Customer Reviews

Girl in a Blue Dress: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles Dickens

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He was the greatest Victorian author in all of British literature. Charles Dickens was a brilliant author of such masterpieces as David Copperfield; Hard Times; Bleak House; A Tale of Two Cities; Our Mutual Friend, Martin Chuzzlewit; Oliver Twist and many others. Yet little is known about his longsuffering wife Catherine Dickens.
In this new first time novel British author Gaynor Arnold recreates the domestic life of Dickens and Catherine. She calls the author "Alfred Gibbons" and his wife Dorothea. Dody is a buxom beauty who is wed to the young energetic Gibbons. He rises to fame with his genius while she stays home giving birth to many children. The famous and spoiled author has an affair with an actress, leaves his wife taking his children with him and condemning her to ten years of living alone is a small London flat.
The novel begins on the day of the author's funeral. We hear Dodo tell her story as she remembers the high and low points of her life with the fascinating but unfaithful author. Arnold has done her homework allowing the reader inside the home of a celebrity and his family. Dickens was childish and selfish but loved his wife. He was easily infatuated by a pretty face and fell into a long romance with a young actress name Wilhemine. She and Dodo confront each other following his funeral. This is the most dramatic scene in the novel.
Arnold has done a good job in her first venture into novel writing. The book was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Arnold's research is commendable and her discussion of adultery is tasteful rather than prurient. Her book will win legions of admirers in book clubs across the English speaking world.
As a longtime Dickensian I was already familiar with much of what Arnold tells us. Someone who is coming new to this material will probably enjoy the book more than I did. It was interesting and kept me turning the pages, though, and that is the goal of a good historical novel.
A good first start by a new author whose best work may lie ahead of her.

Arnold's depiction of a Victorian marriage is painfully accurate, a fictional biography of a prolific English writer, Alfred Gibson and his wife, Dorothea, a thinly-veiled account of the marriage of Charles Dickens and his wife, Catherine. Names and events have been changed, of course, but it is certainly reasonable to extrapolate a sense of the marriage and how difficult a life with such a man could be. From the bright days of early marriage to a struggling writer who will capture the imaginations of countless fans, "Dodo" exemplifies the Victorian wife, subservient, gracious and self-sacrificing. But as Alfred's creative genius expands, his self-importance multiplies in equal measure. At the same time, whatever the complex psychological constructs of this man, it becomes his mission to denigrate and belittle his wife, as though to grow his own stature it is necessary to diminish hers: hence the years of humiliation, criticism and finally rejection.

Arnold's challenge is to cast Alfred in the true colors of his nature, while imbuing Dodo's character with compassion, humility and the debilitating burden of petty jealousy justified by her husband's outrageous appetites. For all her suffering, the lonely years of childbearing and Alfred's barbed attacks, her figure lost to the rigors of too many births and an excess of laudanum, Dodo fulfills her wifely duty at the cost of her soul. Rationalizing Alfred's behavior, justifying his misdeeds, Dodo temporizes, apologizes, crumbles under the weight of her husband's demands. Instead of a spirited, brave lady married to a demanding, domineering man, Dodo becomes his victim. As the tale moves between Alfred's death and the reminiscences of confrontation, humiliation and emotional abuse, this rogue's gallery of demeaning incidents is painful to explore, competition with her sisters for the affection of her husband, the ultimate betrayal of a mistress replacing her in the family home, Dodo's removal to a smaller dwelling.

Given the author's familiarity with Dickens and his family history, had this been offered as a biography, it might have been more palatable to this reader. But Dodo's long-suffering cooperation in chapter after chapter peels away any compassion I might have, replaced by frustration and disappointment. This is the story of a victim, unlike her Victorian counterparts in that Dorothea is married to a man beloved by the people; he shall always be a hero, she a tragic failure. But without spirit- or hope- Dodo fails on a more significant scale that that of society's expectations. Battered and denied, in a laudanum-induced fugue when her children need her, Dorothea wears her crown of thorns proudly, parading her scars like badges of honor. It is literally painful to endure the weight of this marital story, the stripping of one to appease the massive needs of the other. Dodo makes me weary, her weakness my burden. And there is no relief with Alfred's death, Dodo clinging to the fragments of a severely dysfunctional relationship. Luan Gaines/2009.

