Mark Evans (4)

For those who've enjoyed this BBC R4 Dickens parody, here it is - and more - in print.

It seems to me that Dickens' success as a public reader of his own works is evidence that he wrote as much to be heard as to be read: hence the excellent screen and radio adaptations; likewise, this radio piece succeeds as an adaptation into novel form.

The parody is mordant, but affectionate: a deep love (and knowledge) of the originals shines from every page.

More important, it's very funny. I enjoyed it; I think you will, too.… (més)

This was a delightful show that I was following on the BBC and then discovered I could get it at audible.com. I fell in love with Mr. Gently Benevolent - probably an odd thing to do, as he is completely "Evil." Tightly written and wonderfully performed. Pip falls from riches innumerable times, his sister dies in the poorhouse, his best friend eats too much but never flags in his optimism, his other sister turns to Evil, he marries and then loses his first love, Flora Diesearly ... oh, it just goes on and on!… (més)

I am a big fan of Radio 4 comedy Bleak Expectations - this book is a novelisation of the first series and, to me at least, it felt like a pretty close match. That is not a good thing.

The trouble is that the radio play has an absolutely stellar cast. The book has ... all these great lines which I'm not convinced work if you have no idea of how they are delivered.

The book is decent enough. It has footnotes, which are tremendously irritating if you are reading on Kindle as I was, and it's entertaining. If you are a fan of the radio show, this is a nice accompaniment. If you've never heard of it, I'd recommend looking it up.

A three star score indicates a book which did what I expected it to. Ultimately, this didn't offer enough for me to give it more than that.… (més)

For those who've enjoyed this BBC R4 Dickens parody, here it is - and more - in print.

It seems to me that Dickens' success as a public reader of his own works is evidence that he wrote as much to be heard as to be read: hence the excellent screen and radio adaptations; likewise, this radio piece succeeds as an adaptation into novel form.

The parody is mordant, but affectionate: a deep love (and knowledge) of the originals shines from every page.

More important, it's very funny. I enjoyed it; I think you will, too.… (més)