The Last Dickens: A Novel [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: rebecca sand, mesmerism patient, opium rooms, Charles Dickens, New York, Miss Sand (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Pearl (The Poe Shadow) delivers a period thriller that has the misfortune to fall short of the high standard set by Dan Simmons's Drood (Reviews, Nov. 24), which also centers on Charles Dickens's final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. After the author dies in 1870, a series of suspicious deaths leads Dickens's U.S. publisher, James Osgood, to suspect they may be connected with the solution to the novel's puzzle. Accompanied by attractive bookkeeper Rebecca Sand, the sister of one of the victims, Osgood travels from Boston to England to seek clues to Drood's missing conclusion. The action shifts to India, where Charles's son Francis is a superintendent of the Bengal Mounted Police, and back in time, to the novelist's last American tour in 1867. Some awkward prose distracts ("There were several other grim faces at dinner that, like some imperceptible force, spread a dark cloud over the levity"), while the ending may strike some readers as a cop-out. (Mar.)
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From The Washington Post

From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Anna Mundow Thanks to a subspecies of the historical novel -- the historical literary thriller -- we are no longer surprised when we find Emerson or Longfellow dodging bullets in an adventure novel or a lost manuscript causing murder and mayhem. In his new novel, "The Last Dickens," Matthew Pearl takes such liberties gleefully and, for the most part, triumphantly. Not only that, the author of "The Poe Shadow" and "The Dante Club" here creates his own Dickens story with a plot that revolves around a real Dickens novel. Pearl is a clever writer with a taste for Escher-like contortions, but he is also a cunning entertainer who knows how to hold and not simply dazzle readers. That is clear from the opening chapter, in which we hear not of Charles Dickens but of his son, Frank, who in 1870, the year of his father's death, is a superintendent in the Bengal Mounted Police. Two of the younger Dickens's subordinates are tracking an opium thief when their mission goes awry. One fears his superior's wrath; the other simply fumes. "Turner's neck had become stiff and veiny at the sound of that particular name: Dickens. As though the word had been rotting deep inside him and now crawled back up his throat." We want to know more -- and we will -- but Pearl transports us abruptly from India to Boston, where the Dickens name is not reviled but venerated. Every American, it seems, from the aristocrat to the factory worker, adores the dead writer and devours his work. Dickens's publishers, on the other hand, know "The Chief" to be their life preserver; and in the dark year of 1870, the noble partnership of Fields and Osgood anxiously awaits the arrival from England of the latest installment of "Edwin Drood," the novel Dickens was working on when he died. Rival publishers, too, are on the lookout, and when the messenger carrying the manuscript is killed, young James Osgood sets out not only to find the purloined chapter but also to unearth any clues as to how Dickens intended to finish the novel. He must sail for England accompanied by his assistant, the firm's bookkeeper, who is also a lovely young widow. We are on familiar romantic ground and, sure enough, our hero and heroine exchange shy glances as they encounter exotic villains, lost souls, misfits, lawmen and literary sharks. At the Dickens house in Kent, they meet not only the writer's family but also villagers on whom many Dickens characters, including Edwin Drood, were based. These chapters -- along with carefully rendered depictions of the writer's American tour -- vividly conjure up Dickens the man and the artist. When opium, mesmerism and depravity begin to seep through Pearl's pages, however, the novel turns a darker and more interesting shade of red -- that of spilled blood, not womanly blushes. Against this background, dubious characters acquire substance and depth. Indeed, one of these, an addict, provides the novel's most haunting image. "He had seen a surgeon on the Union side," Rogers recalls of his Civil War experience, "riding on his horse and pouring liquid morphine into his hand. He would then hold out his hand and the soldiers would line up and lick his glove. . . . [Rogers] despised that proud expression of power he remembered on the face of the surgeon and felt himself its victim." Opium is at the core of "The Last Dickens" and of the "Edwin Drood" manuscript that Osgood fleetingly possesses. Yet Pearl, unlike Dan Simmons in his bloated novel "Drood," conveys the drug's potency in scenes that are shocking but never outlandish. Opium also deftly connects the main plot to the skullduggery in India involving Frank Dickens. The denouement fizzles when the novel's chief villain, having trapped his victims, insists on explaining himself and all that has gone before. It would be churlish, however, to fault "The Last Dickens" for ending, as any rollicking entertainment should, with thundering carriages, cracking pistols and the dreadful truth revealed.
Copyright 2009, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Random House; First Edition. 1 in number line edition (March 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400066565
• ISBN-13: 978-1400066568
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,797 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mysterious read, March 19, 2009

By	Robert Busko (Waynesville, NC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't help but come away with the highly satisfying feeling that you rubbed shoulders with literary giants, March 25, 2009

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pales in the shadow of Drood., May 12, 2009

By	Dennis E. Henley (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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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.