Historical fiction books set in United Kingdom (51)


Find more books set in United Kingdom by genre:
1.

South Riding : An English Landscape by Winifred Holtby EN

0 Ratings
Description:
When Sarah Burton returns to her hometown as headmistress she is full of ambition, determined to create a great school and to inspire her girls to take all they can from life. But in the aftermath of the First World War, the country is in depression and ideals are hard won. Lydia Holly, the scholarship girl from the shacks, is the most brilliant student Sarah has ever taught, but when her mother's health fails, her education must be sacrificed - there is nobody else to care for the children. Robert Carne of Maythorpe Hall stands for everything Sarah despises: his family has farmed the South Ri... continue

2.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson EN

Rating: 4 (8 votes)
Description:
'Fifteen men on the dead man's chest - Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!' All hands on deck for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime! Treasure Island has captivated children for decades and remains Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous book. With the legendary Long John Silver leading a mutinous pirate crew, children won't want to miss the boat on this classic tale of treasure and treachery.

3.

Orlando : A Biography by Virginia Woolf EN

Rating: 4 (3 votes)
Description:
Orlando doubles as first an Elizabethan nobleman and then as a Victorian heroine who undergoes all the transitions of history in this novel that examines sex roles and social mores.

4.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie : A Novel by Muriel Spark EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
At the staid Marcia Blaine School for Girls, in Edinburgh, Scotland, teacher extraordinaire Miss Jean Brodie is unmistakably, and outspokenly, in her prime. She is passionate in the application of her unorthodox teaching methods, in her attraction to the married art master, Teddy Lloyd, in her affair with the bachelor music master, Gordon Lowther, and—most important—in her dedication to "her girls," the students she selects to be her crème de la crème. Fanatically devoted, each member of the Brodie set—Eunice, Jenny, Mary, Monica, Rose, and Sandy—is "famous for something," and Miss Brodie stri... continue

5.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
It is July 1962. Florence is a talented musician who dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, an earnest young history student who unexpectedly won her heart.

6.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens EN

Rating: 5 (6 votes)
Description:
I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.' Great Expectations charts the progress of Pip from childhood through often painful experiences to adulthood, as he moves from the Kent marshes to busy, commercial London, encoutering a variety of extraordinary characters ranging from Magwitch, the excaped convict, to Miss Havisham, locked up withher unhappy past and living with her ward, the arrogant, beautiful Estella. In this compelling story, Dickens shows the dangers of being driven by desire for wealth and social status. Pip must establish his own sense of self against the plans which other... continue

7.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens EN

Rating: 4 (25 votes)
Description:
From the bustling, snowy streets of 19th-century London to the ghostly apparitions of Christmases past and future, award-winning artist Roberto Innocenti vividly renders not only the authentic detail but also the emotional impact of Charles Dickens's beloved Christmas tale. In both crowded urban scenes and intimate portraits of familiar characters, we gain a sense of the timeless humanity of the tale and perhaps catch a glimpse of ourselves.

8.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens EN

Rating: 4 (6 votes)
Description:
A gripping portrayal of London's dark criminal underbelly, published in Penguin Classics with an introduction by Philip Horne. The story of Oliver Twist - orphaned, and set upon by evil and adversity from his first breath - shocked readers when it was published. After running away from the workhouse and pompous beadle Mr Bumble, Oliver finds himself lured into a den of thieves peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the Artful Dodger, vicious burglar Bill Sikes, his dog Bull's Eye, and prostitute Nancy, all watched over by cunning master-thief Fagin. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, t... continue

9.

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex EN

Rating: 3 (1 vote)
Description:
"Inspired by a haunting true story, a gorgeous and atmospheric novel about the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from a remote tower miles from the Cornish coast--and about the wives who were left behind. What strange fate befell these doomed men? The heavy sea whispers their names. Black rocks roll beneath the surface, drowning ghosts. And out of the swell like a finger of light, the salt-scratched tower stands lonely and magnificent. It's New Year's Eve, 1972, when a boat pulls up to the Maiden Rock lighthouse with relief for the keepers. But no one greets them. When the e... continue

10.

Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
The flaxen-haired beauty of the child-like Lady Audley would suggest that she has no secrets. But M.E. Braddon's classic novel of sensation uncovers the truth about its heroine in a plot involving bigamy, arson and murder. It challenges assumptions about the nature of femininity and investigates the narrow divide between sanity and insanity, using as its focus one of the most fascinating of all Victorian heroines.

11.

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St Columb to be ripe for any folly, any outrage that will alter the tedium of her days. But there is another, secret Dona who longs for freedom, honest love - and sweetness, even if it is spiced with danger. To escape the shallowness of court life, Dona retreats to Navron, her husband's remote Cornish estate. There, she seeks peace in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. But she finds instead a daring pirate, hunted by all Cornwall, a Frenchman who, like Dona, would gamble his life for a moment's joy. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger an... continue

12.

