This imaginative portrayal of episodes in the lives of two prominent 19th C Englishmen - Charles Dickens and Sir John Franklin - at first in parallel then intertwined, is moving, and ultimately compassionate. The collateral damage to everyone in the spheres of influence of both famous men, at different times adored and reviled, is revealed to be tragic, but not entirely surprising. After persevering with the first expositional chapters, I couldn't put it down. Worth the read!
(Margaret Teh - bwl 83 Winter 2017 ) |
