11 of the best Charles Dickens books (for every type of reader)
11 of the best Charles Dickens books (for every type of reader)
One of England’s best-loved authors, Charles Dickens was a prolific writer. If you’re unsure where to start with his many novels, travel books and short stories, here’s our guide to the best Charles Dickens’ books for every type of reader.
Charles Dickens' books are an important part of Britain's literary heritage, and Dickens is one of the most beloved English writers of all time. Remembered as one of the great chroniclers of Victorian life, his brilliant wit and rich narratives brought him incomparable fame in the literary world, both in his own time and in ours.
From the well-known A Tale of Two Citiesto the story of Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’ era-defining novels explore social concerns like labour conditions, poverty and childhood cruelty while keeping love, friendship and sorrow at their hearts. If you're not sure where to start, we're here to help with this guide to the best Charles Dickens book for every type of reader.
The best Charles Dickens novel for crime fiction fans
‘Bleak House is his greatest novel . . . with its backdrop of a legal system more invested in obstruction and obfuscation than resolution, it remains utterly contemporary’
Anna Quindlen, Independent
The best Charles Dickens book for younger readers
Charles Dickens' most romantic book
Charles Dickens' books that explore politics
The funniest Charles Dickens novel
The scariest Charles Dickens novel
The best Charles Dickens book if you like to read autobiographies
A Charles Dickens novel that will transport you back in time
The best Charles Dickens book to read at Christmas
If you only read one Charles Dickens book
‘I find it irresistible: the autumn evening closing in, the crazy little boat afloat on the filthy Thames, the strong young woman plying the oars and a ragged, grizzled man, her father, busying himself with something towed in the water behind them. You are some way into the narrative before it dawns on you that it is a drowned body.’
Shirley Hughes, Independent
In this episode of Book Break Emma explores the English seaside, including Broadstairs where Charles Dickens stayed while writing Nicholas Nickelby and where the Charles Dickens Museum can now be found: