Dombey and Son

By Charles Dickens

Book Overview

Charles Dickens' "Dombey and Son" presents a compelling character study set against the backdrop of Victorian England and a family-owned business in London. Originally published in serialization, the novel offers a critical social commentary through the lens of family life. Delve into a classic work of literature that explores the complexities of relationships and societal pressures. This meticulously prepared print edition allows readers to experience Dickens' masterful storytelling and insightful observations on the human condition. Discover the enduring appeal of a novel that examines the dynamics within a family enterprise and the wider world it inhabits. "Dombey and Son" remains a relevant and thought-provoking exploration of ambition, social class, and the pursuit of happiness, securing its place as a significant work within the classic literary canon.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1022953133
• ISBN13: 9781022953130
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 794 Pages
• Weight: 2.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Very Good Place To Start

Upon finishing Dombey and Son this morning, I thought back to the first Dickens work I ever read, which was David Copperfield, as a freshman in high school. Since then I have read many others, all with the same extensive cast of characters, side plots, etc..... Except this one....which makes me question why it is not used as an introduction to the works of Dickens in school curriculums. Dombey and Son, as a title, refers to the business which provides wealth, title, and position to Mr. Dombey, the aforementioned father. The 'son' refers to a succession of partners in that business, as well as an arrival at the opening of the book, which leads to the demise of Mrs. Dombey. But little Paul Dombey, sharing in his father's first and last names, joins an already present sibling in the world, his sister Florence. Through the course of the novel, you realize that Dombey and Daughter are really the focus of this story....the fortunes and misfortunes that befall them both, the grievous neglect of one for the other, despite the efforts of the one neglected to reconcile...and a host of others that enter and exit from their lives. But to recapture and jusitfy my initial point, this book is a marvelous starting point to read Dickens. It is far easier to keep track of the cast of the story, as it is more limited than other Dickens novels, while sharing the same length as most others. The story lines all really do feed into the central plot, and while the 'comedy' that I so enjoy in Dickens's prose is, admittedly, more limited here...it still is a highly enjoyable tale, and a great place to get your feet wet with one of history's best tale-weavers. Although bittersweet and melancholy in tone, for the majority of the story, Dombey and Son holds up with Dickens's other novels as a true classic.

Best Dickens Ever

This is one of the best Dickens novels I have ever read. The character of Florence is so beautifully developed, and while I was reading, I got the sense that Dickens himself was in love with Florence. There's also that sense of mystery, in the dealings of Mrs. Brown and Alice, and their hatred of Mr. Carker. This book is full of surprises, and I was kept riveted to every single page. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone, and one that I will be reading again and again.

A Very Fast 800 Pages.

Although this novel is 800 pages long, it is so well constructed that you do not notice how long it is. Careful reading of this enables you to see that Dickens had this novel very carefully thought out from the start. Characters such as Paul Dombey, Florence, and little Paul are very well drawn and very convincing. I can not overestimate the grace in which Dickens balances suspense, good and bad omens, comic relief, and powerful images. The reconciliation scene between Florence and her father is a scene of such rare and exquisite beauty. (even to me an English Major) Along with "David Copperfield" (1850), "Bleak House" (1853), and "Hard Times" (1854), this is a phenomenal masterpiece beyond expectations.

Complex, richly drawn, psychologically accurate characters

A previously posted review asks: "How can readers accept that a woman's happiness can be achieved either through living to make men happy OR through living according to one's conscience? Surely one of these characters deserves the author's condemnation yet neither clearly receives it." It is sad when a reader is so intent on pigeonholing complex, richly drawn characters into narrow politically correct categories that he or she misses out on joys of a wonderful novel like this. Florence is denied her father's love, blames herself, and strives harder for it. This is a psychologically accurate portrait of what such a child would do, not an example of "living to make men happy" that Dickens should have condemned or praised. Likewise as to Edith's "living according to her conscience," although in fact she fails to live according to her conscience, and hates herself for it. And another previously posted review says that "the ending is wonderful, and Dickens ties up the numerous subplots with the most delightful precision." I found the final 100 pages the only bad part of the book, as Dickens artificially ties up matters that he had no need to tie up; he should have ended the book sooner. But this is my favorite Dickens novel so far.

Don't pass this one up---it grabs you from page 1

Dombey and Son isn't one of Dickens' well known works. After all, English teachers have not spent the last 100 years poisoning it for their students the way they poison so many of Dickens' other works. But it is one of the loveliest books Dickens has written! Do not be put off by those descriptions of it being about money and the horrors of the economic system. That is only a small part of the story. There is amazing depth to the characters in these pages: they surprise us, they astonish us, they break our hearts, and they give us hope. However, the plot has a couple of wee holes in it. For example, why would proud Mr. Dombey entrust a manager under him with his personal problems with his wife, Edith? And why would the said manager, as slimy and ambitious a toad as they come, throw away his chances of taking over Dombey's firm by running away with Edith? But the writing is so lovely, and the consequences of these minor faults are so intriguing, that it is easy to forgive them. The ending is wonderful, and Dickens ties up the numerous subplots with the most delightful precision. The book is close to a 1000 pages, but it's worth it, every lovely word of it.