I am impressed on  his works especially the "christmas carols" and "great expectation".  Although i admit that he uses some words that are not easily to understand but if you go deeply on his works you will found out that he touches your heart with those characters on those books.   I consider his works as books with substance which is very important.

Ever noticed, in reading Dickens, how much loving detail he puts into descriptions of dinners and food? Frankly, I'm not tremendously impressed by anything I've read of his except for Bleak House, which is excellent.

I have given Dickens the top 5 star rating. I would have given him ten - having read ALL his novels and have loved every one. I have read countless novels by most of the great and revered writers of English literature; from Defoe, Swift and Stevenson, through to Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, to Scott, Hardy, Orwell and beyond. All great, but none so interesting, rivetting or brilliant as Charles John Huffam Dickens.

None better!

He would have made an excellent movie script writter. Good reading for a book or two.

I guess he's good for his style. But I think he's kind of overrated.

UGH ! Charles Dickens is just so bland and boring. None of his books kept my attention. Even Oliver Twist was beyond help. Couldn't read it, and never will try again. I don't recommend this classic artist to anyone...sorry :( ~kolby

Another very enjoyable author.

Very wordy, but i enjoyed his books...especially Great Expectations

This guy was a penny-a-word hack who spewed out maudlin, predictable, heavy-handed, poorly written crap that for some reason found an audience in its time and still appeals to those who are afraid to tackle writers of depth and inventiveness who challenge readers. His sole contribution to world literature was his depictions of down-and-out London of the late 19th century, but period pieces and local color don't rank very high on the scale of literary merit. I'm fairly surprised that people still read this clown.

Dickens is SO overrated. he totally pandered to middle class sensibilitie, and his books are the equivalent of EastEnders. he doesn't deserve all the praise he gets. so he was against capital punishment? hardly makes him martin luther does it?

What do you say about Dickens,a brillant writter and spoke to all of us through his words.I cherish each of his offerings.Would Christmas be Christmas without Mr.Dickens and his timeless "Christmas Carol".He is one who spoke for his time and reflected the conditions of those living in that circumstance.But it went further and thats why it last because,his characters and stories speak to all of us.

Very poor

Except for the pickwick papers

If only limited to five authors, this is one I'm so glad to have read extensively. I didn't enjoy or like everything he wrote, but everything moved me and shaped me, in small ways, into the person I am. Those are strong words, but Dickens emotes like no one else; and if you can catch the vibe and realize "whose side he's on," you'll find a way to keep reading. "Great Expectations" and "A Tale of Two Cities," though among the more common are still the best. I give a slight edge to A Tale of Two Cities - the whole Paris/London thing alone gives you more aesthetic bang for your buck right from the get-go! Read Dickens.

I have read a few of Dickens books and have seen others in movie form. Dickens paints a pretty detailed image of what life could have been for some people. His were not the happily ever after fairly tales. He wrote of dismal childhoods where kids were abused and forced to work in workhouses. He showed the sometimes drearier parts of like in Britain. I have heard his own childhood was pretty awful. I liked A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities. HIs books are a bit of history.

dickens blows.

Great story lines--too many words.

While the man weaves wonderful story lines and creates such liveable characters, I find him insufferable to read. I usually have to resign myself to watching "Materpiece Theatre" versions of his works on PBS, rather than struggle through his tedious use of language. I always felt that Dickens said in 10 words what could have been said in one. Part of being a "great" author is being able to use language in a consise and tightly woven manner. At this he utterly fails. Then I remember gems of characters like Peggotty, and realize that what he lacks in use of language he makes up for in compelling story lines.

After reading Great Expectations, I can say that Dickens was fairly effective in bringing forth a political opinion, but as Lord of the Waves points out, it is done in a mundane manner. He is a very famous author. His other works are very respected as well. Dickens was probably the most famous and one of the best Victorian authors in England.

When I was in high school, I read David Copperfield. With the exception of A Christmas Carol, it's the only thing I've read by Dickens, so I'm no authority on this subject. I just remember that I got wrapped up in the story and desperately wished that Agnes Wickfield were a real girl and that I could meet her (despite her awful first name). It was a beautifully written book.

Dickens had the ability to touch the heart of just about any and everyone who ever read him. He skillfully and caringly wrote about the abuses and misuses of human beings in a world that wasn’t always pleasing - a place of greed, child abuse, and opportunism – with enough honesty to address the ugly and enough hope to give you an opportunity to see the light at the end of the tunnel. His well-developed characterizations ran the gamut of humanity and were at once flawed, imperfect, rebellious, sheltered, sometimes insane, occasionally saintly, amazingly evil, but above all memorable. His work remains classic more than a century and a half after he penned it not simply because it is easy to adapt to the screen (which I totally agree that it was) but because regardless of the story or situation Dickens was above all gifted in the ability to touch a place deep in our collective soul. His legacy to the world of literature was an unmatched collection of genuine, honest and hopeful stories that provide the reader with a look back at his time as well as a chance to look within themselves. Though we have gone from farming and industry to a technologically driven existence it is still very easy to see that the hopes, dreams, problems and challenges of the people Dickens imagined are not that much different than our own. We still long for acceptance and love, sometimes embrace cynicism, children are still misused and abused, and oddballs, criminals, and predators have certainly not gone away. These still very relevant works have and will hold up for centuries to come providing not only great movie material but also wonderful reading for future generations. The work of Charles Dickens is everything good literary fiction should be and truly an enduring joy.

the John Grisham of his day....was the literature of the average newspaper reader. most of his novels are inundated with overdone characters and overwrought plot lines. Has aged into "classic" literature only because of time and the ability to translate his work into modern day plots b/c they work like screenplays.

Grossmith gives Dickens a 5 for Christmas Carol -- for me, the reason would be A Tale of Two Cities! (which doesn't diminish my admiration for Christmas Carol!). Great Expectations was the only Dickens novel I read in school and is probably my least favourite. His books are not easy reading, not the non-stop action from page to page that we have become accustomed to reading. Taking the time to read his books, however, it's difficult to ignore the painstaking detail, the true-to-life characterizations. I've never met a Sidney Carton, but I think we've all encountered our share of Scrooges and probably a few Bob Cratchits, and I suspect we are at least aware of Fagins in our midst. These characters are timeless, but Dickens took the time and the talent to bring them to life on the pages of his books. Criticize them for a lack of action -- but look at how long they've survived to be read by generation after generation.

Possibly the most boring man ever to walk the planet. Unfortunately, he wrote boring books, and has been terrorizing people for generations.

My favorite author, the Inimitable. Enough said.

Charles Dickens writes with passion and feeling and his moving stories stir the emotions. The haunting speeches ("It is a far, far better thing..." in A Tale of Two Cities) and the compelling characters (for example, Sam Weller and his dad in Pickwick Papers)leave one aching for more.

Even though he has a name that can be made fun of like no other, A Christmas Carol is enough to give him the spot at Five-Stars.

Though a product of his time, his secondary characters are good enough to populate thousands of novels subsequent to his.