The Old Curiosity Shop

Charles Dickens

Jan 1841 · Chapman and Hall

About this ebook

In this tale, first published serially in 1841 and 1842, Dickens follows Nell Trent, an angelic and unfailingly virtuous girl of "nearly fourteen" and her grandfather as they navigate a world populated by villains, criminals and ne'er-do-wells. The public response at the time equalled modern reactions to the Harry Potter books, the audience rapt to learn of Nell's fate. Does she live a life of comfort, of which her grandfather dreams? Or does fate have something less noble in store for poor Nell?

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Ratings and reviews

'The old curiosity shop' is, perhaps, the culmination of all the themes and ideas that Dickens had been working on throughout his first three novels. Though it may lack some of their spontaneity, there is no doubt that this was his most refined work to date, and a great one to boot.

How did this get past google's quality assurance? The first word in the book is wrong (Light) which should be (Night). Who knows how many more mistakes exist!

A classic tale of morality, this novel is filled with fictitious personages who are pure in character, full of joy and grief, longing and fulfilment. Dickens presents us with a delightfully refined and educated adult fairy tale.