Charles Dickens: A Life
- Downloads：4435
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-15 12:00:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Claire Tomalin
- ISBN：0141036931
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The tumultuous life of England's greatest novelist， splendidly rendered by literary biographer Claire Tomalin。 When Charles Dickens died in 1870， The Times of London successfully campaigned for his burial in Westminster Abbey， the final resting place of England's kings and heroes。 Thousands flocked to mourn the best recognized and loved man of nineteenth-century England。 His books had made them laugh， shown them the squalor and greed of English life， and also the power of personal virtue and the strength of ordinary people。 In his last years Dickens drew adoring crowds to his public appearances， had met presidents and princes， and had amassed a fortune。
Like a hero from his novels， Dickens trod a hard path to greatness。 Born into a modest middle-class family， his young life was overturned when his profligate father was sent to debtors' prison and Dickens was forced into harsh and humiliating factory work。 Yet through these early setbacks he developed his remarkable eye for all that was absurd， tragic， and redemptive in London life。 He set out to succeed， and with extraordinary speed and energy made himself into the greatest English novelist of the century。
Years later Dickens's daughter wrote to the author George Bernard Shaw， "If you could make the public understand that my father was not a joyous， jocose gentleman walking about the world with a plum pudding and a bowl of punch， you would greatly oblige me。" Seen as the public champion of household harmony， Dickens tore his own life apart， betraying， deceiving， and breaking with friends and family while he pursued an obsessive love affair。
Charles Dickens: A Life gives full measure to Dickens's heroic stature-his huge virtues both as a writer and as a human being- while observing his failings in both respects with an unblinking eye。 Renowned literary biographer Claire Tomalin crafts a story worthy of Dickens's own pen， a comedy that turns to tragedy as the very qualities that made him great-his indomitable energy， boldness， imagination， and showmanship-finally destroyed him。 The man who emerges is one of extraordinary contradictions， whose vices and virtues were intertwined as surely as his life and his art。
Reviews
Mary Alice
，
Claire Tomalin gives us a larger than life Charles Dickens。 It seems that Dickens wrote more and did more than most humans do in the courses of their lives。 Tomalin describes Dickens troubled youth， the remarkable adulation he experienced， and shows how he translated his experiences into his books。 We also see Dickens through the eyes of the critics， his friends and his family members。Still， there are gaps。 There's a lot we don't know about his personal life。 We never do find out how his wife fe Claire Tomalin gives us a larger than life Charles Dickens。 It seems that Dickens wrote more and did more than most humans do in the courses of their lives。 Tomalin describes Dickens troubled youth， the remarkable adulation he experienced， and shows how he translated his experiences into his books。 We also see Dickens through the eyes of the critics， his friends and his family members。Still， there are gaps。 There's a lot we don't know about his personal life。 We never do find out how his wife feels about him at any point in the marriage。 Some of his sons appear to be neglected， and we only have hints of their overall feelings toward him。 For all her sources， Tomalin only occasionally conjectures about what she doesn't know。What Tomalin does know is her main subject， Charles Dickens。 We see Dickens the fighter for justice for the poor， and Dickens the flawed egoist。 At once， Dickens established a home for fallen young women， a good， nurturing， transforming establishment， but soon thereafter ostracizes his own wife， abandoning her for another woman， a very young， innocent woman。 He quarrels with his children and his old friends who don't condone his actions。Some of the best parts of the book are Tomalin's summaries of Dickens' novels （all of them） in light of the details of Dickens' own life and in light of the moral system Dickens espoused。 Her expositions of two of his "city books" are quite fascinating。 Bleak House gives us hopeless paupers and the indifferent wealthy of London， stories of corrupting money and equally corrupting legal cases。 Little Dorrit tells of a family brought up in London's Marshalsea Prison （indeed Dickens' family spent a year in Marshalsea prison because of his fathers debts。） and the family's subsequent rise and fall。 Little Dorrit is the only innocent of the family and the only one who seems to get a happy ending。Dickens spent the latter part of his life touring throughout the world， reading parts of his novels he had adapted for live audiences。 He was wildly popular in this media， and this was how he supported himself and his many dependents。 The tours were exhausting and seem to have contributed to his early death。。。。。though his gout and his heavy drinking also took their toll。Tomalin is not a disinterested bystander in her story of Dicken's life。 She judges: she extols and condemns， not only his books， but his life choices。 I liked this: as I read， I was also judging this remarkable man。 。。。more
Mary Pagones
，
