The Mystery of Charles Dickens

by A.N. Wilson

Winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography A lively and insightful biographical celebration of the imaginative genius of Charles Dickens, published in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of his death.
Charles Dickens was a superb public performer, a great orator and one of the most famous of the Eminent Victorians. Slight of build, with a frenzied, hyper-energetic personality, Dickens looked much older than his fifty-eight years when he died—an occasion marked by a crowded funeral at Westminster Abbey, despite his waking wishes for a small affair. Experiencing the worst and best of life during the Victorian Age, Dickens was not merely the conduit through whom some of the most beloved characters in literature came into the world. He was one of them. Filled with the twists, pathos, and unusual characters that sprang from this novelist’s extraordinary imagination, The Mystery of Charles Dickens  looks back from the legendary writer’s death to recall the key events in his life. In doing so, he seeks to understand Dickens’ creative genius and enduring popularity. Following his life from cradle to grave, it becomes clear that Dickens’s fiction drew from his life—a fact he acknowledged. Like Oliver Twist, Dickens suffered a wretched childhood, then grew up to become not only a respectable gentleman but an artist of prodigious popularity. Dickens knew firsthand the poverty and pain his characters endured, including the scandal of a failed marriage.  Going beyond standard narrative biography, A. N. Wilson brilliantly revisits the wellspring of Dickens’s vast and wild imagination, to reveal at long last why his novels captured the hearts of nineteenth century readers—and why they continue to resonate today.  The Mystery of Charles Dickens is illustrated with 30 black-and-white images.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir, Writing, Audiobook, Books About Books

358 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2020

About the author

Andrew Norman Wilson is an English writer and newspaper columnist, known for his critical biographies, novels, works of popular history and religious views. He is an occasional columnist for the Daily Mail and former columnist for the London Evening Standard, and has been an occasional contributor to the Times Literary Supplement, New Statesman, The Spectator and The Observer.

Reviews

[Beata · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.N. Wilson offers us a most interesting insight into Charles Dickens's life the the Great Mystery of the man who epitomizes the idea of a Victorian man. This is a biography but not chronologically presented as the Author attempts to understand Dickens focusing on particular events in his life rather than tell a story from the birth to the death.
I enjoyed this non-fiction, its non-linear structure but I suppose if it had been my first biography of Dickens I might have felt a little confused.
The book made me realize that I should reread some books and read those I have not read yet ...

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mystery of Charles Dickens by A. N. Wilson is captivating on so many different levels as this English author is able to weave his life and personal reflections throughout this beautiful book. Because of the author's personal connection to Charles Dickens and the interesting way that this was approached, as in separating the chapters into segments of Dickens' life gave one a whole new perspective. The impact of the comparisons of Dickens' literature with his life experiences was invaluable as well. A. N. Wilson researched this book extensively, not only on Dickens' written words but his many speeches throughout the world.

I think we imagine A Christmas Carol when we think of Charles Dickens as that is how most of us became acquainted with this wonderful talent. One can only imagine all of the different portrayals of this magnificent play that have been performed over the years. I know that in our family it was always a tradition to see A Christmas Carol each year at the theater, later including our grandsons as well.

And as an aside, I must add a few words about this beautiful and haunting book cover. Those of you who know me, know that I pay attention to the artistry of book covers, in fact, I even have a shelf dedicated to my favorite book covers and this one is special. It is from the famous unfinished watercolor by the artist Robert William Buss -- Dicken's Dream, depicting Charles Dickens in his study at Gad's Hill, his eyes closed, cigar in hand, slippers on his feet and the characters of his fiction dancing around him. These characters include Little Nell, Mr. Pickwick, Oliver Twist and Fagin. This magical painting can be seen in the Dickens Museum.

This was a beautiful book and extensively researched but what made it special was A. N. Wilson's willingness to share his personal journey with Charles Dickens. While I am working my way through Dickens' beautiful body of work, this will be a book that I will read again as I think there is much that was lost on me because I have not read all of his works. We all need a goal . . .

"It was in the novel that he soared to his great heights, in the novel that he touched millions of human hearts."

[Nora Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and learning more about one of my all time favorite authors even though their life was so much darker than I expected it to be. It may prove triggering to readers at times so please check the trigger warnings. I didn’t really like the fact that the author kept trying to insert themselves and their dark and disturbing life into the narrative. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book.

