Little Dorrit (!!!!)

Ladies. Followers. Friends.

I finished Little Dorrit--the book and the movie--last Friday and 

WONDERFUL.

Absolutely marvellous.

I don't know where to start...but I will anyway.

I started reading the book when my best friend and I were talking about how our reading lists had been mostly fluff lately and we didn't feel like reading anything hard or deep but we felt like we should, and she suggested a Dickens. I didn't want to read Dickens, but she convinced me to agree to read Little Dorrit. I didn't own a copy so I downloaded one with my Kindle app, and started reading.

And I liked it! A lot! I didn't find it hard to get into, like I thought I would, and 300 pages in I found I really, really liked it!

Sooo...Random but (hopefully) coherent thoughts:

- First, Mr. Clennam (shocking, I know). But really! He's simply wonderful! I have never, ever read about a hero like him. 

-For one thing, I have rarely read books that showed the hero's point of view, and I enjoyed that in this one.
-He's so nice. He's consistently kind and caring, he's never rude (not really; sometimes he's a little sharp when he has to be, but it's just for the good of someone else), he always puts other's needs before his own.

-He is a gentleman.

Such a gentleman. He's polite, he's honourable, he takes care of others, etc. I love it.
-He is genuinely concerned for Little Dorrit.

This, of course, is a huge reason why we all love him. He finds out about Little Dorrit and takes her and her family into his arms--or under his wing, or whatever--and does everything he can to help them. He didn't know them before, but he still tried to help them in any way he could.

- Amy Dorrit (another shocker). 

-I have never read a book (or seen a movie) with a heroine like Amy Dorrit. It seems to me that a lot of heroines are liked because they stepped out of the "norm" and did things that weren't expected of them; they are often independent and outspoken. Little Dorrit? Not she. But in the very best way possible!

-She does everything she can for others before she thinks of her own needs. Look at her relationship with her father! She sacrifices everything she can for him! 

-She enjoys working hard, and she never complains. 

-Seriously, I'm pretty sure she's perfect. 

(And I LOVE that she finally gets the happiness she deserves in the end!)

- John Chivery. John Chivery!!! 

He is the single most chivalrous person I have ever read about (much less met). I am nearly 100% sure his last name, Chivery, is just a play on the word "chivalry" (it makes sense, doesn't it?).

JOHN CHIVERY.

Never, in all the many, many books I have read and all the (less than that) movies I've seen, have I ever wanted so strongly to comfort someone. I want more than anything to just take John in my arms and let him cry on my shoulder and smooth his hair and listen to him talk about Amy and give him lots of love and comfort. 

(Amy, I actually have a hard time forgiving you for this! You made John cry! CRY, for pity's sake!)

(But I know, you didn't love him and you most certainly deserved all the joy you got in marrying Arthur.)

Okay, but I'm a little torn about darling John. I feel like I'd love it if he found happiness again, but I feel like it couldn't possibly happen, because he loves Amy so much that it wouldn't be quite right...You know?

Because it's evident that he really, truly loves her, with all of his heart. 

Only true love would treat the person she loves with kindness and respect for her sake. Only true love would do that. His love for her is absolutely beautiful and it positively breaks my heart. I so wish he could find happiness but...I don't know. 

See? I just want to comfort him. Give him a shoulder to cry on. I'd love to be his sister or something.

- I didn't like most of the characters. 

Usually when I read a book, I like most of the characters well enough. There are, of course, one or two or three that I dislike, but in this one I disliked most of the characters and there were only a couple that I liked. But, of course, the ones I liked were amazing enough to make up for it!

- I HATE Monsieur Blandois Rigaud. 

I have never hated, despised, loathed, and dreaded anyone in any book or movie this much. He is the very personification of evil. I actually skipped half the scenes with him in the movie because he was just so evil, it felt evil. I didn't like it. Don't worry, I didn't miss anything because I read the book.

- Not to end on that note, The Wedding at the End. 

Little Dorrit is finally as happy as she deserves to be! She gets to marry the man she loves so dearly! 

Here, just watch this:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book/movie is wonderful. 

I a-Dorrit!

(I am surprised I have not seen that pun before, but I have three possible explanations. 1, it's far too lame for anyone to actually say even if they thought of it, or 2, I haven't read/seen enough Little Dorrit stuff to have seen it, or 3, no one has thought of it before. I don't think the last is very likely, though.) (I really am sorry if you all are groaning or just rolling your eyes and wondering how I could say such a thing.) (I wonder if this counts as ending a post badly.) (Enough with the parentheses.)

(Here, we'll end the post with these instead. :)

Anyway, Little Dorrit!!!! Have you seen or read it? What did you think?