After learning of how Dickens tried to get his wife committed to an insane asylum so he could be with a young actress， combined with the lack of dimensionality to his female characters， I’d been rather down on him。 （This revelation came out after this biography。）This book rehabilitated Dickens somewhat in my eyes。 It’s honest about the flaws of his work and life， but also contains many anecdotes of how he went out of his way to help the despised and poor， and fellow writers （including women auth After learning of how Dickens tried to get his wife committed to an insane asylum so he could be with a young actress， combined with the lack of dimensionality to his female characters， I’d been rather down on him。 （This revelation came out after this biography。）This book rehabilitated Dickens somewhat in my eyes。 It’s honest about the flaws of his work and life， but also contains many anecdotes of how he went out of his way to help the despised and poor， and fellow writers （including women authors）。I think his marriage epitomizes the horrors of the Victorian wedlock-married young， to an incompatible but kind woman， no birth control， and a lack of ability to contain his sexual desires led to a toxic situation。 It’s a short biography， and you can’t quite get the full sweep of his life， but it’s brevity makes it far more readable， and there is a memorable quote and anecdote on every page。 。。。more
Lauren
，
2。5 starsThis is a sad biography of Charles Dickens， an unfortunate compilation of names， dates， daily habits， and social occasions。 It required a great amount of willpower to finish。 The best biographies weed through the minutiae and focus on events or periods that shaped the subject and then offer an analysis of what made the subject tick。 I didn’t find much analysis here。
Suvi
，
Putting this on hold for now， because I can't handle two biographies of 19th century authors at the same time （especially because the other one is over 1000 pages）。 Putting this on hold for now， because I can't handle two biographies of 19th century authors at the same time （especially because the other one is over 1000 pages）。 。。。more
Ruth Mohrman
，
As you would expect from Claire Tomalin， an interesting and beautifully written account。 She manages what is， in this instance， a delicate task of giving a fair and rounded assessment of her subject。 There is much to admire and like in Dickens: his determination to succeed， his resilience， his enjoyment of friendship and the good things in life， his philanthropy。 But there is the dark side too。 He treated his wife abominably， had no patience with those of his many children （most of them） who did As you would expect from Claire Tomalin， an interesting and beautifully written account。 She manages what is， in this instance， a delicate task of giving a fair and rounded assessment of her subject。 There is much to admire and like in Dickens: his determination to succeed， his resilience， his enjoyment of friendship and the good things in life， his philanthropy。 But there is the dark side too。 He treated his wife abominably， had no patience with those of his many children （most of them） who did not possess his drive， and was capable of dismissing from his life those who had crossed him。Reading this has changed my lazy view of Dickens as simply an icon of the English Victorian establishment。 It appears that he was never entirely considered a 'gentleman' in his own day。 He held unconventional views and campaigned for unpopular causes， remaining all his life a republican by instinct who had little patience for the way politics was conducted。The female characters in Dickens' novels are often not well-drawn， being presented in an overly sentimental or dramatic way。 So it was no surprise to learn that the author's most intimate friendships were all with men and his relationship with his wife， and later his mistress， were never discussed in his letters。 His daughter Katey said， after his death， that her father did not understand women。 Dickens' empathy for disadvantaged children， a feature of many of his novels， finds its roots in his lower middle class childhood。 The one ambitious son of a happy-go-lucky， debt-ridden and negligent father （think Mr Micawber） and a largely ineffectual mother， he was put to work in a bottle factory as a child， labour that would ordinarily be the lot only of poor children。 I found it particularly poignant that， once Dickens had been rescued from the factory and sent to school， his parents never mentioned the episode again。 As T。S。 Eliot said， human kind cannot bear too much reality。As with all of us， Dickens the man was a strange mixture， just like the quality of his writing。 His empathy for poor children did not extend to his own offspring， some of whom he openly stated to friends were not wanted。 Perhaps Tomalin is right in suggesting that， having had to struggle hard to achieve in his own family， he could not bear to see the lack of ambition and application in his sons: perhaps they presented the shadow side of himself - what he had fought so hard to avoid。Definitely worth reading， not only for an eye-opener about Dickens， but also for an angle on Victorian social and sexual mores， on male friendship and， incidentally， a snapshot of America， France and Italy in the mid-nineteenth century， courtesy of his travels there。 。。。more
Claire
，
