3.5 *

I found the second half of this novel dragged a bit (due to the inclusion of some fairly lengthy side stories not involving our hero) but overall this satire was a fun look at society & life in the later part of the eighteenth century. Peregrine at times was cruel in some of the jokes he played (especially on the Commodore) and arrogant in his dealings but underneath he has a good heart & he does eventually learn his lesson. ( )

DNF at about 50%. I enjoyed the other two Smollett novels I've read, but Pickle just lacks any sense of purpose at all. It's literally just an endless (>300k words) procession of bawdy knockabout farcical episodes. Things came to a head today when I read 12 pages (of Peregrine trying yet again to get his end away while two of his companions empty a chamber pot over a sleeping third) on my phone before realising I'd already read the chapter the last time I dipped into Pickle, on my laptop maybe a month ago. ( )

I'm in the process of reading Peregrine Pickle and I must admit that I enjoy reading 18th century English novels as much if not more than anything I read. For one thing, they assume their readers are educated and have a vocabulary and understanding of human behavior that matches their own. Rather than developing characters simply through their actions, Smollett gives us a complete sketch of personalities before the action occurs, or at the lates, while the action in occurring.

This book is immense and will take many many months to finish in that it is sitting in the TV room. What I am reading depends on which room I'm in at the time of reading. Books usually remain in the rooms in which the reading of them commences.

I found the second half of this novel dragged a bit (due to the inclusion of some fairly lengthy side stories not involving our hero) but overall this satire was a fun look at society & life in the later part of the eighteenth century. Peregrine at times was cruel in some of the jokes he played (especially on the Commodore) and arrogant in his dealings but underneath he has a good heart & he does eventually learn his lesson. ( )

A looooooooonnnng book about a dandy's escapades. He doesn't learn anything and it just goes round and round: play a trick on someone, have an affair, have a duel, get in trouble, get rescued by trusty sidekick, play a trick on someone else, have a different affair, have another duel, get in trouble... you get the picture. It's not on my list of recommended reads but I would say that it is written fairly well for all that it is at least 500 pages too long so it gets two stars. Well 1.5 really.. ( )