Customer Reviews

The Last Dickens: A Novel

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Without any doubt, Mathew Pearl is a capable and interesting author. I have yet to read The Dante Club (2002) (my misfortune) but I thoroughly enjoyed The Poe Shadow in 2006. Now comes The Last Dickens, very similar in style and pacing to The Poe Shadow, and well worth your time to read. That is providing you like intelligent, well written, very well researched, mysteries.

The Last Dickens is set in 1870, the year of Dickens' death. James R. Osgood, an American publisher handling what turns out to be Dickens' last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, must travel the world in trying to solve the central mystery of the story, but must also save his ailing publishing business. Pearl manages to sculpt for us a grand mystery and layers it with the scandals of the time. He incorporates historical figures that were contemporaries of Dickens' and does so without becoming unrealistic or comic. The Last Dickens is very "atmospheric" and treats the reader to a wonderful reading experience. Pearl introduces us into a world that is far different from the one we live in today....and not the romantic vision of the Victorians we all seem to hold. Graft and corruption are everywhere. Copyright laws are nonexistent and authors essentially have no protection. Pearl's time researching for The Last Dickens in evident on virtually every page.

There are a number of current authors other than Mathew Pearl that capture the essence of the 19th century as well as he does. Of note are Dan Simmons and also Michael Cox. Dan Simmon's last book, Drood, also deals with the last years of Charles Dickens and incorporates historical figures in the same manner as Mathew Pearl. Michael Cox is also at home writing about the 19th century and has done so masterfully in The Meaning of Night: A Confession and the sequel The Glass of Time. Pearl's story is every bit as compelling as anything other fiction story taking place in the 19th century.

You won't regret reading The Last Dickens. I highly recommend.

I began The Last Dickens immediately after finishing Dan Simmon's Drood and it was enlightening to see how different authors treat virtually the same historical material. As I read Pearl's book, I'd encounter a passage and say, "Oh, I remember that from Simmon's book. That adds more detail to what Simmons offered." Unfortunately, that was the most enjoyable part of The Last Dickens.

I read Drood in a few days. At half the length, Pearl's book took me more than twice as long to finish. And it's not because the material wasn't fresh and I was bored.

Both authors harvest the same historical data. But their plots are wildly dissimilar. Simmons concentrates on the last years of Dickens' life and his relationship with Wilkie Collins. Pearl, instead, begins with the death of Dickens and shows how that affects his Boston publisher (who must scramble to find every scrap left of Edwin Drood before publishing pirates devalue their exclusive, albeit expensive, deal with Dickens).

Both books focus on the effects of opium but Simmons uses it to detail one man's descent into paranoia and madness whereas Pearl treats it stereotypically as a trait of his villains. Simmons populates his book with characters who appear to have been lifted from the pages of Dickens' novels (or at least who were models for Dickens' characters). Pearl, on the other hand, doesn't have as many "Dickensian" characters, although he does provide some humor in describing how the English view Americans.

I enjoyed Pearl's depiction of American publishing and the book pirates. His recreation of Dickens American tour was also highly entertaining. But, sadly, his major plot drags and was a chore to read. I hate to keep coming back to Simmon's Drood, but Pearl is unfortunate in having a superior book published at the same time as his own. Not once during my reading of The Last Dickens did I put the book down and say, "Wow!" I had several "Wow!" moments with Simmon's Drood and, in fact, re-read Chapter 47 because it was unbelievably powerful.

If you haven't read either book, I recommend that you read Drood first. I don't think you should dismiss The Last Dickens, though, because it does show how another author treats the same material and many of the scenes in Pearl flesh out the material that Simmon's presents in Drood. Think of it as an addendum to Drood.

Make no mistake: this is not a horrible book. It is just very pale in the shadow of the towering masterpiece that is Dan Simmon's Drood.

KINDLE SPECIFIC
There are a few (not many) instances where Osgood appears as Os-good. This was probably due to the source file having fixed rather than dynamic hyphenation and was obviously missed during the book's conversion to Kindle format. It's annoying, but don't let that stop you from buying the Kindle version.

Charles Dickens was the type of author who "even those who never in their life read any novels, would read his." His stories have endured the test of time since the mid-1800s. As THE LAST DICKENS opens, the latest story from the novelist's pen was eagerly awaited by the public. Published as a serial, THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD kept people hanging until the next installment. But when he died with it unfinished, it left readers in a frenzy to know what he intended. Had Edwin Drood survived in the end, or would his body be found somewhere?

In 1870, the year of Dickens's death, Boston publishers Fields, Osgood & Co. had the only American rights to print the works of Charles Dickens. Often, that legal right meant very little back then, since, whenever a publisher expected a manuscript, literary thieves called bookaneers would hang around the docks or roam the streets, ready to pilfer whatever they could get their hands on. Even at the public readings, these bookaneers, having schooled themselves at shorthand, would steal the words right from Dickens's mouth.