Wonderful biography。 A few too many place names， streets and persons for this American but I understand the importance of this in a biography。The author made me feel like I really knew Dickens quite well， not sparing us of his weaknesses but never failing to regale us with his delightful social nature， partying with family and friends and entertaining them with song， dancing and mimicry。 One of the criticisms of his works is how he portrays women characters as sweet， long-suffering angels who us Wonderful biography。 A few too many place names， streets and persons for this American but I understand the importance of this in a biography。The author made me feel like I really knew Dickens quite well， not sparing us of his weaknesses but never failing to regale us with his delightful social nature， partying with family and friends and entertaining them with song， dancing and mimicry。 One of the criticisms of his works is how he portrays women characters as sweet， long-suffering angels who usually die a very sad death。 Not a strong woman among them！ His failings in his personal life also involve his treatment of his wife， mother of his 10 children， which I found reprehensible。 However his many good works and care for the poor， the prisoner， the sick， for the children of deceased friends is beyond admirable。 Also， his intensely hardworking nature is truly remarkable。 I am so sure that he was a genius and his IQ is estimated at 165。 He pushed himself severely when he was sick and must have known he was dying， traveling all over the UK and even to America。， sometimes barely able to walk。 Gout in his swollen foot and thumb。I've never known anyone who moved so often from house to house， as a child and as a famous adult。 。。。more
Douglas Armstrong
，
Rather more than I needed to know about Dickens。 Tomalin’s thorough account is intermediately fascinating and tedious。 It did cause me to pick up novels previously read to enjoy certain passages again and to sample others I’d always intended to read。 A remarkable man who accomplished as much as 10 men in a single lifetime。
Pamela
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have read books by Dickens but didn’t know any of his life story， so this book was a good introduction to his life。 Now feel the need to read that book about Nelly。 She kind of rubs me the wrong way。
David Campbell
，
English journalist and distinguished biographer Claire Tomalin’s 2011 canvasing of the life and literary genius of 19th century novelist and social critic par excellence Charles Dickens。 Dickens the man is （per Tomalin） completely represented in Dickens' work as an author; a full spectrum of human nobility and frailty completely appreciative （and utterly absorptive） of the full spectrum of human life in Great Britain’s Victorian Era。 Starting out in rather humble， transitory origins， Mr。 Dickens English journalist and distinguished biographer Claire Tomalin’s 2011 canvasing of the life and literary genius of 19th century novelist and social critic par excellence Charles Dickens。 Dickens the man is （per Tomalin） completely represented in Dickens' work as an author; a full spectrum of human nobility and frailty completely appreciative （and utterly absorptive） of the full spectrum of human life in Great Britain’s Victorian Era。 Starting out in rather humble， transitory origins， Mr。 Dickens transforms an early calling for political journalism and a taste for the theatrical into a life vocation telling the story of the common man in the street， the orphanage， the prison， the poor house， the counting house， etc。， pulling the marginalized from the forgotten edges of society and placing them at the forefront of human consciousness and memory where he felt they rightly belonged。 。。。more
Walter Bowne
，
Loved it。
Jordan Phizacklea-Cullen
，
An enlightening portrait of that writer who is regarded as encapsulating all that makes England England， who shone a light on the dark shadows of Victorian London， who rose from dreary beginnings to wealth and deserved fame whilst not forgetting his roots and aiming to give back to his class， but frequently struggled to maintain order in his family life and was not the always the affable gent his common public image portrays。 A master biographer on top form here and a very attractively-presented An enlightening portrait of that writer who is regarded as encapsulating all that makes England England， who shone a light on the dark shadows of Victorian London， who rose from dreary beginnings to wealth and deserved fame whilst not forgetting his roots and aiming to give back to his class， but frequently struggled to maintain order in his family life and was not the always the affable gent his common public image portrays。 A master biographer on top form here and a very attractively-presented edition。 。。。more
Medway Libraries
，
"He left a trail like a meteor， and everyone finds their own version of Dickens"。This is a comprehensive， clear and non-judgemental biography of one of Britain's most influential writers。 Well worth reading。 "He left a trail like a meteor， and everyone finds their own version of Dickens"。This is a comprehensive， clear and non-judgemental biography of one of Britain's most influential writers。 Well worth reading。 。。。more
Hugh Jones
，
Great scholarship to sift through the hundreds of letters and many past biographies of Dickens。 At times a clunky read with a few too many suppositions but nevertheless a fascinating insight into the life of a genius。 How many modern novelists could write and publish chapter by chapter？
Don
，