PBS's popular "Masterpiece Theatre" program recently produced a multi-part televised adaptation of Charles Dickens's LITTLE DORRIT, considered by many to be one of the author's most accomplished works. During the introduction to one of the episodes, the host commented that despite Dickens's lifelong marriage, by the time of the writing of this novel he had fallen out of love with his extremely fertile (and, as a result, rather stout) wife, preferring instead the affections of a childlike, domestic, sweet and mild-mannered girl --- someone very much like the character of Amy Dorrit herself. In LITTLE DORRIT, the hero, Arthur Clennam, is horrified to discover that, during his years abroad, his childhood sweetheart has ballooned into a vast but vacuous woman, a figure to be both pitied and mocked --- and contrasted with the earnest sweetness and childlike beauty of Amy Dorrit. What must Dickens's wife have felt to see her own sad marriage reduced to fictional farce?

In GIRL IN A BLUE DRESS, author Gaynor Arnold seeks to explore this question and others, as she writes her book from the point of view of a woman inspired by Charles Dickens's wife, Catherine. The Dickensian character is named Alfred Gibson; his wife is Dorothea. However, it would soon become clear to those with even a passing knowledge of Dickens's career that Gibson is a stand-in for the most famous Victorian novelist. Catherine Dickens has been reduced to supporting character status in most books about her famous husband; here she is given a chance to tell her own story.

GIRL IN A BLUE DRESS opens the day of Gibson's funeral; Dorothea, who has been cast out from the family (including being estranged from most of her six surviving children), chooses to remain in the shadows rather than face the twin horrors of the crowd's adulation of her husband and her own very public shame. Dorothea is visited by her eldest daughter, Kitty, who, although she was her father's favorite, has still remained loyal to her mother. As Kitty recounts the mania that has overtaken London in the wake of her father's death, Dorothea casts her mind back to the very earliest days of her courtship by "The One and Only," as Gibson becomes known. Gibson is alternately egotistical and endearingly eccentric, dramatic and dour, as he entreats Dorothea to be more fun-loving but reminds her that they both must work very hard to avoid the poverty and misery that characterized so much of his own youth.

With marriage came conjugal bliss and babies; faced with Dorothea's more matronly figure and maternal responsibilities, Gibson's attention often strays elsewhere. The master storyteller, however, is also quite skilled at fabricating justifications for his own interest in, and behavior toward, young women --- including Dorothea's own younger sisters. As Dorothea retells the sad saga of her marriage to Gibson, she illustrates the combination of pride and disappointment that characterize marriage to one so talented, so famous and so single-minded --- a man whose greatest devotion was not to his wife, but to the characters he created.

In the days and weeks following Gibson's death, even as she considers all this history, Dorothea has a choice to make. Will she continue to be a virtual prisoner in her own home, bound by shame and isolated from the friends and family who used to love her? Or will she use her famous husband's demise as an opportunity to rejoin the outside world?

Those with only a passing knowledge of the life and work of Charles Dickens will still find much to enjoy in this fascinating character study of a Victorian woman in what seems to be an impossible situation. Dickensophiles, however, will be delighted not only by the opportunity to read a fictionalized autobiography of one of the key figures in Dickens's own life, but also by the seamless way in which Arnold skillfully incorporates Dickens's characters into his life story. GIRL IN A BLUE DRESS will show readers a new side of Dickens --- one that portrays the great author as more flawed, perhaps, but also more human --- and a portrait of the great man's wife as a fully realized character, a product of her times and circumstances, not just as a literary device or farce.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This is a powerful novel based on the actual life of Mrs. Charles Dickens. Since the story is well known, it isn't a spoiler to say that in this work of fiction, we have the story of a woman who falls madly in love with a charismatic young man, marries him, has a load of kids, and is then publicly and unceremoniously scorned and dumped, booted from the family home, for what was basically the crime of no longer charming him.

How can a man who holds himself up to be a virtual paragon of family virtue behave so badly? And how can the scorned wife refuse to publicly chastise his behavior.

This is a book about the powerlessness of Victorian women, in many ways. It is also about the kind of self deception and hypocracy that the character based on Dickens (Alfred, also called Fred) indulged in.

The author has clearly studied Dickens and the lot of Victorian women thoroughly, and presents a compelling and highly readable book.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who wants to read a fascinating book, although I would not have been as forgiving as the protagonist in this book.

Have you ever picked up a book of historical fiction only to find that the language used and the phrasing of speech is entirely wrong! Gaynor Arnold gets everything right in this book. Never much of a fan of Charles Dickens and having read "Drood" which portrays Charles as a despickable character, I admit to being intrigued to read about Dicken's much publicized and disastrous marriage. I was so captivated that everytime I picked up this book and began reading I smiled. I had been transported back in time and Dorothea Gibson (AKA Mrs. Charles Dickens) was speaking directly to me.
If you are at all attracted to this book by the cover image, you will not be disppointed with the book.
I have added Gaynor Arnold to my list of "must-read" authors!

