Helpful Score: 3
I am a fan of Matthew Pearl and have thoroughly enjoyed all of his work. This book, however, fell short of his previous offerings.
While I found this book entertaining enough, I don't feel like it lives up to the suspense and intrigue of "The Dante Club," nor does it have the same depth or historical fact-finding qualities as "The Poe Shadow."
This book was worth reading but it was not memorable. I would recommend it to others but not very enthusiastically. I thought that Pearl could have done so much more with the elements of the story itself, and any suspense the story created was destroyed with such a cop-out ending that I almost tossed the book across the room in resignation and disblief.
It is unfortunate that this book came to market around the same time "Drood" by Dan Simmons. I have now read each author's book and it is fascinating to see how two completely different books can come from the same basic historical elements. I believe in saving the best for last, so if you intend to read both books I recommend that you start with "The Last Dickens" and end with "Drood."
No offense is intended for Mr. Pearl (whose work I truly like very much), but in this particular case his tale was too simple, too contrived, a little too predictable, and ultimately not the caliber of work I would come to expect from him. It is an average book worth about 3 stars. It is good but not great, and I feel like the book sold itself short and could have been (or should have been) so much better.
While I found this book entertaining enough, I don't feel like it lives up to the suspense and intrigue of "The Dante Club," nor does it have the same depth or historical fact-finding qualities as "The Poe Shadow."
This book was worth reading but it was not memorable. I would recommend it to others but not very enthusiastically. I thought that Pearl could have done so much more with the elements of the story itself, and any suspense the story created was destroyed with such a cop-out ending that I almost tossed the book across the room in resignation and disblief.
It is unfortunate that this book came to market around the same time "Drood" by Dan Simmons. I have now read each author's book and it is fascinating to see how two completely different books can come from the same basic historical elements. I believe in saving the best for last, so if you intend to read both books I recommend that you start with "The Last Dickens" and end with "Drood."
No offense is intended for Mr. Pearl (whose work I truly like very much), but in this particular case his tale was too simple, too contrived, a little too predictable, and ultimately not the caliber of work I would come to expect from him. It is an average book worth about 3 stars. It is good but not great, and I feel like the book sold itself short and could have been (or should have been) so much better.
The Last Dickens Author: Matthew Pearl
3.5*
It's June 1870, and Charles Dicken has just died, leaving his novle, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished. His U.S. publishers, Fields & Osgood, are faced with financial ruin, and the rival Harper Brothers plan to print cheap unauthorized copies fo the book, based on the portions that have already been serialized and printed. If Fields & Osgood could just find some clue as to how the story would end, they could publish it in their authorized version, and save the business. Thus, James Osgood sets off on an adventure to Engand, where he hopes to be able to discover some clue as to where Dickens intended to take the story .. no matter how small. The book alternates between Osgood's investigation and flashbacks of Dickens' readint tour in America that took place in 1867-68.
The book was a little slow to start, but once I was halfway in, I couldn't wait to see where it would take me next. Thecharacters were perfectly drawn and the action was (mostly) believable. The insights into the early days of publishing and copyrights were quite eye-opening. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, even if I did suspect who the villain was early on.
3.5*
It's June 1870, and Charles Dicken has just died, leaving his novle, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished. His U.S. publishers, Fields & Osgood, are faced with financial ruin, and the rival Harper Brothers plan to print cheap unauthorized copies fo the book, based on the portions that have already been serialized and printed. If Fields & Osgood could just find some clue as to how the story would end, they could publish it in their authorized version, and save the business. Thus, James Osgood sets off on an adventure to Engand, where he hopes to be able to discover some clue as to where Dickens intended to take the story .. no matter how small. The book alternates between Osgood's investigation and flashbacks of Dickens' readint tour in America that took place in 1867-68.
The book was a little slow to start, but once I was halfway in, I couldn't wait to see where it would take me next. Thecharacters were perfectly drawn and the action was (mostly) believable. The insights into the early days of publishing and copyrights were quite eye-opening. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, even if I did suspect who the villain was early on.
Once again Matthew Pearl has mixed together literary history and period-piece mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am not a historian, I cannot tell you if Mr. Pearl made historical mistakes. But, I can tell you that it is a fascinating ride that will pick you up and carry you along from beginning to end.
Charles Dickens died before finishing his latest novel. The US publisher rushes to England to claim the last segments of the novel per their agreement. Other darker forces are also in search of the missing manuscript and will go to any lengths to secure it. Based on fact and several actual people involved, this is a very good read. Highly recommend it!
