YMMV / The Old Curiosity Shop

• Condemned by History: Nowadays, this it would hardly be considered one of Dickens's best works. However, back then in the day of its publication, it was quite succesful: The excitement surrounding the conclusion of the series was unprecedented; Dickens fans were reported to have stormed the piers in New York City, shouting to arriving sailors (who might have already read the final chapters in the United Kingdom), "Is Little Nell alive?", to the point of some people comparing it to the excitement towards the publication of the last Harry Potter book in the year 2007.
• Narm: The death of Nell. While many readers of the day found it to be heartbreaking, Oscar Wilde said that you would need a heart of stone to read it without dissolving in tears of laughter. Contrary to popular belief, however, Nell's death is not described with excessive melodramatic detail.
• Questionable Casting: Diva of Musical Hell found Anthony Newley's portrayal of Daniel Quilp in Mr. Quilp to be miscast, since she considers Daniel Quilp himself as a villain to be more of a Hate Sink than a charming Magnificent Bastard. She felt that his acting style would have better fitted Richard Swiveler (played by David Hemmings) than Daniel Quilp.
• Tear Jerker: The ending is surprisingly bleak and depressing: Nell dies, and her grandfather, already mentally infirm, refuses to admit she is dead and sits every day by her grave waiting for her to come back until, a few months later, he dies himself.