Gaynor Arnold has written this fictional first novel, providing insight into the marriage, family life and narcissism of one of the great literary figures of the Victorian period, Charles Dickens. She has created wonderful characters throughout, each one dimensional, living and breathing in the chaos of their family and worldly lives. It is a terrific read with warmly painted human beings, and skillful pacing. It is completely believable from start to finish.
I could not put it down.

Dorothea Gibson (Catherine Dickens), might easily have been over-looked, as she states, "simply a footnote in history." But in the (dreadfully titled), "Girl in the Blue Dress" we hear a believable voice, one which grows stronger as the novel brings this world to life.
As "Dodo" tells her story, she provides powerful dimension and insight into The One and Only, Alfred Gibson's (Charles Dickens) persona.

The novel begins at the funeral to which Dodo is uninvited, having been banished from their home, ten years prior, when Alfred took up with an actress, the same age as his daughter Kitty. Dodo looks back at her life and shares it with the reader.

Alfred, a charismatic youth, swept Dodo off her feet with his love letters and charm. Their marriage produced eight children, and drained Dodo of her youth. Arnold has, of course, fictionalized, but believably so. Children, friends and servants are skillfully painted, each with his or her personal color, nuance, shadow and light. Arnold has loved and understood each one, and makes it easy for the reader, as well.

The widow Dorothea is called to visit with Queen Victoria and they share their mutual losses and discuss the issues that women struggle with in Victorian times. Dorothea Gibson finds the courage to meet with her sister, who came to help, then stayed to undermine her role as wife and mother. She meets with the young actress, with whom Alfred spent his final ten years. Separated from her children for a lifetime, presented the author opportunity for further intelligently written scenes, with strong and believable dialog. Dodo finds within herself an astounding ability to listen and forgive.

Despite a lifetime of scandal and heartbreak, Dodo never stopped loving her Alfred. In this exceptionally well-written novel, author Gaynor Arnold has captured the Victorian era, insights into Dicken's life and a story of a marriage of its time.

Interesting tid bits about Dickens. Not sure how much is fact and fiction. Feel sorry for dickens kids more than his wife, if what was said is true. a bit boring reading .... the wife was in kind of sorry state of affairs but then may be many Victorian women were like that.

A highly enjoyable read, even if you know nothing of Dickens. It is a fascinating depiction of a marriage and Victorian times. Now I'm off to research Dickens and read Oliver Twist.

Some months ago one of the reading groups that I belong to online was buzzing about a novel set in the Victorian period. Many considered it to be a very good novel and worth the effort to read, and when it was released here in the States, I decided to add it to my never-ceasing stack of books to be read.

First time author Gaynor Arnold uses the life and marriage of Charles Dickens to create a haunting story of a life that was burdened by fame and responsibility, with unforeseen and tragic consequences. While the characters of Alfred Gibson and his family are fictional, the author created the story from the very well known Charles Dickens, and his rather unusual home life.

At the start of the novel, Alfred Gibson, novelist and playwright, the most famous of the Victorian writers and possessed of a devoted following around the world, has died. "The One and Only"s wife, Dorothea -- called Dodo by her family and friends -- watches the hysteria with calm. For nearly twenty years she was with him, raising their numerous brood of children, putting up with his traveling and moods, but the man that she had worked so hard to please cast her aside a decade earlier, banishing her from their children's lives, and sentencing her to a life of half-shadows and misery, in a small home and no company save for her maid, Wilson.

To the public, Dodo Gibson is a spurned wife, and his husband moved her sister, Sissy, in to raise their children, and rumours of his taking up with a pretty young actress, Miss Ricketts, for companionship. Denied access to her children, Dodo has waited, but for what, is never really made clear. As the world mourns Alfred Gibson, Dodo's first visitor is her eldest child, Kitty, decked out in extravagant mourning and enraged by the fact that her mother is ignored. Dodo takes it all in stride, apparently uncaring.

But inside, the reader is treated to quite a storm indeed. For through Dodo's eyes, we get to see a very different Alfred Gibson. Swept away by him as a young girl, Dodo married him in haste, and Alfred, full of fire and enthusiasm, set out to change the world and make his fortune as a writer. Dodo falls in love with this paragon, and at first, struggles to meet his expectations of a helpmeet, striving to keep their ever growing brood of children, and the finances and household in order. And Alfred soon discovers that not only can he write and act -- he is determined to be the lead not just at home but on the stage as well -- but that he quickly develops a following that not just adores his work, but clamours for more. Alfred provides that, creating friendships with everyone it seems, but also oblivious to the fact that his wife has her own dreams as well.