So it was that Daniel Sand, a delivery boy from Fields & Osgood, ended up being chased down by such a thief. Young Daniel was a trusted employee when he died, leaving his sister Rebecca, a bookkeeper at the publishing house, deep in mourning. For James Osgood, Daniel had also been a promising lad, one he held out much hope for, so the stories of drug use playing a part in his death hits Osgood hard. Barely able to believe it, he goes in search of the truth. And along with his search for what really happened to Daniel, he hopes to find more of THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, praying with great fervor that Dickens had left new chapters, or at least some notes. Anything.

Having exhausted his few leads in Boston, Osgood's quest takes him across the seas to England, where he secures a room in the Falstaff Inn across the road from the gates to Gadshall Place, Dickens's estate. He can't help but wonder: Did Charles Dickens glean ideas for his stories here in the English countryside? Could he have written them based on events of the day, things he read about, people he encountered?

The streets of London turn unkind to Osgood. He finds himself facing great peril, realizing too late that he may have underestimated the danger he has gotten into. But he worries less for his personal safety than for Rebecca's, for she has accompanied him on his trip as his assistant. She has also winnowed her way into his heart, whether he wishes to acknowledge it or not. Osgood must keep a clear head and stay focused on his mission, for the shady characters who seem to be following him have little value for lives other than their own. As it becomes apparent that Dickens likely stashed more of Edwin Drood somewhere, the tension ratchets up to a fever pitch and the Americans must run for their lives.

Matthew Pearl, the internationally bestselling author of THE DANTE CLUB and THE POE SHADOW, brings Charles Dickens to life as wholly as Dickens brought Tiny Tim to life. Fans of the famous writer will rejoice in the wealth of life details and trivia along with the incredible period detail. THE LAST DICKENS is truly a history lesson going hand in hand with a juicy mystery, as entertaining as it is educational. You can't help but come away with the highly satisfying feeling that you rubbed shoulders with literary giants.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

After a solid first novel with The Dante Club and a rather blah follow-up with The Poe Shadow, Matthew Pearl is back to form with The Last Dickens. Obviously always an expert in mid-nineteenth century American literary culture, Pearl spreads his wings a bit here and explores the mystery surrounding Charles Dickens' last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. What was its inspiration? What were his intentions for the novel?

Of course, he doesn't go too far afield. Only part of the novel is set in England. Much of it is set in America, during the course of Dickens' last great reading tour a few years before his death. The primary character is James Osgood of Fields & Osgood, his American publisher, supported by Rebecca Sand, one of the company bookkeepers. They take it upon themselves to investigate Dickens and Drood when Rebecca's brother, Daniel, ends up dead after trying to obtain the most recent galleys of the novel for Osgood.

Pearl has a good time creating a myriad of interesting characters here. His recreation of the cutthroat business of American publishing in the days before settled copyright law makes for fun and fascinating reading. His recreation of the strange events of Dickens on tour is wonderful. And the encounters of personages in England, from the weirdness of the opium den to the friends and family of Dickens is well-done. Particularly memorable are the arrogant Forster and the fictional Tom Branagan.

And, unlike The Poe Shadow, here the plot doesn't get subsumed by historical detail but, rather, adds color to a well-made story. Needless to say, I won't give away the many twists and turns that Pearl has in store, nor will I say anything about the satisfying conclusion of the story which fulfils literary fantasies while ending up true to the history. I will just say that Pearl has created a fine literary thriller in The Last Dickens. Any fan of Dickens or literary thrillers will not want to miss this one.

In 1870, Charles Dickens dies leaving his last novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished. Soon afterward, several other deaths of people related to the great author occur. Especially stunning is the death of Daniel the office clerk messenger who ran to the docks to retrieve the last chapter of Drood and deliver it to his boss, Dickens's Boston based publisher, James Osgood. Not only is the trustworthy Daniel dead in suspicious circumstances, that valuable finished manuscript is missing; leaving behind only six chapters previously published.

Ruling out murder-theft by a rival house and not one to sit idly back in American hoping for a miracle, Osgood decides to go to England to learn more about his late client's death and what happened to the final chapter. Traveling with Osgood from America is bookkeeper Rebecca Sand, whose late brother is one of the deceased apparently associated with Dickens; she wants to know how he died.

