Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities quickly establishes itself with one of literature’s most legendary opening lines: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” With these famous words, Dickens plunges the reader into one of history’s most explosive eras – the French Revolution. The two cities are Paris and London, and between them rumble conspiracy, intrigue, and the heavy traffic of countless spies. From the storming of the Bastille to...

In what may be Dickens's best novel, humble, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman — and one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations." In this gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, the compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness;...

One of the great novelist’s most popular works, Oliver Twist is also the purest distillation of Dickens’s genius.
This tale of the orphan who is reared in a workhouse and runs away to London is a novel of social protest, a morality tale, and a detective story. Oliver Twist presents some of the most sinister characters in Dickens: the master thief, Fagin; the leering Artful Dodger; the murderer, Bill Sikes…along...

Beautiful, honest Nell Trent lives with her devoted Grandfather in his Old Curiosity Shop, an enchanting shop of odds and ends. Desperate to make a better life for his Nell, Grandfather secretly gambles and gets deeply into debt with the unscrupulous Quilp. When what little money they have is lost in a game of cards, Quilp claims The Old Curiosity Shop as payment for the loans

Released in installments from 1840 to 1841, Charles Dicken's The

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