Scan barcode
paperbacksandpines's review against another edition
4.0
He left a trail like a meteor and everyone finds their own version of Charles Dickens: the child victim, the irrepressibly ambitious young man, the reporter, the demonic worker, the tireless walker, the radical, the protector of orphans, the helper of the needy, the man of good works, the republican, the hater and the lover of America, the giver of parties, the magician, the traveler, the satirist, the surrealist, the mesmerist, the angry son, the good friend, the bad husband, the quarreler, the sentimentalist, the secret lover, the despairing father, the Francophile, the player of games, the lover of circuses, the maker of Punch, the Country Squire, the editor, the chief, the smoker, the drinker, the dancer of reels and hornpipes, the actor, the ham. Too mixed to be a gentleman but wonderful. The irreplaceable and unrepeatable Boz.
After reading this book, I was left with the question that I've often pondered before. Can you not respect the writer and like their work? For me, the answer depends on the writer's work and whether I know about their detestable qualities before I pick up their work.
I appreciate Dickens's work ethic, his ability to capture 19th century London, and his notice and celebrations of the small people living on the margins of society. I appreciate his charity work at a time where most people didn't care about women in prostitution, innocent people accused of crimes, or orphans.
What I couldn't appreciate was how he didn't extend this same charity at home..
I did appreciate Dickens's zeal for acting out scenes from his books and learning more about his personal relationships. The book also did a good job about talking about his major and minor works and how the pubic received them at the time without going into long and drawn out plot summaries.
If you only look at Dickens the man, he was brilliant. But once you start examining who he was in relation to the women closest to his life, he starts looking more like the scumbag he was. I can appreciate some of his work but going forward, I'll definitely be looking more closely at how he portrayed the women in his books. Casting women as one note angels or demons isn't going to cut it for me.
After reading this book, I was left with the question that I've often pondered before. Can you not respect the writer and like their work? For me, the answer depends on the writer's work and whether I know about their detestable qualities before I pick up their work.
I appreciate Dickens's work ethic, his ability to capture 19th century London, and his notice and celebrations of the small people living on the margins of society. I appreciate his charity work at a time where most people didn't care about women in prostitution, innocent people accused of crimes, or orphans.
What I couldn't appreciate was how he didn't extend this same charity at home.
Spoiler
There was an extreme power inbalance in his marriage. This, coupled with Victorian's perceptions of how a woman should behave, and the public's perception of Dickens's marriage, left his wife without a voice when he spoke out about her in public. While he had a large party of hangers on whom he provided for at and for different lengths of time, he was atrocious to his wife and he convinced 9/10 of his children to turn their backs on their mother. He didn't even write his wife a letter of condolence when one of their children died. Once he turned his back on someone, he never changed his mind. He carried on an affair with a woman while still married to his wife and refused to let his children visit their mom or her side of the family. Before he started cheating on her, he made fun of her to his friends. And all of his male friends completely wrote her out of Dickens's history. Not to mention the fact that Dickens only wanted 3 kids and took no steps to prevent his wife continuing to get pregnant over a period of 20 years. He didn't like having sons, possibly because he actually had the responsibility of making sure they got an education and a career, something he didn't have to do with his 3 daughters. He seemed disappointed by all but one of his sons and seemed surprised when they couldn't support themselves after he kept bailing them out of their financial woesI did appreciate Dickens's zeal for acting out scenes from his books and learning more about his personal relationships. The book also did a good job about talking about his major and minor works and how the pubic received them at the time without going into long and drawn out plot summaries.
If you only look at Dickens the man, he was brilliant. But once you start examining who he was in relation to the women closest to his life, he starts looking more like the scumbag he was. I can appreciate some of his work but going forward, I'll definitely be looking more closely at how he portrayed the women in his books. Casting women as one note angels or demons isn't going to cut it for me.
musicdeepdive's review against another edition
3.75
Pretty steady-handed biography that doesn't rock the boat or mess with timelines - it gets you from the beginning to end in relatively compelling fashion. The focus (or lack thereof) on certain books is confusing (A Tale of Two Cities gets barely a couple of pages), but it's not too distracting overall. Very good overview of Dickens' life.
slippy_underfoot's review against another edition
5.0
Hugely entertaining portrait of a complex, flawed man, and the routes by which he came to create his work. Tomalin's conclusions are convincing, and without agenda.
mxmgodin's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Wish it had been a bit more critical, or at least reflective, about Dickens as a person and his legacy. But still, a very detailed and informative account of his life and works.
kelbi's review against another edition
5.0
Superb. She is a great biographer and having read her Thomas Hardy I had to read this. She looks clearly at Dickens and makes sure you know his failings as well as his strengths. I listened to the Audible version which was very well read though I didn’t think the narrator got his voice right at all. Just a quibble
whatmariaread's review against another edition
4.0
This is quite a beast of a book {thank goodness for Kindle editions!!}. It is absolutely engrossing- I have so far not succumbed to the charms of Dickens’ writing- or rather have an ongoing schoolgirl prejudice!- but I do want to read more of his work now. However it is also difficult to reconcile the image of his talent and his social commentary with the arbitrary cruelty in his marriage. Still, it has made for a brilliant read- recommended.
kecb12's review against another edition
4.0
I have been a fan of Charles Dickens for most of my life, having tackled David Copperfield when I was 13. But besides some of the better-known aspects of his history, I was completely in the dark about Dickens as a person. I am grateful to know more about him and his life, and while I have some complicated feelings about finding out that one of my literary heroes was a terrible father and husband, I can also appreciate knowing that Dickens was just a normal, flawed person like the rest of us. A genius, for sure. But not necessarily someone to be placed on a pedestal, which is a good reminder for anyone with any sort of hero. Probably my only beef with this book is that there isn’t a ton of analysis about the meaning of all these facts and details about Dickens’ life. Obviously, a biographer has to be careful of putting words or motives into an un-interviewable person’s mouth or mind, but she clearly does so much research here, that I think some attempt at explaining why Dickens was the way he was might have been interesting.
alexrafinski's review
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Claire Tomalin is easily the best biographer of historical literary figures. This covers the life of Dickens in detail and covers both the good and the bad dispassionately.