Charles Dickens Books in America - Classic Literature Collection for Reading & Study | Perfect for Book Lovers, Students & Literary Enthusiasts

I loved this series so much I didn't want it to end. Miriam Margolyes is the most educated, opinionated, expressive, curious, and spontaneous guide one could ever hope to follow. As with the best documentaries, the conversation between narration, visual scene, and storytelling is superb.Very few people know that Dickens visited the United States--twice--and even fewer have read his idiosyncratic memoir of the 1842 trip, "American Notes for General Circulation." Dickens wrote about the U.S. at an interesting time, nearly two generations after the Revolution, and a generation before the Civil war. Most Americans are not only ignorant of Dickens's tour, we are ignorant of this entire period of our history.I meant to say the memoir was idioscyncratic because his itinerary was a personal one. Dickens was interested in poor people, in crime and punishment, and in charitable institutions like the Perkins School for the Blind. So Margolyes's travelogue--as much as she can--duplicates his interests. In the big northeastern cities, Dickens visited prisons and hospitals. In Virginia, he takes in as much of slavery as he can stand. Margolyes too visits the same dark, sad places and her spontaneous and emotional reactions are quite moving; and precisely why Dickens (and Margolyes) share them with us. And since she is so fascinated with Dickens, she--and we--begin to understand Dickens in a context we might not have known before. Even if you are familiar with this period of history, or Dickens's biography, reliving this trip at Margolyes's elbow will surprise you.There are many more delights in this series that I could describe, but I urge you to buy it and discover them for yourself. Ask some friends over for the evening and watch a few episodes together. If you love Dickens, or America, you will love "Dickens in America."