A rich profit can be gained from reading Ms Tomalin's study of Dickens。 Comprehensively researched and clearly written， it gets the balance right in presenting a man that was so many different points of light and shade for a world that couldn't get enough of him。 Bravo Ms Tomalin。 Thank you。 A rich profit can be gained from reading Ms Tomalin's study of Dickens。 Comprehensively researched and clearly written， it gets the balance right in presenting a man that was so many different points of light and shade for a world that couldn't get enough of him。 Bravo Ms Tomalin。 Thank you。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
I give up。 More detail than I wanted to know: " 。。。 at last get to Broadstairs， although with many returns to London。 Dickens went to the Derby with Wills， visited Charley at Eton， attended the Duke of Devonshire's supper and ball 。。。 "Maybe - maybe - I'll continue some day。 Stopping at chapter 17， "Children at work， 1852–1854，" page 238。Or maybe not。 I don't think I can bear to read about the events leading up to， and his separation from， Catherine。 I give up。 More detail than I wanted to know: " 。。。 at last get to Broadstairs， although with many returns to London。 Dickens went to the Derby with Wills， visited Charley at Eton， attended the Duke of Devonshire's supper and ball 。。。 "Maybe - maybe - I'll continue some day。 Stopping at chapter 17， "Children at work， 1852–1854，" page 238。Or maybe not。 I don't think I can bear to read about the events leading up to， and his separation from， Catherine。 。。。more
Christine
，
I finished David Copperfield， considered to be the most autobiographical of Dicken's works， with many questions about the author。 Claire Tomalin's biography was most helpful in answering those questions。 I finished David Copperfield， considered to be the most autobiographical of Dicken's works， with many questions about the author。 Claire Tomalin's biography was most helpful in answering those questions。 。。。more
Heather
，
I'm no Dickens scholar。 This is the first bio of him that I've read and really the first time I've sought out information on his life story。 I thought this book was well done。 It struck me as a fair， honest account of his life。 He was most certainly an immensely talented writer。 And apparently quite the actor and reader， as well。 He had a huge heart。 Was a champion of the poor and a devoted friend。 But， like all of us， he was flawed。 Human。 He was an interesting man with lots of layers。 This was I'm no Dickens scholar。 This is the first bio of him that I've read and really the first time I've sought out information on his life story。 I thought this book was well done。 It struck me as a fair， honest account of his life。 He was most certainly an immensely talented writer。 And apparently quite the actor and reader， as well。 He had a huge heart。 Was a champion of the poor and a devoted friend。 But， like all of us， he was flawed。 Human。 He was an interesting man with lots of layers。 This was an informative， absorbing read。 Definitely recommend。 。。。more
David
，
At 417 pages， this is relatively brief for a biography of such a literary titan， particularly compared to Peter Ackroyd's doorstop of a book， and all the better for it， in my opinion！Although Tomalin does refer to all of his works （obviously！）， this is less a work of literary criticism and more a detailed and even-handed account of the life of Dickens。 She does not shy away from detailing every facet of his character; not only his brilliance， generosity and sense of social injustice but also his At 417 pages， this is relatively brief for a biography of such a literary titan， particularly compared to Peter Ackroyd's doorstop of a book， and all the better for it， in my opinion！Although Tomalin does refer to all of his works （obviously！）， this is less a work of literary criticism and more a detailed and even-handed account of the life of Dickens。 She does not shy away from detailing every facet of his character; not only his brilliance， generosity and sense of social injustice but also his narcissism and selfishness。 The coda of the book is particularly interesting as Tomalin details the fates of his wife， children， friends， mistress and peers following Dickens death in 1870。 Overall， an excellent biography and definitely recommended。 。。。more
Nicholas Lefevre
，
Short review。 This is far more a review of the works of Dickens than a biography。 It may well be that his lifevwas so consumed by his writing that there's not much else to tell。 His family relationships were superficial。 His travels mostly centered on varying his places to write and supplementing his income through readings from his stories and books。Don't get me wrong。 Dickens was a towering figure。 I just didn't get much from this biography。 Short review。 This is far more a review of the works of Dickens than a biography。 It may well be that his lifevwas so consumed by his writing that there's not much else to tell。 His family relationships were superficial。 His travels mostly centered on varying his places to write and supplementing his income through readings from his stories and books。Don't get me wrong。 Dickens was a towering figure。 I just didn't get much from this biography。 。。。more
Andrew Davis
，