The story line is fast-paced from the moment Osgood (real persona) learns of Dickens's death and never slows down even with flashbacks of the writer's son stationed in India as a superintendent of the Bengal Mounted Police and the 1867 author's tour of America. Fans will enjoy this fine Victorian Era mystery loaded with genuine historical facts and people, and intriguing Dickens trivia. Different from the also entertaining Drood by Dan Simmons, Matthew Pearl provides an entertaining very British final solution to the Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed this interesting and complex "cloak and dagger" novel-- but why would one compare it to Dickens? It never occurred to me to do so, as it did to another reviewer. It is not a scholarly book, but is not presented as such. The author has fun combining actual events and fictional situations, and I learned a lot about Dickens, the cutthroat world of publishing before copy-write laws, and had a good time in general. This novel stands on its own as a well-researched and informative read. It will appeal to you if you like mysteries in general, and reminded me of an early Anne Perry.

Matthew Pearl has crafted unique historical literary mysteries with "The Dante Club" and "The Poe Shadow" in which he blended fact and fiction almost seamlessly. With "The Last Dickens" Pearl continues this mixture with the fertile ground of Charles Dickens' unfinished final novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." "The Last Dickens" is an enjoyable thriller with a satisfying ending that does not damage the intriguing mystery behind Dickens' final work.

The story is separated into three distinct elements. The novel begins in Bengal, India, where British policemen are tracking opium thieves. Various parts highlight Dickens in his final reading tour of America as he grew older and sicker and faced an uncommon threat from an American admirer. At the heart of the story is the efforts of James Ripley Osgood, Dickens' American publisher, to uncover what the late author intended to do with his final novel. Osgood travels overseas to dig up any clues or missing remnants of the story in an effort to protect his company from the rival printing press and their own brand of pirates, the "Bookaneers". Unknowingly, Osgood places himself in an even greater mystery that might prove elements of Dickens' fictional story to have been true and also offer clues as to where the rest of the story might be hidden.

"The Last Dickens" begins a little slow, especially since the first chapter initially seems to have little connection with the rest of the work, but picks up speed when Osgood and Rebecca Sand travel abroad. Elements of the story are predictable, but Pearl does a commendable job in bringing historical characters to life and respecting their personalities. Pearl is a good writer, but at times his narrative is slowed by the passages set in India and by some poor sentence construction throughout the course of the novel. All in all, "The Last Dickens" is a much more satisfying read than Pearl's previous novel ("The Poe Shadow") and is easily accessible to readers not as familiar with Dickens or his works.

For me, the sign of a good book is when I do outside research to aid my understanding. And I did study up on Boz after this book. I enjoyed the variety of view points and the little cliff hangers at the end of chapters. I was surprised how much was taken from historical facts.

Downside? I still don't really understand the link between the book and the intercalary chapters with Dickens's son and the opium stealer(s).

James Osgood is an up and comer in the world of 19th century Boston publishing. He's in on Dickens' farewell tour to the US, which involves not only dramatic performances but also some treachery on the part of the famous author's fans. After Dickens dies, he's posted to London on behalf of his firm, with the express purpose of discovering what the author might have intended for the conclusion of his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It comes to pass that the story was based upon some factual incidents involving the opium trade and some of its English victims. In the course of investigating the last days of Charles Dickens, James Osgood is caught up in a cutthroat conspiracy.

Cut and dried, this is a good plot. In its published version, however, it's a convoluted, often confusing plot with many extraneous digressions. Whether this be the fault of author or editor, I don't rightly know, but it is definitely a fault. Even the "love interest" falls rather flat, never having any life injected into it. The Last Dickens contains interesting passages about the cult that grew up around the best selling novelist of his time. But it takes a lot of perseverance to winnow out those nuggets.

June 9, 1870. Charles Dickens has just died. He was in the process of writing his first mystery novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. His American publishers, Fields and Osgood are awaiting the latest installment of Drood. Daniel Sand, their office clerk has been sent to retrieve these installments coming from London. But he is killed on the docks and the pages are missing. Even though Osgood is able to get them sent again from London, Fields and Osgood fear that their publishing house could go under without the final installment. James Osgood also suspects foul play in Daniel's death. He leaves for London, with Rebecca, Daniel's sister, to see if he can find the ending to Dicken's last novel.



My review: This book was perfect timing for me as I had just finished Drood by Dan Simmons. The Last Dickens seemed to pick up where that left off. It was very fast paced and engaging. Osgood searches Dicken's home and office for any notes about how the famous author had intended to end the mystery in his novel. Everyone has an opinion as to how it was meant to end. As Dickens based most of his characters on people he knew in real life, Osgood searches for his inspiration.


There is lots of intrigue, mystery, dark characters, and a smidgen of romance in this work. Pearl tells a great tale based on historical facts and takes us around London and Boston on this quest. I quite enjoyed this, though I would have to say I liked Drood better. But I would still definitely recommend this.


my rating 4.5/5