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at Dickens which may or may not be a correct assessment.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If Dickens remains immortal, it is, among other reasons, for his profound understanding of the inner child who remains with all of us until we die." (310)

A.N. Wilson touches on key events in Charles Dickens' life by showing how Dickens incorporated his life experiences into his writing. "The Mystery of Charles Dickens" is not a birth to death biography. Instead, the chapters of the non-linear book are based on themes such as his death, his childhood, his marriage, charity, public readings, etc. Traumatic events from Dickens' childhood worked their way into many of his novels. Dickens was a strong advocate for the poor and the imprisoned, but he was far from charitable during his divorce from his wife. Wilson uses Dickens' letters and novels to show instances when he had a conflicted nature. In the last chapter, Wilson reflects on his own childhood in a boarding school with an abusive headmaster, and how Dickens' works helped him survive his own childhood traumas. Dickens wrote with a great combination of comedy and tragedy to emotionally engage his readers.

Since there are many references to Dickens' novels, a reader will appreciate Wilson's book more if they are familiar with a few of his works. I'm excited about reading more of Dickens' novels after reading "The Mystery of Charles Dickens." Wilson's writing would be very accessible to most readers. I enjoyed this portrait of an impressive writer and beloved entertainer.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting and well researched and the audiobook was well narrated although it didn't quite stay with me as some other non fiction has done recently but I'm glad I gave it a listen

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. I am not familiar enough with his books. In addition, I would have preferred less psychoanalysis and speculation and more chronological order.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fine research is amplified with personal reflections making the reading a more excellent experience deserving of any and all Dickens fans.


Library Loan

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.N. Wilson presents the life of Charles Dickens through a series of mysteries about him. He shows how the mysteries can be solved in his fiction. The mystery model does not fit all the topics that Wilson selects, but Dickens is always interesting.

The book begins and ends with the death of Charles Dickens. The first mystery is the disappearance of the money he left home with on the day he died. This could be explained in a number of ways relating to his mistress, Nellie Ternan, who, like his death is revisited in the final chapter.

The next two “mysteries”, those of his of his childhood and their resulting appalling treatment of his wife, can be explained by his characters. Wilson gives example after example that depict some aspect of his childhood showing the cruelty of authority figures and other children. In his childhood, as interpreted in his fiction, there are no heroines or redeeming women. Children are left to fend for themselves. They can be in orphanages or workhouses (like Dickens) bearing the brunt of their parents’ lack of care, their personal failures, or their favored treatment for a sibling.

The next “mystery”, that of of Dickens’ charity is shown by fewer ties to his fiction and is more biographical showing his relationship to his causes. The chapter on public readings was even more reliant on biography with almost no connection to his novels.

The “Mystery of Edwin Drood” is not a mystery within a mystery, but the story of how the book was written and of its afterlife.

In the final chapter after a description of Dickens’s funeral, Wilson tells of his personal experience with what we come to know as “Dickensian” England. In the 1970’s, the sadistic treatment of schoolchildren was alive and well. Wilson suffered under this well institutionalized system and found comfort in those Dickens' stories. Through them he realized he was not alone.

I have never read a Dickens novel (I’ve see some film treatments) and probably never will, but he is intriguing as shown by Wilson’s portrayal of the psychodrama of his life. I expect that I will read more biographical material on Dickens.

This book will be of interest to those with interest in the Victorian era and fans of Charles Dickens.

