Hard Times (Signet Classics) Summary and Reviews

Hard Times (Signet Classics)
by Charles Dickens

Hard Times (Signet Classics)
List Price: $4.95
Our Price: $2.04
You Save: $2.91 (59%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.99 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Charles Dickens
Introduction: Frederick Busch
Afterword: Jane Smiley
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-07-01
ISBN: 0451530993
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Signet Classics
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780451530998
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of Hard Times (Signet Classics)

Book Review: Better Reading Better Writing
Summary: 5 Stars

To write an outline of Hard Times or Dickens' work would not be necessary. His writing has withstood the test of time, and is well know. To give encouragement to would-be Dickens' readers and Hard Times readers does seem like time well spent.

Hard Times ventures from other Dickens' books in the writing style lending a departure from Dickens' previous descriptive formats. In this particular book, Dickens lends skill, imagination, and panache to English language usage. He breathes life in to the language of the novel, and he remains a master of dramatic setting and story line. When people say, "Read good books, it will rub off on you." Hard Times comes first to my mind. Therefore, a reason to read Hard Times would be to improve your own reading and writing.

I admit some of the character's lives are depressing. When I looked back upon the entire book, and wondered if Hard Times would differ if set in present day with cell phones, PDAs, the Internet, electricity, airplanes, automobiles, and so many distractions. My guess would be - probably not. Would Louisa Gradgrind's life have taken a different course if she were living in today's world? My guess would be, perhaps, a slight shift on her circumstances, and, again, probably not. Dickens' charms include being able to put his finger on a character type and bring it to life. This is why I'd call certain present day figures, "A Mr. Bounderby" or "A Gradgrind". The Whelp or Tom Gradgrind remains alive and kicking; I've met him.

My recommendation: Read Hard Times. You will be a better reader and writer for it.

Classics Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Classics Books
Native son ImageNative son
by Richard Wright
Perennial Library; Published: 1987; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.75
Native Son: And How Bigger Was Born ImageNative Son: And How Bigger Was Born
by Richard Wright
Perennial; Published: 1993-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $60.00
Raphael and the Noble Task ImageRaphael and the Noble Task
by Catherine Salton
Harper; Published: 2000-10-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $20.00
Island (Perennial Classics) ImageIsland (Perennial Classics)
by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $14.99
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn ImageA Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.81
Price in other shops: $23.99
The Great Divorce CD ImageThe Great Divorce CD
by C. S. Lewis
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-11-25; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $12.65
Price in other shops: $22.00
Great Expectations ImageGreat Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $12.10
This Side of Paradise ImageThis Side of Paradise
by Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops: $6.95
Black Coffee (Poirot) ImageBlack Coffee (Poirot)
by Agatha Christie
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2002-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $68.32
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1960s) ImageSlouching Towards Bethlehem (1960s)
by Joan Didion
Flamingo; Published: 2001-04-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.25
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Wuthering Heights (Dover Thrift Editions) ImageWuthering Heights (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Emily Brontë
Dover Publications; Dover Publications; Published: 1996-09-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.71
Price in other shops: $3.50
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Signet Classics) ImageA Midsummer Night's Dream (Signet Classics)
by William Shakespeare
Signet Classics; Published: 1998-05-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.84
Price in other shops: $5.95
Candide, Zadig and Selected Stories ImageCandide, Zadig and Selected Stories
by Francois Voltaire
Signet Classics; Published: 2009-01-06; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.07
Price in other shops: $4.95
Tartuffe (Dover Thrift Editions) ImageTartuffe (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Molière
Dover Publications; Published: 2000-05-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $2.00
Frankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions) ImageFrankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Mary Shelley
Dover Publications; Dover Publications; Published: 1994-10-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $2.00
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Dover Thrift Editions) ImageA Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Mary Wollstonecraft
Dover Publications; Published: 1996-07-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.45
Price in other shops: $3.50
Western Civilization: Volume C: Since 1789 ImageWestern Civilization: Volume C: Since 1789
by Jackson J. Spielvogel
Wadsworth Publishing; Published: 2008-01-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $50.00
Price in other shops: $132.95
All Quiet on the Western Front ImageAll Quiet on the Western Front
by Erich Maria Remarque
Ballantine Books; Published: 1987-03-12; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.75
Price in other shops: $6.99
Nada: A Novel (Modern Library Classics) ImageNada: A Novel (Modern Library Classics)
by Carmen Laforet
Modern Library; Published: 2008-02-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume E: The Victorian Age ImageThe Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume E: The Victorian Age
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2005-12-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.00