Charles Dibdin (1745–1814)

It finally occured to me what this writing style reminds me of, its an american soap opera! It has it all, the constant twists and turns, the wild coincidences, the returns from the dead and new found relations.
In defoes Moll Flanders these things are incredibly annoying but Dibdins stuff feels less serious and so its ridiculous aspects are more acceptable.
The genius Hannah continues to delight and the first half of this volume is probably the highlight of the work. The second half is spent clearing up loose threads and so can be a bit of a let down. Finally the author reveals the main point of his story which i liked a little better in this than when the same point was made in Candide.
Overall Dibdins writing still isn't good but i enjoyed my time with Hannah.… (más)

I have mixed feelings about the fact i skipped Vol I. On the one hand Hannah is a very interesting character and i'd like to know more about her. On the other hand Dibdins writing can sink sometimes to Defoe's worst (Moll Flanders), while it never rises to Defoe's best (Robinson Crusoe).
Its an odd writing style that can feel very monotone in circumstances that instead should feel exiting or emotional.
The saving grace of it all is Hannah, a genius at engineering and pretty much anything else she puts her mind too, a very strange female figure for the times. Even Dibdin's poor style and needless 'a series of unfortunate events' plot-lines fail to make Hannah unengaging.… (más)