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ianayris's review
5.0
A huge book - a book so detailed and informative, yet always, always engaging.
The main thrust of the biography is designed to show how inextricably linked Dickens novels where with his life. Ackroyd's attention to detail, both of the novels, and of Dickens the man, paint a picture of a tortured soul, an incredibly disciplined workaholic, and above all, a very odd man - a man that in turn could be kind yet dismissively harsh; jovial, yet depressed; a man incredibly generous to those in need, yet constantly in fear of losing everything he had.
Ackroyd details Dickens life from his beginning to his end, interspersing among the chapters 'mini chapters' where, variously, Dickens characters speak to each other, Ackroyd is interviewed on the writing of the book, and others where Ackroyd converses with Dickens himself.
Ackroyd's biography has an impressively psychoanalytical bent, yet remains always suggestive.
A brilliant piece of work.
The main thrust of the biography is designed to show how inextricably linked Dickens novels where with his life. Ackroyd's attention to detail, both of the novels, and of Dickens the man, paint a picture of a tortured soul, an incredibly disciplined workaholic, and above all, a very odd man - a man that in turn could be kind yet dismissively harsh; jovial, yet depressed; a man incredibly generous to those in need, yet constantly in fear of losing everything he had.
Ackroyd details Dickens life from his beginning to his end, interspersing among the chapters 'mini chapters' where, variously, Dickens characters speak to each other, Ackroyd is interviewed on the writing of the book, and others where Ackroyd converses with Dickens himself.
Ackroyd's biography has an impressively psychoanalytical bent, yet remains always suggestive.
A brilliant piece of work.
artk_bookworm's review
5.0
What a stellar biography. I usually do not like reading long books, Dickens' books are an exception. I love Dickens so I don't mind reading a long biography. But this thing was mammoth... and I loved every single page. I cried at the end, it was so moving. If you love Dickens, you will love this book and you must read this book.
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in August 2001.
As the most popular writer of his age, and as a social campaigner, [a:Charles Dickens|239579|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1183239979p2/239579.jpg] had an immense influence which still shapes modern literature and the culture in which we live - his stories helped shape our ideas of the "traditional" Christmas, apart from the more difficult to trace effects of his writing about social issues.
The man who had this influence was extraordinary in himself as well. As a result, he has always been a magnet for biographers, from his friend [a:John Forster|25923|John Forster|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323468899p2/25923.jpg] onwards. Ackroyd's acclaimed biography concentrates on what formed Dickens' character, and how his life influenced his fiction.
For someone following a sedentary profession, Dickens had an interesting life, and was certainly an unusual personality. While he could often be the life and soul of any party, his self-centredness made him a difficult person to deal with. This is brought out strongly by Ackroyd, who is also particularly good at retreading the well worn path of his relationship between his life and work (especially his childhood and the probably platonic affair with Ellen Tiernan).
It is probably the case that to write this kind of biography you would need to be a fan, and this is certainly the case with Ackroyd, who likes certain of the novels far more than I do and hasn't really a bad word to say about any. This isn't really a failing, as there is no particular reason why people shouldn't have different opinions, but it does lead to an occasional loss of sympathy on the part of this reader.
Another minor problem with this biography, which reduces its usefulness as any kind of reference, is the lack of dated information. Not only is there no separate chronology of Dickens' life, but there are relatively few dates given in the text; to try to work out, say, the dates of the first and last appearances of [b:Bleak House|31242|Bleak House|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1280113147s/31242.jpg|2960365] in serial form is extremely difficult.
As the most popular writer of his age, and as a social campaigner, [a:Charles Dickens|239579|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1183239979p2/239579.jpg] had an immense influence which still shapes modern literature and the culture in which we live - his stories helped shape our ideas of the "traditional" Christmas, apart from the more difficult to trace effects of his writing about social issues.
The man who had this influence was extraordinary in himself as well. As a result, he has always been a magnet for biographers, from his friend [a:John Forster|25923|John Forster|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323468899p2/25923.jpg] onwards. Ackroyd's acclaimed biography concentrates on what formed Dickens' character, and how his life influenced his fiction.
For someone following a sedentary profession, Dickens had an interesting life, and was certainly an unusual personality. While he could often be the life and soul of any party, his self-centredness made him a difficult person to deal with. This is brought out strongly by Ackroyd, who is also particularly good at retreading the well worn path of his relationship between his life and work (especially his childhood and the probably platonic affair with Ellen Tiernan).
It is probably the case that to write this kind of biography you would need to be a fan, and this is certainly the case with Ackroyd, who likes certain of the novels far more than I do and hasn't really a bad word to say about any. This isn't really a failing, as there is no particular reason why people shouldn't have different opinions, but it does lead to an occasional loss of sympathy on the part of this reader.
Another minor problem with this biography, which reduces its usefulness as any kind of reference, is the lack of dated information. Not only is there no separate chronology of Dickens' life, but there are relatively few dates given in the text; to try to work out, say, the dates of the first and last appearances of [b:Bleak House|31242|Bleak House|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1280113147s/31242.jpg|2960365] in serial form is extremely difficult.
jodielk93's review
4.0
I will admit I got teary-eyed at the end of this. It's hard not to, with the sometimes intense level of admiration Ackroyd has for Dickens. Reading Ackroyd writing out Dickens' last days, because of how staunchly he talks about him as this immense, endearing figure was emotional. I found myself making rather pathetic noises on the bus. Yes, Ackroyd is OTT sometimes in his praise for this clearly flawed man, but that made for an interesting read.
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