The Last Dickens

Critics

• THE LAST DICKENS

  Matthew Pearl set his first literary thriller in Victorian Boston; he moved back some years to write about the end of Edgar Allen Poe in his second; now his third thriller deals with the final years of Charles Dickens. The Last Dickens moves up and d ... (read full critics)

  shotsmag published on Thu, 30 Sep 2010

• An Old Curiosity

  Thrillers operate by tapping into a collective anxiety — the dangers of biotechnology, say, or corporate conspiracies or infectious diseases. The anxiety in Matthew Pearl’s new novel, “The Last Dickens,” is literary: what happens when we lose the voi ... (read full critics)

  nytimes published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

2 Reviews

• 

  Not fantastic, but good holiday reading!

  I was intrigued by the write-up about this book. Less impressed, however, by the commendation by Dan Brown. Being a fan of Dickens, I decided to purchase it from my hospital bookshop and at 50p it wasn't too much to spend if it turned-out I didn't like it. Well, I can see why Dan brown spoke of the ... (continue)

  I was intrigued by the write-up about this book. Less impressed, however, by the commendation by Dan Brown. Being a fan of Dickens, I decided to purchase it from my hospital bookshop and at 50p it wasn't too much to spend if it turned-out I didn't like it. Well, I can see why Dan brown spoke of the author as 'immensely gifted' because it somewhat resembles his style of writing. Not that I agreed with him, but it flows along at a great pace without too little regard for literary content. The story starts off well and when Dickens son is introduced to us as a soldier in India combating the stealing of opium by the natives (which was frowned upon because the British wanted it all to sell to China) the story really perks-up. But, unfortunately this interesting bit leads nowhere, unless it's just to reveal the connection with opium! The book ends with an Historical Note. I wish some of this could have been put at the front of the book (not all because it would destroy the surprise, and we all like surprises in stories). It would have added foundation to the story - it would have been nice to know that the story is based on a great deal of historical research and was not just plucked out of the air! Nevertheless, good reading for a holiday or for a train journey!

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  GraJon said on Jul 14, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  Loved this book, especially if you know anything about Dickens' life or books, but not necessary. "Drood" got me hooked, and then this one was the perfect next step.

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  OleArch said on Sep 21, 2009 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (17)
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• English Books
• Others 358 Pages
• ISBN-10: 184655084X
• ISBN-13: 9781846550843
• Publisher: Random House
• Pub date: Feb 05, 2009
• Also available as: eBook

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