Charles Dickens Books

Without doubt Dickens best short story; first heard it being performed by the actor Simon Callow (this man brings Dickens alive like no other!).

Dickens was a great champion for social reform in the Victorian age; this story is prime example of his ability to touch the raw nerve of social conscience.

A little known book in the vast collection of his writings, but probably his best.

Humour and pathos wonderfully brought together.

This book never became as popular as "Oliver Twist," "A Christmas Carol," "A Tale of Two Cities" or "Great Expectations." But it is still a phenomenal masterpiece. Some critics feel that "Dombey and Son" represents careful planning and organization as opposed to improvisation. (And we may suspect that is one of the reasons it is not as popular as Dickens's other masterpieces. His audience may very well have preferred his style of improvisation.) Onto the text! Paul Dombey becomes the happy father of Paul Jr. (But in a double edged scene, Paul Dombey also becomes a widower.) Dombey already has 1 daughter named Florence, but he doesn't quite know what to think of her. Dombey has high hopes for his son, but sadly, even Paul Jr knows that he is not well. Well, we meet Walter's uncle Solomon Gills. Solomon is concerned over the fact that his business is not doing so well. We also meet the eccentric, but heroic Captain Cuttle. After a tragic dream that foreshadows his death, Paul Jr dies. Well, to Solomon Gill's sadness, Walter goes off to the West Indies. At this point, Dickens prepares the evil of Dombey's assistant James Carker. Trying to move on with his life, Dombey marries Edith. But while Edith likes Florence, her feelings for Dombey are not there. Well, Solomon gills disappears, and the theatrical Captain Cuttle goes on his mission to find Solomon and Walter. Dickens gives us a hint of Carker's evil when he is delighted over Walter's disappearance. While it isn't fully explained, Carker's evil is understandable. He delights in the misery of others as well as being able to manipulate the lives of others. Carker makes an advance on Edith, which causes tension between Dombey and Carker. Later, poor Dombey has an accident, and Carker surprisingly shows a redeeming side when he comes to Dombey's aid. In a tragic scene that borders on horror, the marriage between Edith and dombey shatters. Due to Dombey's rages, Florence runs away to Captain Cuttle. This is where the terror reaches maximum levels. Dombey (with some justification) blames Carker for everything that happened to him. Carker makes one final attempt to rape Edith, and that is when the final confrontation between Dombey and Carker takes place. Dombey realizes that revenge does not make one happy, and he is reduced to a state of sorrow. But all is not lost. Captain Cuttle is reunited with his friends Solomon and Walter. Florence and Walter marry and have a son. (Grandson of Dombey) There follows a beautiful scene of reconciliation between Dombey and his daughter. As sad as some of Dickens's situations become, he seems to be able to add elements of beauty and hope if he chooses to do so. It's a phenomenal book, but even though I really like it, I will be the first to warn you that the style is different from works like "Oliver Twist" and "David Copperfield." It is highly organized and it does lack the artistic improvisation. But if phenomenal in a different way does not bother you, by all means, read and enjoy!

This study of Dostoevsky explores his Romantic Realist storytelling style, which is too often neglected in a rush to treat him as a proto-Existentialist. Some of his ideas rush ahead to Existentialism, but the construction of his novels places him firmly in the Romantic tradition.

Loralee MacPike does an excellent job of exploring the role Dickens's novels played in Dostoevsky's works. Focusing on Dickens's The Old Curiosity Shop and David Copperfield, she shows their impact on two of Dostoevsky's novels: The Insulted and Injured and The Possessed. This is a brilliant analysis, and a fine critical work that made me appreciate both writers even more than I already had.

I remember finding this book in my mom's collection back when I was about 7 or 8 yrs old, and it's probably the reason I became a horror reader. The stories are all well-known classics (The Monkey's Paw being my favorite of the bunch), but it's the artwork that makes this a must-have. Each story is beautifully/grossly illustrated, and if they wouldnt scare guests, I'd frame the pages themselves! (Ya I'm sick!) If you can find it, get it!

I have listened to this rendition every year for the last 40 years - needless to say, this is an indispensible part of my Christmas. I close my eyes and am transported to 19c London. It is magic.

In a festive mood. F.A.H.E.T.G.D.S. ladies mount yet another asault on the classics with their stage version of A Christmas Carol. Enthusiasm their middle name, and with the virile support of stage-manager Gordon, the cast presents a dizzy array of characters from the Dickensian favourite (and a few which aren't) under the ever-battling leadership of Thelma and Mrs. Reece. Of course, no Farndale evening would be quite complete without those wayward touches of ingenuity for which the ladies are so justly famed, so, in truly sparkling for, Mrs. Reece engineers some novel audience participation while bravely contending with the chattily-intrusive PA system. And, a real Farndale First: two specially-composed songs provided unique, show-stopping opportunities for the ladies to wrap their vocal cords and feet around.
--- from book's back cover

In "A Tale of Two Cities" we enter as the bicentenary of the French Revolution draws near, Dickens' historical novel serves as a timely reminder of nineteenth-century reactions to that great upheaval. Set between 1757 and 1793, A Tale of Two Cities views the causes and effects of the Revolution from an essentially private point of view, showing how private experience relates to public history. Dickens' characters are fictional, and their political activity is minimal, yet all are drawn towards the Paris of the Terror, and all become caught up in its web of human suffering and human sacrifice.

"The Cricket on the Hearth" is novella published in 1845 as a Christmas story. The chapters this book is divided into Chirps. The story revolves around a family with a cricket in the house. The cricket is their guardian angel. At one point the cricket warns the master that his wife may be having an affair. Even though this seems to be a tragic occurrence all is well in the end. Love prevails and a girl may regain her sight. This is a Christmas tale after all.

Charles Dickens set out for America in 1842 and his book "American Notes: For General Circulation" collects his musings. His frank and often-humorous descriptions cover everything from his comically wretched sea voyage to his sheer astonishment at the magnificence of the Niagara Falls, while he also visited hospitals, prisons and law courts and found them exemplary. But Dickens's opinion of America as a land ruled by money, partly built on slavery, with a corrupt press and unsavory manners, provoked a hostile reaction on both sides of the Atlantic. American Notes is an illuminating account of a great writer's revelatory encounter with the New World.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS has long been acknowledged as one of Dickens' best, but it gets even better under the smooth voice of narrator Martin Jarvis, an actor who was named Reader of the Year in the UK and who lends his passionate voice to this brilliant unabridged recording. Even prior fans of the novel will discover new nuances listening here to the Cover to Cover Classics version.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Michael Page gives a wonderful performance that brings "Great Expectations" to life. I have a minor complaint regarding the editing of the CD -- several of the chapters had the last word or two of narration cut off.

Note that this is a MP3 CD which cannot be used in standard audio CD players.