The Immaculate Conception Dickens Champions gather togethered for some festive cheer and to discuss their thoughts on Little Dorrit. Here’s how they got on.
Dashing through the snow
Bearing gifts of wine, cider and pop, and cheese, olives and pate, the by now redoubtable, nay formidable Dickens Champions of this parish tramped, drove and cycled to my lady Liz Ashdown’s abode in anticipation of a Christmas celebration, a discussion of Little Dorrit and a Secret Santa exchange.
“Big” Dorrit
Secret Santa and plates of delicious food somewhat clouded our intention and Little Dorrit lay undiscussed in the background for a little while, rather like a discarded Christmas present. At last, amongst the hilarity and bonhomie someone remembered and reminded us that our book group meeting had yet to talk about a book.
Little Dorrit, or rather ‘Big Dorrit’ (have you seen the size of it?) was dispatched pretty quickly if truth be told. The fact is that those who had read it were very keen on it – more than one actually voted it the best of the bunch so far…the ‘bunch’ being four novels – while those who were half way through sat humming loudly with their fingers in their ears. Those who hadn’t yet started it munched silently through the complicated discourse of briefly and half offered opinions and gestures.
We all agreed that the denouement was impossible to get your head round and massively over complicated. In trying to explain it to each other it became even more tangled. But we absolutely loved the characters. Who could forget Flora Finching and her toe-curling simpering? And the Circumlocution Department – well – it was all agreed – it’s the NHS isn’t it? Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.
Secret Santa
Secret Santa gave one of our members a miniature book entitled Charles Dickens The Complete Novels in One Sitting. Fabulous.
Our evening of merriment and good cheer ended in a flurry of scarves, boots, gloves and goodbyes and the Immaculates went their separate ways to celebrate Christmas – “God Bless us Every One!”
Get involved
Read what the Belper Book Chat group and Hollingbourne Reading Group thought of Little Dorrit.
Or read all our Dickens Champions’ blogs from 2012 here!
