sistermagpie's review
4.0
Short, engaging biography of Charles Dickens that puts the man and his personality front and center. I liked the way Smiley looked for meaning in Dickens's novels without overdoing it and reading them like a code to his life. The changes she sees in his work over his career are generally more subtle than that and made me want to read them all from earliest to latest.
bitesbooksbrews's review
2.0
I wish it came with a spoiler alert, because it basically tells you the plot and conclusion of every single one of his books, which I’ve yet to cover all the way. I felt that her commentary was very subjective, even going so far as to give her opinion, “this is my favorite book”, and I felt like she was judging his life based on her view on the world, which to me is strange for a biography. Also, I felt like the paragraphs were quite long and would have used more breaks—minor, but I am just being honest.
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