[Tim Clifton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting factually, but the author's self indulgent writing style is in need of a judicious editor to make the paragraph long sentences into something more enjoyable for the casual reader.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an unusual book that is less a biography and more a meditation on the "mysteries" of Charles Dickens. Wilson even insists that Dickens is the most mysterious of the major writers. Well, I don't know about that, but Wilson is often certain of himself. Annoyingly so. That said, I don't dismiss his insights lightly, since, when it comes to Dickens, it seems has read everything under the sun about and by the great (and complicated) author. But boy, he can sure take enormous speculative jumps. One major one is that Dickens hated his mother, and this hate would eventually reform in the cruel way he treated his mother. I guess so. Maybe. He certainly treated his wife, Catherine Hogarth, terribly for the last ten years of her life, while maintaining a clandestine relationship with the actress Ellen Ternan. As Wilson points out, this behavior hardly squares with the advocate for kindness found in so many of the Dickens' novels and stories. Wilson even goes so far as to suggest that such cruelty should be overlooked when considering the Art, and that Catherine had become something of a drudge anyway. Dickens even explored ways to commit her to an insane asylum! For the most part I can put the artist and art in separate boxes, but once such deeds are known, you will always be weighing them, no matter the stature of the artist.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever been to a dinner or other event where most of the other people were of the same profession or interest and you weren't? This is what it felt like trying to get into this book. The author assumes an intimate knowledge of all Dickens' characters, and also a working knowledge of Latin and French phrases. I'm not shy about looking up words, but puh-lease. The writing was rambling and pretentious. I made myself finish the first chapter, but this is going back to the library unfinished, because of the 2000 or so books I have left to read in my life, I didn't want this one to be one.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If Dickens remains immortal, it is, among other reasons, for his profound understanding of the inner child who remains with all of us until we die"-A.N.Wilson.
The mystery of Charles by A.N Wilson is a delightful and engrossing read. If you are a Dickens aficionado or even just curious about how Charles Dickens lead his fascinating life, this book is for you. I want to suggest comprehending and enjoying the book fully; it's nice to know a little about his life and works beforehand.
To note, I have not read all of his works; it is a goal that I am trying to fulfill!
The book consists of seven chapters, and each content explores Dickens's life from his crib until his death-bed. However, and in my belief, there will always be aspects of his life that might never be known.
After finishing the book, I realized that Dickens might lead an extraordinary lifestyle, filled with fame and money, but the true him had a never-ending battle with his own demons. The secrets of his life and his dark personality are infused inside his characters.
Charles Dickens is not with us anymore, but his legacy and stories will forever inspire and entertain many generations.

[Karina Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super fin biografisk skildring af Dickens’ liv og virker. Mange af hans værker inddrages i takt med tiden skrider frem, og elskerinden Nelly for ligeledes plads. Lidt for meget plads sådan generelt. Hun var som sådan ikke det store mysterie, hverken i samtiden eller for os her i nutiden.
Det var skønt med et lille tilbage blik i Dickens liv.

[Julie Stielstra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof. A very mixed bag indeed. First: you probably really need to be a lover of Dickens's books (as I am), and know them fairly well, to be familiar with the stories, plots, and characters to comfortably follow Wilson's many allusions and references. Second: if you love Dickens's books, and even if you know quite a bit about his life, be prepared to find out even more about him that is not pretty.

Example: a peasant workers' rebellion in Jamaica in 1865 killed 20 whites and a black member of the assembly. The British governor rounded up 600 blacks and killed them, and then burned down over 1000 of the workers' huts. There was an outcry in England against this overreaction; Dickens furiously defended him and called the critics "jawbones of asses." He was a monster of control: every morning he inspected every room of the house, and woe betide the person who had left a curtain awry or a crumb on the carpet. While running Urania Cottage, the home for "fallen women," he hand-picked every young woman to be admitted, selected and directed every piece of furniture, every picture on the wall, down to the women's clothing, and dictated what they were to be taught - all in order to be shipped to Australia as obedient wives to the male colonists there. It is suggested that his secret mistress bore him at at least one child, and the lack of any death certificates suggests he may have simply taken the babies away and put them up for adoption. Given his well-known appalling treatment of his long-suffering wife Kate and his indifference and even animosity towards his own children (more than one one them pronounced him a "wicked" man who "didn't give a damn about any of us"), I guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Among the several "mysteries" Wilson muses on is what he calls Dickens's "hypersexuality." It is indeed a little creepy that his most idealized, perfect female characters are little, timid, child-like, virtually sexless beings, while even after he decided he couldn't stand his wife, continued to impregnate her year after year after year. There are hardly any healthy mother-child relations to be found in his books; he loathed his own mother, so there's a lot of unpacking to do there. Wilson is quick to jump on an offhand comment about silver nitrate in the ocean and suggest that maybe Dickens had the clap.