And much like the sun, Alfred dazzles everyone, creating a blinding light that not just illuminates the dark side of Victorian life, but also enchants the young women that flock around him. For Dodo, she tries to bury her jealousy and own hunger for her husband's company, shaping herself into the very model of the perfect wife, and suffers from deep self-doubt and questioning. As we follow her life, we also see her grown up children, and the constant fight for not just herself, but also for privacy in a world that is discovering a need for celebrities...

Ms. Arnold not only captures the psychological drama of a woman denied, but also the right feel of Victorian England. I was caught up in this one right from the start, and found Dodo's story fascinating to read. For Dodo is a very believable character, and Gaynor Arnold gives her a vibrant voice in describing what it must have been like for the partner of someone who not just is famous, but has quite a few quirks of his own to deal with.

The author includes quite a few twists as well, taking the titles and plots of Charles Dicken's very real life and books and giving them a new vibrancy. If the reader is familiar with Dicken's works, there will be a few quiet chuckles over the titles that Gibson's produces, but it's done with such a subtle touch that I at first didn't quite notice it. While most of the action is shown to the reader among Dodo's recollections and conversations with the people who are grieving along with her over Gibson, it's done with plenty of skill, and I never did get annoyed with the story.

Because the enjoyment for the novel comes not just with creating a very detailed look at the daily life and customs of the time, but also a mystery that is wrapped up within the story -- just who was Alfred Gibson? Worshipped as a celebrity, the man who he was in private takes a very different angle in Dodo's eyes and story, and I was compelled by what the reality was. While I certainly felt sympathy for her situation, and at first, was slightly annoyed at Dodo being a bit of a doormat, as I got to know her, I liked her more and more. All too often, authors make the error of creating a strong willed woman character for their heroine, but then have them behaving in ways that are unrealistic for the time and place.

Dodo is very much a product of her time and place, and the real story lays in how Arnold is able to draw her out of the role of abused wife to her own voice and a future that is hers. And frankly, by the end of the book, I was ready to brain Alfred Gibson with a poker for being such a sadistic, selfish arse of a man -- but then too, that was the Victorian view of the world at the time, and Arnold draws on her source material in a terrific way.

For those who have read widely in Victorian literature, this is a gem of a book. While the story does indeed remain that of the Gibsons, there are enough little clues and asides in the story to make it believable, and as I read, I found a renewed interest in the works of Charles Dickens. The writing is subtle, the plot interesting, and the final resolution a very believable one. It's a book that is going to my keeper shelves, and one that I think I will be returning to in the future. It's no surprise at all that this was nominated for the Man Booker Prize.

As to future writings by Gaynor Arnold, I'll be looking out for her next book. If this is any indication of her skill as a writer, she stands to be a knockout.

Four stars overall, happily recommended.

On the day he died, Alfred Gibson is the Victorian world's most celebrated English writer. His plays are constant sell-outs, his novels have not only brought fame and fortune but also social change, and he is adored by both his friends and his Public alike. However, one important individual is missing from Gibson's funeral: his estranged wife, Dorothea. Separated for ten years, "Dodo", as she is called, has had little to do with society for fear of ridicule or bringing down her husband's reputation. Now, with his death, she can finally come to terms with the man she loved - the man who became so much larger than life.

Dodo begins by reminiscing how the two first met, their frenzied courtship, the first few years of marriage. However, as children and more career demands came, the two began to move away from each other, and by the time Gibson passed away, they were not on speaking terms. Dodo has not seen her children in a decade, and it is through the death of their father that she hopes to rekindle old family ties and friendships, and find out the truth as to what went wrong in her marriage.

"Girl in a Blue Dress" is based on the life of Charles Dickens, and while it has an interesting premise, overall it fails to deliver. I've been trying to think of the reasons I didn't love this book, and I'm coming up empty-handed. There was nothing wrong with it, per se. It has a plot, interesting, vibrant characters, and lots of conflict. But there was nothing that really sparkled, nothing that made me want to pick it up at the end of the day. To be honest, I would have given it up completely except that I had already invested time into it and figured it would be easier to finish. I can't say that I particularly cared about any of the characters, as it is evident on page one how the story will end. Sadly, I wasn't invested in the journey it took, either.