Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectations

As in their previous collaborations ( Good Queen Bess ; Bard of Avon ), Stanley and Vennema bring to life another vital historical figure in their newest, spirited volume.

Stanley's typically meticulous gouache art offers accurate portrayals of 19th-century fashions, architecture and interior design.

With the exception of a jarring opening sentence ('All his life Charles Dickens would remember a particular day when he was nine years old, and something his father said'), the authors' informal yet authoritative narrative unfolds smoothly.