I know this isn't down the left as one of the books that will be coming soon but I found this in a charity shop and thought it might be a quick read. I had started reading 'The Folks that live on the Hill' by Kingsley Amis but...well...I've never really got on with Kingsley and Martin so I thought this might be a bit of light relief, after all, it has a quote on the front from Dan Brown. I am in no way snobbish when it comes to Dan Brown. I've enjoyed all his books apart from the last one, 'The Lost Symbol' which was far too self-indulgent to see the basis of a good story.
Anyway, back to this book. It starts off very promising. There are two stories several years apart told in alternating chapters, one set in India and the other in Boston. The story progresses to describe the tour given by Charles Dickens around America before his death. It deals with the lack of copyright law in America at the time and the crimes that went on between publishing houses in order to secure copies of manuscripts. All very intruiging. The main plot then unfolds. Fastforward a few years and Fields, Osgood and Co., Dicken's American publishers, have been receiving installments of Dicken's new novel 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' when suddenly Dickens dies leaving the story incomplete...or did he?
James Osgood travels to England to discover what is left of the remaining chapters and whether he can secure the official ending of the book before rival publishing houses begin to print unofficial cheap copies of the novel as it stands. This is where I started to lose interest. I was. indeed, impressed with the author's research into Dicken's family and his home at Gadshill. However the story began to annoy me on two levels. First of all 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' turns into a sort-of biography and all the real characters start to creep out of the woodwork, we veer off into the backstreets of London and the whole thing turns into a heroin smuggling nightmare...I'm getting confused writing this all down if I'm honest.
The second thing that annoyed me is not really the author's fault although it sort of is. Reading this as a candidate for this blog meant that I was looking for specific locations that I could pinpoint on maps. Well, they are few and far between. As you'll be able to see on the map I've really tried my best. Certainly for people who have a vague idea of Dickensian London this wouldn't pose a problem but knowing that Dickens' locations, history and inspirations are so heavily documented it just felt all a little vague for me.
One thing I do want to say in praise of the novel, however, is the strong female character Rebecca. She was well drawn with a good back story which had me rooting for her more than any other character, however, she is one the few entirely fictional characters in the story. I also think that Matthew Pearl writes Dickens' character particularly well especially his mannerisms and dialogue. I wish that the story of Frank Dickens and the British Raj could have been more developed though.
As always, though, this is my opinion and looking at reviews on his website he has garnered a good range of positive criticism for this book. I was very surprised by the historical note at the back of the book, probably the most interesting part in the whole thing, by the amount of real people and situations used and for this the author must be praised.
Locations
Here is the map. If the click on the image it will take you to the full version and all the markers have descriptions of the plot points concerning each location.
Surrey Theatre:
The Surrey Theatre is no longer standing but the history of it is very interesting. It survived fire in the Victorian Age before being shut down in the 20s before finally being demolished in the 30s. This is the link to wikipedia's listing for the theatre. I've found this to be the most concise history with some good illustrations. If you would like a more in-depth history visit here. Also for a look at the sorts of shows performed at the Surrey Theatre please visit here to see one of the playbills.
Bloody Bridge:
Although the novel gives the impression that this is located in the East End near the Ratcliffe Highway all the research I have done points very firmly to Sloane Square in West London. It was, indeed, used as a place to rob and murder people as indicated in the book. The Bridge covered the Westbourne River, previously mentioned in the 'Neverwhere' post. It has come to be known as the Grosvenor Bridge because of the large property located nearby. Please visit this website for an indepth history of the Bridge.
Tiger Bay and Palmer's Folly:
I found this research into this incredibly interesting. The area between St. Katherine's Dock and Limehouse was frequented by seamen who had docked nearby as well as criminals, drug dealers and prostitutes. People who ventured into this area were seen as taking their lives into their own hands. Tiger Bay and Palmer's Folly were nicknames for two of the districts in this area. Please click this link to find a brilliant extract from the book 'Mysteries of Modern London' by James Greenwood published in 1882. It describes the area and it's inhabitants in fantastic detail.
St James's Hotel, Piccadilly:
This hotel was once a gentleman's club. Now it is a 5* luxury hotel with a rooftop area giving amazing views over central London. It has been modernised but visit their website to see photographs of some of the rooms to give you an idea of what it would have looked like when James Osgood and Rebecca stayed here.
The Thames Tunnel:
Information for its exact whereabouts took some digging. Designed by Marc Brunel, Isambard's father, it linked Rotherhithe and Wapping but is now closed to the public being used as a train tunnel. I came across this blog about London Transport which has an excellent write-up on the history of the Thames Tunnel. Also vist the Brunel Museum website for even more information. In 2010 the Tunnel was open for tours for two days. The website now states that it is seeking permission from TFL to lead tours.
If you have anymore information about the locations from this book please leave comments below!
