#Victober

#Victober
Here's a brief glimpse into Dickens' last and unfinished book, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I'd love to hear your experiences about reading unfinished books - were you surprised or expecting it? Did it change your experience of the book? If you read Edwin Drood, what did you think of it? If you hate Dickens, why???
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/ books-i-m-not-reading

[@josmith5992]

At least Gaskell got to the last few chapters! 😉 It was just starting to get exciting when it stopped, so frustrating even if you knew it was coming but it does leave lots of room for imagining what would have happened next which is half the fun. Agree completely with your assessment of the characters Kelly and that reading half a Dickens is still a worth while experience!

[@booksimnotreading]

It WAS just starting to gain momentum. Acchhh! I want to read the rest of it! So glad I got to read it with you.

[@debibrotherton6661]

I haven’t read a book that was unfinished before. I wish I could remember the name and author of a really long book I read several years ago that felt unfinished, but I just can’t remember-what I’ll never forget is what a huge let down the ending of the book was. In the story, the main character’s wife is murdered. The killer sends the man taunting messages. The man becomes obsessed with finding her killer and finding out why she was killed. The man becomes very sick and goes through a lengthy illness and recovery which the author takes a long time to get through. I stuck with it though because I had already invested a lot of time and I wanted to know who the killer was and why he had done it, but, turns out, after his recovery, the main character “doesn’t need to know anymore” and the book ends! I was so disappointed and a little bit salty about it because I still wanted to know. I felt cheated. Plus it was a really huge book, lol! It’s like the author just got tired of writing and kind of quit and just tacked that ending on. Even though the book was finished, it truly felt unfinished and very unsatisfactory! I think though The Mystery of Edwin Drood would be very worth reading even though it’s unfinished. I love Dickens and enjoyed your review! Thanks for sharing!

[@booksimnotreading]

Hello Debi! Welcome! I agree that books without endings - especially if you don’t know that - are so upsetting. And the book you read does sound unfinished - like the author had a deadline and just phoned it in. I didn’t know Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell wasn’t finished and it just falls off a cliff at the end! Edwin Drood I did know about, so I’m glad I read it, although I do recall thinking someone else had finished it, which would have been impossible because who writes like Dickens? It was so lovely to hear from you and I hope it won’t be the last time! 💛

[@CourtneyFerriter]

The Wikipedia page for the novel says that the strongest evidence points to the uncle as the killer. But having never read the book, I say the butler did it! 😂 I did see the musical based on the novel, which was interesting because they had the audience vote for who we thought was the murderer, so the ending was never the same in each show. That was pretty cool.

[@booksimnotreading]

That IS cool! What a fun experience!

[@pjreads]

I knew The Mystery of Edwin Drood was unfinished when I read it. Then I became so absorbed in the characters and plot that I was stunned when it stopped. Fell off a cliff. The story comes to mind every so often because I still want to know the ending. The Unsolved Mystery of Edwin Drood.

[@booksimnotreading]

Me too! I have been creating all sorts of conspiracy theories about the ending, but nothing as good as what Dickens must have imagined. Do you have a favorite Dickens?

[@RaineyDayReads]

Hi Kelly! I really need to kick my butt in gear and read more of Dickens. I like him for sure, but I think if people aren’t ready for him and his style, his wordiness and often ridiculous characters can be a little off-putting.

[@booksimnotreading]

We all need more Dickens! 😃 I hear what you’re saying but I also think sometimes we just have to take the plunge. Just buckle up and go for it!

[@RaineyDayReads]

@@booksimnotreading lol I completely agree!