“Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him!” ”¦ Charles Dickens
Don”'t put off enjoyment for another day of a good conversation about the writing and musings of a great writer of the past; Charles Dickens.
A new Dickens book club began in October reading and discussing Dicken”'s novel The Old Curiosity Shop and new people are still welcome at the next meeting November 11th, 7 PM to 9 PM and following second Mondays of each month.
The Old Curiosity Shop was one of two novels published in his weekly serial Master Humphrey”'s Clock, from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York readers stormed the wharf when the ship bearing the final installment arrived. The Old Curiosity Shop was printed as a separate book in 1841. The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London. This early novel is filled with activities of all kinds””eating and drinking, meeting and talking, washing and dressing. In addition, scenes reveal sleeping and travelling, visiting theaters, resting at inns, and attending shows. For many people this is essential Dickens ”“ a masterful story of sentiment, beauty, and tenderness. Queen Victoria read the novel in 1841, finding it “very interesting and cleverly written.”
For the second meeting read the next three chapters. Copies of “The Old Curiosity Shop” can be checked out at a library or purchased inexpensively at a second hand bookstore.
Meetings are at Ebenezer Park Apartments, 2700 Park Avenue South. 13th Floor Party Room on the second Monday evening of the month. Free parking is available in the lot at Oakland Avenue and 28th Street. However drivers must be sure to write down their auto license plate numbers for sign-in at the building.