An excellent biography of the great writer， warts and all。 Having suffered hardships in his childhood， due to his incompetent father，he rose to prominence only by his hard work， gift of observation and mastery of his pen。 Apart from Dickens' life and literature we can observe the great man from various perspectives: the hard working genius， disciplinarian father of ten who sees most of his children as failures。 The man unhappy in his marriage， devoting his time and energy to his art， his friends An excellent biography of the great writer， warts and all。 Having suffered hardships in his childhood， due to his incompetent father，he rose to prominence only by his hard work， gift of observation and mastery of his pen。 Apart from Dickens' life and literature we can observe the great man from various perspectives: the hard working genius， disciplinarian father of ten who sees most of his children as failures。 The man unhappy in his marriage， devoting his time and energy to his art， his friends and his mistress。 A complex man， loved by many， really known by few， a bachelor in spirit throughout his life， interested in life of others， especially those underprivileged， financially supporting the weaker members of his family and providing charity for many。 。。。more
Chris Sudall
，
My Dad was reading this when he passed away。 It still has his bookmark in， he only made it past the prologue。I won't be reading it， but it will remain on my shelves。 My Dad was reading this when he passed away。 It still has his bookmark in， he only made it past the prologue。I won't be reading it， but it will remain on my shelves。 。。。more
Chris
，
A thorough look at the life of Charles Dickens。 This covers everything from his literary works and business endeavors to his family life， friends， travels， hobbies， and the lives of his children after he dies。 The best word to describe this book is detailed。 This would make it a good source for researchers， but will sometimes overwhelm more casual readers。 For example， the author goes through at least a week from Dickens' diary as an example of his daily life in his later years。 Mildly interesti A thorough look at the life of Charles Dickens。 This covers everything from his literary works and business endeavors to his family life， friends， travels， hobbies， and the lives of his children after he dies。 The best word to describe this book is detailed。 This would make it a good source for researchers， but will sometimes overwhelm more casual readers。 For example， the author goes through at least a week from Dickens' diary as an example of his daily life in his later years。 Mildly interesting， but most readers would have done better with a summary or focusing on the author's point。The one exception to this may be the description of many of Dickens' great works。 Other than the discussion of David Copperfield， they were hard to follow when I hadn't read the underlying work。 For example， the discussion of Bleak House made me want to read the work again and added flavors to the work that I hadn't tasted when I read it。 Contrast that to the discussion of Little Dorrit， which I haven't read。 The author does well to outline the plot and tie it to Dickens' life。 However， the in depth discussion of all the major characters and many of the minor characters obscured the book's plot or point。 Other than that it made fun of British bureaucracy and bemoans poverty， I had to re-read the entire description to get a decent grasp of the book。If you've read a good deal of Dickens but don't know much about the man， this book would serve you well。 If you know about Dickens' life and want to dig deeper， this book would serve you well。 If you have a casual knowledge of his works and don't desire a deep dive into the minute details of the man's works and life， there are probably other books that would better suit you。 。。。more
Alexander Van Leadam
，
Always nice to read about the life a favourite author， especially if it helps link what is often perception as sentimentality with pathos and character。 One may not learn new facts but a balanced overview helps understand better what is already known。
Travis
，
A biography that contains too much plot explanation and literary analysis of Dickens' works。 This book has paragraphs that never end， as if any idea can only be covered properly within the context of a single paragraph。 It is also overly wordy with a few abrupt shifts from biography to the author's research efforts。 Sadly， the author takes an interesting subject and drenches him in too much irrelevant analysis。 A biography that contains too much plot explanation and literary analysis of Dickens' works。 This book has paragraphs that never end， as if any idea can only be covered properly within the context of a single paragraph。 It is also overly wordy with a few abrupt shifts from biography to the author's research efforts。 Sadly， the author takes an interesting subject and drenches him in too much irrelevant analysis。 。。。more
Glenn Sumi
，
Nothing can take away my love for books like Great Expectations， David Copperfield， Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol。 But Claire Tomalin's dreary， lacklustre biography has dampened my enthusiasm for the man who wrote them。 Sure， I didn't expect Dickens to be a saint。 I knew about the author's separation from his wife Catherine Hogarth， essentially a baby factory for him。 I also knew about his late-in-life affair with actress Ellen （Nelly） Ternan， which Tomalin had already chronicled in her boo Nothing can take away my love for books like Great Expectations， David Copperfield， Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol。 But Claire Tomalin's dreary， lacklustre biography has dampened my enthusiasm for the man who wrote them。 Sure， I didn't expect Dickens to be a saint。 I knew about the author's separation from his wife Catherine Hogarth， essentially a baby factory for him。 