot! It is full of twists and turns and crazy coincidences. It has plenty of action, interspersed with Dicken's famously lengthy descriptions of everything and everyone. The only parts that I really detested reading were the descriptions of American politicians. Their speeches went on forever and ever, which I suppose was the point; i.e. to poke fun at how long-winded politicians are.
But almost all the scenes set in America bored me to tears, because they didn't really further the plot or accomplish any important points for the story. The American storyline could have been reduced to two chapters, instead of the ten or twelve that it encompassed, without losing any pertinent information.

Overall, I loved this book, and it has become one of my favorite Dickens books!

I can't say that this was my favorite Dickens but it was really good. I think Dickens is a little higher on his "moral high-horse" than usual as it's an undisguised attack on greed and on the USA of that time but still it had a lot of memorable characters, the usual panoply of good and evil characters with few in-between; nonetheless I still enjoyed it a lot.

Long and difficult plot hard to follow but some great characters and humor.

3.5

This book took me forever to read. I alternated between the print and audio versions for the entire year. I'm not sure why it took me so long, but at times I got very confused because there is more than one character named Martin Chuzzlewit and I would have to slow down and re-read/back up the audio. I did like that large portions of this book takes place in America. It's also quite funny, particularly the parts with Mr Pecksniff. I'm one book closer to my goal of reading all of Dickens, however, I'm ready for a break and plan on taking 2021 off from that particular goal.

Popsugar 2020- A book you meant to read in 2019. (Started in Oct 2019)