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jwsg's review
3.0
I'd rather enjoyed Matthew Pearl's first novel - the Dante Club - way back in 2005 and thought that The Last Dickens would be a neat segue from the light fare I've been reading of late, back into the classics (Thackeray and Hardy here I come...).
The Last Dickens is a fictional account of the attempt by Dickens' American publishers to figure out the ending of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a novel that Dickens was working on when he passed away. But the publisher - Osgood - is thwarted at every turn; his clerk is murdered, Osgood himself is attacked and left for dead in a London sewer when pursuing the mystery of Drood. I can't remember the specifics of the Dante Club, but the impression of an inventive, fast-paced read, the more literary counterpart of the Da Vinci Code, lingers. The Last Dickens didn't leave as strong an impression, but overall, I did find it an entertaining read. What I especially loved about the novel was Pearl's blending of fact and fiction; the book is meticulously researched and references actual events and characters in Dickens' life, such as his tour of America, which drew hordes of Dickens fans (the novel even mentions a dinner in honour of Dickens in NYC's Delmonico's, which was also mentioned in Mark Kurlansky's The Big Oyster), James Osgood, and Fletcher "Major" Harper.
The Last Dickens is a fictional account of the attempt by Dickens' American publishers to figure out the ending of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a novel that Dickens was working on when he passed away. But the publisher - Osgood - is thwarted at every turn; his clerk is murdered, Osgood himself is attacked and left for dead in a London sewer when pursuing the mystery of Drood. I can't remember the specifics of the Dante Club, but the impression of an inventive, fast-paced read, the more literary counterpart of the Da Vinci Code, lingers. The Last Dickens didn't leave as strong an impression, but overall, I did find it an entertaining read. What I especially loved about the novel was Pearl's blending of fact and fiction; the book is meticulously researched and references actual events and characters in Dickens' life, such as his tour of America, which drew hordes of Dickens fans (the novel even mentions a dinner in honour of Dickens in NYC's Delmonico's, which was also mentioned in Mark Kurlansky's The Big Oyster), James Osgood, and Fletcher "Major" Harper.
theshadowplay's review
1.0
Sadly, the promise that Matthew Pearl showed in his debut The Dante Club is completely missing from his latest work. It is not very compelling at all. I got through the first half with absoultely nothing to get me to finish the second half.
elempr's review
3.0
Decent book, if a bit odd. It didn't draw me in right away, but got more compelling as the story went on. That being said, I was disappointed at the utter lack of substantive female characters in the movie. Aside from a few side characters that get little attention, there is one main female character: Rebecca. She accompanies the protagonist on his quest to find Dickens' manuscript, and yet we know very little about her beyond the fact that she is attractive (in an understated, "not like other women" way) and a serious, morally upright, brave woman. Whether she possesses any flaws is unclear. In fact, she doesn't seem to have much of a personality, and plays a clear damsel in distress role. Overall, I was disappointed.
tschonfeld's review
3.0
Took me forever to get through. Not as good as The Dante Club or The Poe Shadow.
sevseverance's review
4.0
This was a fun read. The author tried to stay as close to true as possible and explored the mystery surrounding Dickens' last work, the mystery of Edwin Drood. He actually died after only completing 6 of its 12 installments. This book is about his American publisher traveling to London trying to find any clues about the remainder. A few dark 19th century criminals makes for a good mystery and story. I learned more about dickens and his travels to America; also motivated to read the mystery of edwin drood now...
skybalon's review
4.0
This is the novel that [b:Drood|3222979|Drood|Dan Simmons|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425159526s/3222979.jpg|3257056] should have been. A little slow at first but ultimately becomes quite engrossing. Written in a quasi-Dickens style, but made a little more modern for current readers.
Nice read that is relatively historically accurate. Worth the read.
Nice read that is relatively historically accurate. Worth the read.
helen_moore_reads's review against another edition
Just couldn’t get into the book
daniel_mc_adam's review
4.0
This a fantastic book but you really need to read it in as short a time as possible. It's a book that I would read again.
neddasai's review against another edition
4.0
Great stuff! I will applaud anyone who – essentially - creates their own book genre: a historical mystery revolving around a celebrated author and the book publishing business at the time. A tour de force of research... The plot is kind of exaggerated, but I'd say that's what it was supposed to be, given the ambitious genre. A well-deserved 4/5.