David Moss – Google

For me the Old Curiosity Shop was an unknown having never seen a film version or read any reviews. Entering the story blind as it were, I found it an up and down experience, great beginning, for me too slow and religious in the middle, followed by a rip roaring finale. Would highly recommend reading due to the subtle humour Dickens inserts into what basically is a tragedy. Who but Dickens would think of Kit offering a room to Little Nell at his mothers house where "if you look between the rooftop chimneys you can see part of the church clock so you can almost tell the time." Or the crooked lawyers having the small servant fall down stairs several times to wake the lodger. "She's only slightly built so no real harm will come to her." In a masterful stroke of writing Dickens creates the truly awful "Quilp," the evil twisted dwarf who pursues the fleeing Grandfather and Little Nell, while bullying and dominating all about him. Many, many characters await the reader, best of all for me The Small Servant. From someone who doesn't know her age or name she becomes a surprising heroine.

I first read " Three Cheers For Me" when I was 3rd Engineer on a ship in the South Atlantic, when I was 23 years old. When I returned to England I found that his books were out of print. SO frustrating not being able to read the following books in the series. 48 years later they were reprinted in paperback! Oh happy days!!! I have now read all nine books in the series and for anyone who wants to laugh out loud at practically every page, these Donald Jack books were written for you! Read and ENJOY.