I also knew about his late-in-life affair with actress Ellen （Nelly） Ternan， which Tomalin had already chronicled in her book The Invisible Woman （also made into a movie）。 But I expected a bit more depth and complexity in a biographical portrait。 After all， if you're going to devote years of your life researching someone， you'd think one of the prerequisites was actually liking the person， or at least making us understand him or her。 I didn't get much insight from Tomalin。 Nor is there any outstanding critical analyses of his books。 Tomalin's summations of the novels are perfunctory at best， at worst superficial。 Some of the book's passages are incredibly dull， a mere accounting of the number of copies a novel sold or rent paid on a property or the symptoms of one of his nagging illnesses; at times， this all feels like a Wiki-biography。 I had no idea Dickens wrote so many Christmas stories， none of them achieving the artistic heights or commercial success of the one involving Ebenezer Scrooge。Tomalin is fine recounting Dickens's childhood， which started out idyllic but soon turned hellish when his ne'er-do-well father ended up in debtor's prison and Dickens had to work in a blacking warehouse。 And there's a moving account of his first love， which was abruptly ended when the girl's parents thought he wasn't a suitable match （i。e。， he was from a different class and had no prospects）。 Later on， after he's famous and wealthy （or wealthier - he's got lots of expenses， and many children to support） he meets that same woman and comes across as terribly cruel。 Tomalin spends a lot of time on Dickens's philanthropy。 Most interesting is his support of a home for women who have fallen through the cracks - current or former prostitutes， thieves， ex-prisoners。 With his help， many went on to lead more respectable lives， often finding work， emigrating to the colonies and marrying。 I also was glad to read about some of his enduring friendships， not just with famous authors （Thackeray， Wilkie Collins， even Edgar Allen Poe， whom he met during one of his U。S。 tours） but less celebrated folks like his future biographer John Forster， whom he bonded with over their similar humble backgrounds and became his 19th century BFF。Dickens loved the theatre， and took part in amateur theatricals （Queen Victoria was upset once because she missed one of his performances）。 As such， he cherished disguises， masks， accents， intrigue。 He was different things to different people。 Tomalin never lifts off the mask to show us a fully realized person。 She can recount all his achievements， and his failures （he seemed indifferent to almost all of his 10 children）， but that doesn't make him human。Even though Tomalin has cast a pall over her subject， I'll continue going back to the man's fiction。 I doubt I'll read more by her， however。 。。。more
Michael
，
Impeccably researched and very readable。
Alice
，
Enjoyable look at Dickens’ life and works， it was interesting to read the backstory of the novels and his history as well as the history of London and the other places he visited。 Good to read about society at the time， in the 19th century。 It was disappointing to find out he wasn’t as kind as I thought， and his personal life was complicated。 Overall a good read though， it was a thoughtful and detailed assessment of his character。
Andrew
，
BBC Radio 4 Extra abridged version; interesting。
Sorrento
，
I read Claire Tomalin’s brilliant biography of Charles Dickens after watching the equally brilliant film “The Personal History of David Copperfield”。 Tomalin’s biography begins with Dickens’ early life where he has little education and due to his father’s ineptitude and debts he is required to work in a Blacking factory in London。 Tomalin shows us how Dickens is able to form many of his memorable characters and stories by drawing on his early experiences in life especially the scenes from Victor I read Claire Tomalin’s brilliant biography of Charles Dickens after watching the equally brilliant film “The Personal History of David Copperfield”。 Tomalin’s biography begins with Dickens’ early life where he has little education and due to his father’s ineptitude and debts he is required to work in a Blacking factory in London。 Tomalin shows us how Dickens is able to form many of his memorable characters and stories by drawing on his early experiences in life especially the scenes from Victorian London。However， it’s not just the books which Tomalin tells about， she also relates such a lot about Dickens’ family and friends in particular Catherine his wife who he deserted after she had borne him so many children and Nelly the actress with whom he had a secret relationship with。Dickens’ energy and joie de vivre is breath-taking。 Dickens appears to have never stopped working on his writing， acting， editing and public readings throughout his life。 He also contributed to many good causes and financially supported many of his family and friends。 However， Tomalin also relates the darker side of Dickens character including the callous way he deserted his wife and the coldness that he displayed to many of his children。 Overall this is fantactic biography of one of our country's greatest writers。 。。。more
Bonnie
，
Very good account of Dickens' life。 But his poor wife and children！ Very good account of Dickens' life。 But his poor wife and children！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Charles Dickens: A Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Charles Dickens: A Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft