This is the only work from Dickens which first hit me via a different media, namely a really poor BBC telly presentation. It was so bad, I stayed away from it and only relented when I realized there were just a few books of Mr. Dickens still waiting for my perusal. Thankfully, the Master wrote better than the BBC could adapt, and I am one happy reader, as usual with my favorite author.

While the characters of Nell (angelic) and Quilp (evil) are too stereotyped for this book to be fully successful, I understand that Dickens was writing for an audience awaiting serialized updates. This explains the sudden disappearance of the Narrator, who re-appears (I think, this is just the first volume) as someone else later. Dickens has his usual treasure trove of characters who seem to materialize with no connection, until you read further and discover the golden threads.

This volume ends with Nell and Grandfather finding a resting place with the Schoolmaster and the Bachelor. It rather feels like waiting for the next edition of the Harry Potter series, our equivalent of what Dickens' devoted readers must have felt in the 19th century.

Meanwhile, the brandy-and-hot-water streak continues. Without fail, every time I pick up a book of Dickens, inevitably I feel the need for that concoction because he always makes me believe I am in a cold, foggy, forbidding location...even when I am sitting in 87 degree weather in sunny California.

Book Season = Winter (always with Dickens) ( )