In this stunning new illustrated biography, Peter Ackroyd introduces us to the public and private life of one of Britain's best loved literary giants, Charles Dickens.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Peter Ackroyd, the world authority on Charles Dickens, is a renowned author of fiction and non-fiction. His best-selling biographies include 'Dickens' and 'London'. Ackroyd's novel 'Hawksmoor' won the Whitbread Award for fiction. Publisher's Weekly called Peter Ackroyd "a master biographer with a seductive prose style" Ackroyd's other books include The Plato papers: A Prophecy, Milton in America, Chatterton, and The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not the same book,
By
This review is from: Dickens: Public Life & Private Passions (Hardcover)
The book I read is not the same one reviewed by some others. I read the 2003 edition, which has only about 200 pages. It is beautifully produced on thick, glossy paper and lavishly illustrated. There are no episodes in which Dickens meets his characters or dead authors.I read the Edgar Johnson bio years ago and loved it. Ackroyd's book, at least this edition, doesn't seem to go into as much detail. He does, however, gush (as a previous reviewer said) and presents Dickens as a tormented soul who could not be still and neither a loving husband nor a loving father.
13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
This will not do.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Dickens: Public Life & Private Passions (Hardcover)
I read only the first 100 pages before abandoning this. Ackroyd writes in an irritating punchy style with many 1-word sentences to show emphasis. This aggressive style was offensive, and at time condescending. It also was distracting. The story is supposed to be about Dickens, after all. The author is prolix, self-indulgent and more interested in establishing his own originality than that of Dickens. Less rhetoric and a steadier narrative are called for, with much less high-flown speculations. Can anyone recommend a good biography of Dickens?
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Charles Dickens was from the beginning as much a child of his time as of his natural parents, John and Elizabeth Dickens. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Charles Dickens, Ellen Ternan, Maria Beadnell, New York, Catherine Dickens, Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers, Christmas Carol, Household Words, Wilkie Collins, Little Nell, Mary Hogarth, The Frozen Deep, Bleak House, Doughty Street, Gad's Hill Place, Little Dorrit, Our Mutual Friend, Tavistock House, All the Year Round, David Copperfield, Devonshire Terrace, George Cruikshank, Georgina Hogarth, Nicholas Nicklebv New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Charles Dickens was from the beginning as much a child of his time as of his natural parents, John and Elizabeth Dickens. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Charles Dickens, Ellen Ternan, Maria Beadnell, New York, Catherine Dickens, Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers, Christmas Carol, Household Words, Wilkie Collins, Little Nell, Mary Hogarth, The Frozen Deep, Bleak House, Doughty Street, Gad's Hill Place, Little Dorrit, Our Mutual Friend, Tavistock House, All the Year Round, David Copperfield, Devonshire Terrace, George Cruikshank, Georgina Hogarth, Nicholas Nicklebv New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 32
books:
See all 32 books this book cites
- The Pickwick Papers (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens on 8 pages
- Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens on 6 pages
- Charles Dickens by John Forster on 5 pages
- Household Words (Collected Works of Carles Dickens) by Charles Dickens on 4 pages
- Little Dorrit (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens on 4 pages
See all 32 books this book cites
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