CHARLES DICKENS : A LIFE
by Claire Tomalin

He was considered to be the greatest novelist of the nineteenth century. As a writer of twenty novels, several short story collections, poetry, plays, and stories for two separate magazines, Charles Dickens was quite prolific. The public loved him because his works portrayed their life. He was a keen observer and nothing went to chance. Everything about English society entranced him.
Dickens was born into poverty. His father could never hold a job and the family constantly moved to escape creditors. When his father was sent to prison, Dickens had to work in a factory. He hated it and didn't last long there. His next major job was as a court reporter. Some really sorry cases were tried and were quite upsetting to Dickens. He would use them in his writings (all of his fiction had many autobiographical elements in them, particularly David Copperfield). Ideas for novels came to him and he was off running never stopping until the end.
It was truly fascinating reading about this over-the-top persona who had such greatness but at the same time was very flawed. Dickens was extremely generous with friends, was a philanthropist (he financed a home for fallen women), gave to the needy, supported other writers by editing their writings and having their works published, gave readings of what he himself had written to adoring crowds (he was quite theatrical and if he hadn't become a writer, he would have been an actor). The flip side was that Dickens was a terrible father (he had ten children) and most of the time ignored them and would complain years later about having so many. His long suffering wife was treated miserably by him (they shouldn't have been married in the first place). So while he was perceived as being a humanist and virtuous, Dickens would destroy his own life betraying and deceiving the ones closest to him.
Claire Tomalin has written an impeccably researched biography on Charles Dickens. At 417 pages (not including 70 pages of Notes), the book is quite hefty. Starting with the beginning, there are maps with their own separate Key; and a Cast List of the families on both sides and every single person who came in contact with Dickens.
Although there is tons of information, the book is quite readable. If you're a fan of Dickens but don't really know much about him, check this one out.
Recommended.