6 Of The Best Charles Dickens Books

Bleak House is a gripping murder mystery and a sharp critique of the corruption in English society. It centers on the drawn-out inheritance case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, introducing a range of characters like Esther Summerson, Lady Dedlock, and Jo, the crossing sweeper. With secrets, spies, and murder, it’s perfect for fans of crime fiction.

When orphaned Oliver Twist runs away from the workhouse he was born in and arrives by foot in London, he’s faced with a world of crime, unusual friends and unexpected kindness. Centred around the lives of Victorian children, Oliver Twist is part pleasure, part education and the perfect book to get children into Dickens.

Also opening with a poor orphaned boy, Great Expectations tells the tale of how young Pip falls in love with a beautiful upper-class girl named Estella. Will class division get in the way of his heart? If you’re a romantic, this heartwarming, plot-twisting and captivating novel is the perfect Dickens novel to start with.

Mr. Pickwick, Tracy Tupman, Augustus Snodgrass and Nathaniel Winckle are an unlikely band of travellers drawn together in the Pickwick Club of London. They journey around England befriending everyone from country squires to local literary giants in this hilarious and sentimental novel. The Pickwick Papers is the perfect, witty novel to get you into Dickens.

Dickens began the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas, but his frightening and fascinating tales aren’t confined to the festive season. From gruesome legal drama ‘A Trial for Murder’, to eerie domestic farce ‘The Ghost in the Bride’s Chamber’, you are guaranteed a fright in Dicken’s Ghost Stories.

Scenes of London Life offers a genuine window into Victorian London through satirical short stories that take you from the colourful chaos of gin shops to the destitution of pawnshops. If you want to be transported to another place, Scenes of London Life is an accessible way in.