{"product_id":"2940014253338","title":"HARD TIMES (THE ROOT OF UNHAPPINESS)","description":"HARD TIMES.....This is Dickens’ very best at what he does the very best. The so-over-the-top, and yet painfully true-to-life characters, (by virtue of the wonderful names alone: Bounderby, M’Chokumchild, Blackpool) are so precisely defined that they drive the narrative and put such a spotlight on elements of human pride. The story, then, is in the descriptions. 300 Pages in print.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe action is set in a mill town in the north of England and presents some expected social issues: working conditions, legal discrimination against the poor, labor unions. The main theme of the novel, however, is education. Thomas Gradgrind brings up his children and pupils without any recourse to imagination or emotion. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn his household, \"I wonder . . .\" is a phrase that merits punishment. It is this attitude of Head versus Heart, and Facts versus Fancy that finds itself at the root of all the unhappiness of the book. And unlike most Dickens novels, that unhappiness is never quite overcome.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLooking for another good book?  Just enter the name \"TLC BOOKS, Edited\" at the search box and you will be taken to our main page, where you will be able to peruse all our titles…many are Christian and Wholesome novels.","brand":"TLC BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47080217346288,"sku":"2940014253338","price":1.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014253338_p0.jpg?v=1763604268","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014253338","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}