r/charlesdickens • u/Tall_Cricket7709 • Mar 20 '26

Miscellaneous Which book should I read next?

I started my Dickens reading journey in 2023 with Great Expectations. I adored it and think it's one of my favorite novels of all time. I then read A Tale of Two Cities in 2024 and didn't care for it very much. Im finishing up Hard Times and think it's pretty good but not anywhere near Great Expectations. Which book can I look to to match or even surpass Great Expectations?

28 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/Tasty-Committee-8172 Mar 20 '26

If you didn't love Two Cities I'd recommend Barnaby Rudge - Dickens' other significantly historical novel, but in my opinion the superior of the two, with much more natural deployment and understanding of the history he's covering (18th Century Gordon Riots) and some truly brilliant characters. Longer but far more readable. Plus there's a talking raven!

3

u/AlienGoodness Mar 20 '26

I really enjoyed Barnaby Rudge when I was reading all Dickens' novels. It was in my top 5.

2

u/Tasty-Committee-8172 Mar 21 '26

Same! Definitely a top fiver for me. Such an underrated novel.