And Wilson does a lot of this: there is so much speculation, fantasy, imagination at work here that it's hard to sort out from demonstrable facts (as far as we can know them). There's a lot of "surely he must have," "it's not unreasonable to think that," and "what if...?" He goes so far as to posit that Dickens may not have actually collapsed at his desk at Gad's Hill, but rather in Nelly Ternan's bed and embrace at her house (where Dickens kept her for years), and then an elaborate scheme of secret carriage rides, etc., got him back home so his death would be conducted in a socially acceptable manner - all based on a discrepancy between the amount of a check he cashed that morning and the cash found in his pocket later that day. Really? Hmm.

Toward the end, Wilson veers off into his own memory of attending a ghastly private school where the boys were routinely beaten while the master masturbated, and other hideous abuses. He suggests that Dickens's own suffering and dark side, as transmuted into his art, appeal to us because he has "been there," witnessed and experienced dreadful things, and turned them into something else: dramatic, heroic, even comedic, and resolved them into rewards for the good and punishments for the bad. Maybe so. I certainly find the books engaging, comforting, entertaining, and dazzling. But at the end, the mystery Wilson ultimately left me with is the long-standing one of how we reconcile (or refuse to) the chasm between an artist's behavior in life and his or her art. Can you love or hate, accept or reject, one or the other, when they are inseparable? This book doesn't really help with that one.

[Ruthanne Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year is the 150th anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens, who is now considered to be England’s greatest novelist. Fitting that this book should be published now.
I really had mixed emotions about this book as I have had a love affair with his books since childhood and found joy in high school on learning that my rather elderly teacher was a Dickens fanatic! She had us all take turns, in class, reading Tale of Two Cities out loud.
Dickens, according to this fine book was a very odd, perhaps insecure, man. Despite his bravado, writing skills and stage performances, he would wander, late at night, through London, remembering his anguished childhood which seemed to be an undercurrent all through his life. He was generous with various charities, particularly for “fallen women,” but didn’t seem to care at all about his own nine children. He abandoned his wife to the extent that he only communicated with her three times during the rest of his life. And when one of their sons died, he never reached out to her in any way. The mother of nine children was dumped for a much younger actress.
It’s confusing to me that someone who could write such charming and tender stories could be so callous and cruel. While reading this book, I found myself trying to figure out his complicated psyche. Bi-polar disturbance comes to mind, with many egotistic overtones.
I do love Dickens’ books and have read all but one, Little Doritos,” which critics believe was his greatest accomplishment. I will, of course read it in time.
I used to say if I had a dinner party with favorite authors, living or dead, Dickens would be at the top of the list. I doubt I’d ever care to meet him now...even though he is still my favorite author to this day!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book challenging to begin with, but so rewarding once I stuck with it. Wilson unravels seven mysteries of Charles Dickens’s life and singular talent, beginning at the moment of the author’s death and circling around and around his experiences and influences to create a full picture of his work. The result is a very unusual and enlightening biography that is as much about his work as his life; deeply engaged with the Dickens novels since his own horrific public school experience, Wilson uses his knowledge of the works to reflect on—but not quite psychologize—the author’s unique vision. “[T]his is what happens in the ‘Life’ of a novelist... [A]lmost all biographies of novelists do indeed consist of this juxtaposition of supposedly ‘real’ experiences and the reproduction of these experiences in fictive form” (271). “The question is where all this stuff is coming from,” Wilson wonders, “what are the wells from which he is drawing water?” (274). Unforgettable insights, not just into Dickens, but into how an author works.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, this bio is for more serious Dickens fan than I. I've appreciated some of his work, but there are several titles not so much. My three stars has to with the fact that while the writing itself is fine (with excellent narration), and I commend the author for his approach to well-trod ground, I was tempted to bail partway through, and wouldn't blame folks who do that.

Main focus of the story has to do with "Dickens as an actor (performer)" as well as his domestic drama (wife vs. mistress). Frankly, he didn't come off as a very sympathetic character to me, so tough to feel much interest.

