Charles Dickens: A Life

by Claire Tomalin
Charles Dickens: A Life cover
Good Books rating 4.42
Literary Fiction
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  • ID: 152
  • Added: 2025-09-03
  • Updated: 2025-10-05
  • ISBN: 9781631065019
  • Publisher: Race Point Publishing
  • Published: 2018-03-13
  • Formats: 54
  • Reviews: 3

This exquisite collection showcases the most celebrated works of Charles Dickens, including classics like Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. Dickens, renowned as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, is celebrated for his vivid characters, insightful social critique, and masterfully crafted plots. The collection is presented in a stunning slipcase edition, complete with a ribbon marker, historical timeline, and an enlightening introduction that provides context on the author's life and works. /n/n Over the past two centuries, Dickens' fiction has inspired countless adaptations across various artistic genres, and this edition brings his complete, unabridged works to life. The stylish clothbound hardcover design adds to the allure, making it a must-have for any literature enthusiast.

Reviews
Peter Moore · 2020-01-01
insightful 4.25

The biography is a fast-paced, concise portrait that focuses on the core of Dickens' character, highlighting his energy and talent while also revealing his darker personal life in later years.

This biography impressively condenses Dickens' complex life and prolific output into just over 400 pages, maintaining a satisfying narrative pace despite the breadth of content. The author chooses to focus on Dickens' essential character traits—his relentless energy and talent—while not shying away from the more troubling aspects of his personal life, such as his estrangement from his wife and secret relationship with Ellen Ternan. This approach may disappoint some fans expecting a multi-faceted analysis but ultimately offers a compelling and focused look at the man behind the legend.

Quick quotes

    She fits Dickens' 58 frantic years, 20 novels/novellas/Christmas books, his raft of journalism, parties, speeches, tours and benevolent projects into just over 400 pages.

    Tomalin sticks to the essence of Dickens’ character.

    In the third part of the book a brooding darker side emerges.

Dickens Museum · 2019-01-01
balanced 4.50

The biography offers a lively, balanced, and deeply researched portrait of Dickens that reveals his brilliance, flaws, and secret personal life with sympathy and engagement.

This biography stands out for its compelling storytelling and thorough research, painting Dickens as a complex figure full of contradictions. It reveals not only his public virtues and his passionate commitment to social causes but also his private secrets and human flaws, such as his long-term secret affair. The narrative is engaging and keeps readers discovering new facets of Dickens, making it a rich and illuminating read that neither idolizes nor harshly judges its subject.

Quick quotes

    Claire Tomalin's biography of Charles Dickens is compelling and brilliant.

    The portrait provided of him is lively, sympathetic but never one-sided.

    We see clearly the brilliance and the flaws of the great man.

BookBrowse · 2018-01-01
compelling 4.50

The biography deftly captures Dickens' heroic stature and contradictions, offering a vivid and truthful portrait that combines his literary genius with his personal complexities.

Claire Tomalin’s biography is praised for delivering a rich and penetrating portrait of Charles Dickens that parallels the vividness and complexity of Dickens' own writing. The book highlights his extraordinary energy, imagination, and showmanship, while also addressing his human failings and contradictions. It portrays Dickens not just as a literary icon but as a deeply flawed and fascinating individual, making the biography both a tribute and an unflinching examination of the man behind the legend.

Quick quotes

    Charles Dickens: A Life gives full measure to Dickens's heroic stature.

    The man who emerges is one of extraordinary contradictions.

    Tomalin provides her usual rich, penetrating portrait.

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