Sometimes historical fiction hits the spot when a thick tome of erudite research seems too difficult to read. Or perhaps you’re just in the mood for an intriguing story set in a different time. Either way, The Last Dickens, by Matthew Pearl, is an excellent selection.
The Last Dickens is set in the 1860’s, based around the death of Charles Dickens, who was in the midst of writing a serial mystery novel when he died.
The Boston publishing firm, Fields, Osgood, and Company, was Dickens’ legal American publisher. But the firm is threatened by Dickens’ death and pirates in the book trade. In order to save his firm, James R. Osgood must discover how Dickens intended the mystery to end.
Sailing across the Atlantic with his loyal bookkeeper, the publishing agent finds himself the center of attention in dangerous circles.
Pearl skillfully weaves fact and fiction together, creating an intricate story based on a real-life mystery. The Last Dickens made me interested in the 19th century publishing trade and the fate of Dickens final book.
The research to write this book must have been exhaustive, for many elements throughout the book are from Dickens’ actual life, even including the loss of a diary.
I have read one other of Pearl’s books, and I’ve noticed his fascination with publishing, authors, and their writing. Pearl’s unique take on history provides a fresh prospective on an era filled with Civil War accounts and reconstruction controversies.
Pearl is a superb writer, and if you pick up any of his works, you’re in luck!