Recommended primarily for confirmed Dickens fans.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book you have to be very careful with--sometimes Wilson seems to be sensible, as when he agrees with Vladimir Nabokov that we read Dickens primarily for the voice of the author (which is why dramatizations seldom work very well--because they completely lose that attraction). And in general he seems to be right when he talks about Dickens's divided self--a man who could honestly believe in the importance of kindness and charity, devoting thousands of hours to charitable work, and at the same time be horribly cruel to his wife, his children, and his acquaintances. He could move directly from giving a public reading of A Christmas Carol to bringing a charge against a young woman for swearing in public. When the magistrate inclined to be lenient ("Surely Mr. Dickens you do not want the girl to be sent to prison on such a charge?"), "Yes I do, or I would not have come here" was the reply. Dickens may have been both Scrooge and his cheerful nephew, but I think Wilson carries his point a bit too far. He considers Daniel Quilp, the murderous, lecherous, demonic villain of The Old Curiosity Shop (and far scarier than Hannibal Lecter) to be a projection of the author because he detects word play--Quilp reminds him of quill-pen, ie the writer himself. And Quilp lusts after Little Nell just as Dickens himself would later lust after Ellen Ternan (whom Wilson insists on calling Nell.) Hmmm. He opens the book with a vivid account of Dickens's death, describing how he had a stroke during one of his many secret visits with Ternan, how she got him into a carriage and how she transported him to his home and family so that he could die respectably. Only later does Wilson reveal that he made it up out of practically no evidence at all and only suspects that it might have happened. As I say, you have to be careful. But the insights are many, Wilson clearly has read all the works with great care, and he is even-handed in his praise and blame.

[Gary Rigby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating exploration of the lesser known details of the life and death of Dickens as well as a reexamination of why he was so popular in his own time and to subsequent generations. Although of course the author makes reference to past classic studies covering this ground, like G.K. Chesterton's classic critical study, he brings his own unique insight and fresh thinking to this subject. I found the later pages of this book particulalrly interesting as the author relates what Dickens meant to him in the context of his own story as a child at an abusive prep. school. This is a beautifully written book and has been written with great perception, feeling and intelligence.

[Laurel Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never know what to expect from A. N. Wilson. Sometimes he’s a gossip columnist, sometimes a serious and astute biographer/literary critic. This time he’s an amateur psychoanalyst. Not my cup of tea. And yet—his book about Dickens is really interesting, and I might even read it again someday. A caveat: if you’re thinking of reading this book, it would be best to read the works of Dickens first. You’ll get a lot more out of the biography that way. A challenge: Charles Dickens only wrote fifteen novels. That means you could easily read them in a year or two, and you’d probably have a great time doing it. That’s all.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is well-timed, as it is being published around the 150th anniversary of Dickens' death. I didn't learn a whole lot that I didn't know before about Dickens, but I thought the author laid out the material in a great way, as there are plenty of nods to Dickens' writing, such as the title of the book being similar to The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was the final novel the Dickens was working on at the time of his death. This subtle reference to the unfinished book was just one of the ways the author was able to pay tribute to this larger than life literary giant.

[Pratyusha Govindaraju · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't really enjoy this book. I found it dragging in several chapters. The writing in the first few chapters was confusing and unclear. While there were interesting pieces of information about Dickens, some of it was conjecture. The author extensively quotes and cross-references from Great Expectations, The Old Curiosity Shop, Oliver Twist and The Pickwick Papers. So unless one remembers the characters and plot really well, it is hard to interpret what the author is referring to. Read if you are a major Dickens fan, else let it pass.

[Heidi Schramm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of a research paper instead of a story.

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

I’m no Dickens scholar but his books and various interpretations of them have been a background to 6 decades of reading, despite the ghastly forced class reading of The Old Curiosity Shop at school one term … which was nearly enough to make one reject the whole canon.

Instead his books have been like the slow discovery of rich landscapes starting with A Christmas Carol read to me by my mum when I was just seven, A old film or TV version of David Copperfield as a teenager, the glorious musical Oliver, Dirk Bogarde’s Sidney Carton …. In black and white… and so I could go on. The first complete Dickens novel I recall reading was in fact Oliver Twist, unearthed from a junk shop on Alum Rock Road when an impoverished student. I could not put it down and was shocked by its darkness and how sanitised the musical had been. My love affair with Dickens truly began there but family and work pressures meant that I maybe read 1 new Dickens novel every 5 or 6 years. I lost myself in them and loved them but never analysed or wondered much about Dickens the man.

Now A.N. Wilson has thrown open a whole new way for the amateur or professional Dickensophile to rediscover Dickens and this is truly a great book in its own right. Eminently readable and by turns, like Dickens, comic and tragic.

