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• The thinly-disguised story of Catherine Dickens, wife of the famous author, is at the heart of this unpretentious, unassuming story.The celebrated author Alfred Gibbons has died, leaving England in mourning. His estranged wife, Dorothy (or “Dodo”) sits at home as the funeral and reading of the will take place. As she sits, she looks back on her twenty-year-plus marriage to “the One and Only,” and “The Great Original.” An invitation to visit Queen Victoria, as well to her sister Sissy and the actress Wilhelmina Rickets, leads to another series of reflections on her marriage. It’s a quiet novel, simple yet complicated in many ways. There’s not much action, certainly not in the present day, but there’s a certain gentleness of language that makes this book compellingly readable. Dodo, despite her shy, retiring ways, is a likeable heroine, strong in the ways a “typical” Victorian woman wasn’t supposed to be. In addition, I enjoyed the way the characters interacted with one another: Dodo’s daughter Kitty, the son-in-law who is obsessed with money; but most of all, Alfred Gibson himself: control freak, obsessed with keeping poverty at bay (even when he was in his most successful period), and eagerness to change the truth when it suits him. I get the feeling that Gibson isn’t supposed to be likeable, but he’s charismatic enough that the people around him tend to overlook his flaws. The only one who realizes who Gibson really was is, ironically, Dodo. To the modern reader, Victorian England is a strange place—all those customs regarding mourning are simply mind-boggling. Dorothy’s world is one that’s strictly defined by traditions and conventions, and Dodo’s story is that of a woman who isn’t afraid to bend the rules a bit. In all, an excellent novel, worthy of having been longlisted for the Booker Prize.

  5.00 out of 5

  Kasthu

• Fictionalised account of Charles Dickens from perspective of wife. Really good.

  5.00 out of 5

  Mumineurope

• Subtitle: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles DickensThis is an outstanding novel, a fictional examination of Dickens marriage and affair. Even the names are changed, and, as the author says in her introduction, events are rearranged to suit her narrative. But that’s OK, in fact, it probably makes for a much better novel.What’s important is that it rings true and convincing, which is a testament to the author’s skill. After finishing the novel, we can believe that it happened this way, and that we have had a glimpse of the real Charles Dickens.It’s not a flattering look at his personal life. The novel begins with his death, the the protagonist is his estranged wife. Dickens kicked her out of his home, denying her access to her children, ten years before he died, so that he could carry on an affair with an actress young enough to be his daughter. They didn’t teach that in school when I was a kid – only recently have details emerged about Dickens personal life.The author creates a convincing world for her fictional author, his wife, and his mistress. Highly recommended.

  4.50 out of 5

  samfsmith

• I love the way this story is told, beginning with the death of the One and Only (the character modeled after Dickens) and flashing back to events in the marriage of Dorothea and Alfred Gibson that led to her estrangement from her husband and children. The narrator's character arc illuminates the Victorian world that keeps women in a very small box.

  4.00 out of 5

  swanroad

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