With the delectable wit, unforgettable characters, and challenging themes that won her aย Pulitzer Prizeย and national bestseller status,ย Jane Smileyย naturally finds a kindred spirit in the author of classics such as Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. As โhis novels shaped his life as much as his life shaped his novels,โ Smiley's Charles Dickens is at once a sensitive profile of the great master and a fascinating meditation on the writing life.
This biographical deep dive offers brilliant interpretations of almost all the major works, an exploration of Dickens's narrative techniques and his innovative voice and themes, and a reflection on how his richly varied lower-class cameos sprang from an experience and passion more personal than his public knew.ย Smiley's own โdemon narrative intelligenceโ (The Boston Globe) touches, too, on controversial details that includeย Dickens'sย obsession with money and squabbles with publishers, his unhappy marriage, and the rumors of an affair.
Charles Dickens is a fresh look at the dazzling personality of a verbal magician and the fascinating times behind the classics we read in school and continue to enjoy today.