Wilson asserts: “He was, among other things, making the optimistic assertion that in spite of the dehumanising effects of overcrowding, industry, cities, political systems, every man, woman and child goes on being not only an individual, but, potentially, a comic individual. There are many tears, … in the pages of Dickens. The overwhelming message, however, is something that used to be considered very British: the default position of a sane person is to find life funny, rather than the reverse.”

A profound conclusion. Dickens triumphed over the miseries of his youth and managed the inner conflicts of his adult life by creating the most magnificent cast of eccentric and memorable characters in the whole canon of literature. How far readers will agree with Wilson’s hypotheses about his artistic genius really doesn’t matter. What matters is that the book is a great tribute to a great, but fully frail human genius.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book assumes a very deep knowledge of Dickens' work and also of his life in order to enjoy and appreciate it. I do not think it is a book for a general reader.
I was expecting to read a biography of Charles Dickens, a writer I have admired but whose life I knew nothing about. I was soon quite confused and annoyed. For example, the first chapter makes a big point of the effects on Dickens' life of his father' experiences, which apparently involved his being jailed, but does not tell us about that event until a later chapter. It also makes heavy reference in that chapter to Christmas pantomimes that apparently are popular in Britain but that American readers will not know about.
Perhaps I should not have been surprised that the author expects the reader to remember all of Dickens' works in detail (I am afraid I do not.), but he also says Dickens was working out personal life experiences through his books without telling me enough about those experiences for me to judge how valid those might be.
For the first few pages I was really excited by the lovely writing in this book, but it lost me quickly, I am afraid.

[David Cutler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written and interesting examination of the phenomenon that was Charles Dickens who manages to be admirable and deeply repulsive at the same time.

Although the book is well argues there is little that is original here. The story of Dickens’s terrible treatment of his wife and his long term relationship with the actress Nellie Ternan is mostly To be found in Claire Tomalin’s two books. The author leaves a hanging thread that Kate Dickens was not a kind mother but there seems little evidence.

The observation that his experience of the blacking factory is what made dickens and if he had gone to a private school and university, we would never have heard of him is well made but also not new.

Wilson emphasises Dickens need for control more tellingly than other biographies I have read as well as his intense need to connect with a live audience.His experience of drugs for his illnesses and the parallel with Edwin Drood is also interesting. I found the most shocking part of the book to be AN Wilson’s own experiences of abuse as a young school boy by his headteacher and family.

[Sylvia Warhurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a Dickens fan and have read much about him. There’s nothing in this book that reveals anything new, but rather analyses the many facets of his character. I knew that he’d treated his wife badly, casting her off after 10 children and tending to stoutness. I wasn’t aware that he shouted and swore at her. And this leads on to an example of the contradictions in his character. A new law was introduced which made swearing an offence. Dickens, hearing loud voices and swearing followed the sounds until he came upon a group of young people, who all made off except for a young woman, who he caught and led to a police officer, demanding that he arrest her. The police officer had doubts, until Dickens showed him a copy of the new law. The magistrate dismissed the case, outraging Dickens at the thought that his family could hear such words. They already heard swearing at home when their father verbally abused their mother. The book highlights many instances of contradictions in CD’s behaviour and actions. But for me he is still the greatest English writer. And who is perfect?

[Cliff Morrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I began this study with high expectations, and throughout, certainly, it’s obvious that A.N. Wilson is well acquainted with the facts of Dickens’ life, his era, and the content of his novels and other writings.
One major problem is the lack of chronological sequence, which at times makes the book unnecessarily hard to follow and maddeningly repetitious. Another problem, even more serious, is Wilson’s regal assumption on virtually every page that anything in a Dickens’ novel isn’t fiction, but indisputably autobiography.
The latter problem leads Wilson, throughout the study, to the magisterial claim he can deduce Dickens’ innermost psychology. Most ridiculously of all, it leads Wilson, godlike, to purport (on page 49 in the edition I read) to know what passed through Dickens’ mind as the unconscious author lay dying.
I would never read another of Wilson’s books.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a long read for me. I enjoyed the information I learned about Charles Dickens but felt I had to plough through far too many pages to get it. I think this book could have been edited way down. I don't believe any other book has used the work 'pantomime' as much! If I was an aficionado of Dicken's works I may have found this book more enjoyable but I have only read the usual culprits. If you can work through the rather condescending tone of the author and the sheer volume of words there is a lot of information about Charles Dicken's life.