The greatest biography on Dickens ever written. Invaluable tool for any fan of this writer. ( )

Ackroyd's tremendously readable, detailed, and penetrating biography of Dickens is twice the length of Moby Dick, as well it should be for such a titanic figure. Dickens lives in these pages, along with a vast supporting cast and London itself. Majestic. ( )

Long but engrossing. Interesting reflections that occasionally interrupt the chronology. ( )

Way too long, but I guess that's appropriate for the long-winded Dickens. I think Ackroyd could have adequately conveyed the essence of the man with various anecdotes rather than creating a day-to-day history. BUT he certainly did give me a sense of the man that I did not possess heretofore. The manic energy, the imagined slights, helped round out my vague idea of a man of unique sensibilities. The only shock to me was how shabbily he treated his wife and how he justified his actions through self-deceit. Overall, a fascinating portrait of a fascinating man. ( )

At just under 1100 pages, no one could accuse Peter Ackroyd of skimping upon the tale of Charles Dickens. I would also be surprised if anyone were bored by this book: I was gripped from page one to the end. It is an exceedingly well rounded biography and Mr Ackroyd goes to considerable trouble to neither castigate Dickens for his life's mistakes, or to exonerate him from responsibility. It is clear that Charles, whilst probably being the first celebrity to champion the humanity of the poor, was a rampant racist. He loved his audience and could not do enough for them, but treated his wife most poorly.

Few English speaking people can be ignorant of the works of Dickens, or the fact that our "traditional Christmas" is an, almost exclusively, Dickens creation. Most will know, too, of his reading tours of both Britain and America which turned him into an early rock star. I was not, however aware of his involvement in the Staplehurst train crash, where he saved the life of a chap, ironically called Dickinson, and further risked his life to save the manuscript of his latest work. Dickens suffered a type of railway phobia for the remaining five years of his life and his son, Charley is reported to have said that he is convinced that the accident cost Dickens his life. This might have more impact were it not for the fact that the same progeny seems to have blamed his readings based upon the death of Nancy, his reading tours in general and his illicit affair with Ellen Ternan.

Ackroyd's style of literary longevity means that there is time to explore life in the nineteenth century and the detail about the debtor's gaol is particularly interesting. To say that this book is a must for any Dickens fan, is so obvious, as to be unnecessary, but this tome is worth the reading by any body interested in British history, the art of biography, or just fine writing. This book enters my bookcase as a new friend. ( )