Sofa Spotlight - Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World,Simon Callow

I made use of a three and a half hour train journey to get this book finished. There were moments when I got distracted by the lady who was knitting just across from me, but on the whole I remained focused. Which was good or I might have missed the part where Dickens nearly got arrested by the IRS.

As you would expect from a biography it tells the story of Dickens' life, which was in no way a boring life. What struck me most was the energy that he had, and his love for perfoming. Because I have always known bits and pieces about Dickens, this book helped me to piece it all together and get a clearer idea of what his life was like. At about 350 pages it isn't too much of a beast to get through, so I would recommend it if you want to find out about the man behind the stories. 

It has put a different light on the novels, and although I'm not rushing to read one again (they do take effort) I am tempted to watch a dramatised version pretty soon. I just have to work out what it will take to convince EG to watch one with me!