The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
**Selected for BBC 2 Between the Covers 2022****The BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick****Longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize 2022**'In this folksy, magnetic tale, two outsiders seek healing and enlightenment by creating crop formations in a Wiltshire field ... A memorable hymn to beauty' OBSERVER'The pleasures of this bountiful novel are like a glass of cool water on a parched summer day' THE TIMES'A spirited and anarchic novel... a roiling, rollicking crop-circle folk tale' GUARDIANEngland, 1989. Over the course of a burning hot summer, two very different men - traumatized Falklands veteran Calvert... continue

13.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
Published in June 1848, less than a year before her death, Anne Bronte's second (and last) novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, is the somber account of the breakdown of a marriage in the face of alcoholism and infidelity. The novel enjoyed a modest success that led its publisher, theunscrupulous T.C. Newby, to issue a "Second Edition" less than two months later. The present edition, which completes the Clarendon Edition of the Novels of the Brontes, offers a text based on the collation of the first edition with the second. The introduction details the work's composition andearly printing histo... continue

14.

Din vârful degetelor by Sarah Waters RO

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
Sue Trinder este o orfana crescuta in cel mai rau famat cartier al Londrei. Cind Domnu, un escroc prieten de-al casei, ii face o propunere avantajoasa, Sue hotaraste sa conforme asteptarile celor care au ocrotit-o: nu trebuie decit sa cistige increderea unei domnisoare naive dintr-un conac de la tara si sa il ajute pe Domnu s-o cucereasca si sa puna mina pe averea ei. Dar dupa ce Sue ajunge sa o cunoasca pe victima inselaciunii planuite, evenimentele iau o turnura neasteptata... Un roman dickensian, plin de suspans si de rasturnari spectaculoase.

15.

Death in Soho by Emily Organ EN

0 Ratings
Description:
It's the Roaring Twenties. London's bright young things are partying, Soho's nightlife is buzzing and Augusta Peel is hiding in her basement. She has a reason to hide there: it's home to her Bloomsbury workshop where she repairs old, neglected books. After a busy time during the war, all Augusta wants is peace and quiet - even if it is routinely disturbed by the tube trains beneath her feet. But events take a turn when Augusta agrees to chaperone 19-year-old Harriet Jones on a date. Failing to get her home on time, she ends up in a riotous nightclub. She can't imagine the evening getting much ... continue

16.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan EN

0 Ratings
Description:
During World War II an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest, and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives

17.

The Muse : A Novel by Jessie Burton EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist comes a captivating and brilliantly realized story of two young women—a Caribbean immigrant in 1960s London, and a bohemian woman in 1930s Spain—and the powerful mystery that ties them together. England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excite... continue

18.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr Murdstone; his brilliant, but ultimately unworthy school-friend Steerforth; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; his nemesis, the eternally humble Uriah Heep; frivolous, enchanting Dora; and the magnificently impecunious Micawber, one of literature’s great comic creations. In David Copperfield – the novel he described as his ‘f... continue

19.

Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
'Utterly absorbing and illuminating. Written with a sure and stylish hand. Gill Hornby's best book yet.' Esther Freud __________________________ FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MISS AUSTEN On 21 January 1804, Anne Sharpe arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess. At 31 years old, she has no previous experience of either teaching or fine country houses. Her mother has died, and she has nowhere else to go. Anne is left with no choice. For her new charge - twelve-year-old Fanny Austen - Anne's arrival is all novelty and excitement. The governess role is a uniquely ... continue

20.

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor EN

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Description:
Inspired by a remarkable true story, a young teacher evacuates children to safety across perilous waters, in a moving and triumphant new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor. 1940, Kent: Alice King is not brave or daring—she’s happiest finding adventure through the safe pages of books. But times of war demand courage, and as the threat of German invasion looms, a plane crash near her home awakens a strength in Alice she’d long forgotten. Determined to do her part, she finds a role perfectly suited to her experience as a schoolteacher—to help evacuate Britain’s children ove... continue

21.

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart EN

Rating: 4 (7 votes)
Description:
Winner of the Booker Prize Winner of 'Book of the Year' and 'Debut of the Year' at the British Book Awards The Million-Copy Bestseller 'An amazingly intimate, compassionate, gripping portrait of addiction, courage and love.' – The judges of the Booker Prize 'Douglas Stuart has written a first novel of rare and lasting beauty.' – Observer It is 1981. Glasgow is dying and good families must grift to survive. Agnes Bain has always expected more from life, dreaming of greater things. But Agnes is abandoned by her philandering husband, and as she descends deeper into drink, the children try their b... continue

22.

The Wayward Sisters by Kate Hodges EN

Rating: 3 (1 vote)
Description:
Something wicked this way comes... 'This Gothic feminist mystery is just magic' Heat 'For fans of eerie Gothic mystery, The Wayward Sisters has it all' The Upcoming Inverness, 1769. On a freezing winter's night, astronomer Nancy Lockaby arrives at Blackthistle House, home to renowned Shakespeare scholar Caleb Malles, to assist him in his research. She hopes to forget all that has happened to her in London. Nancy initially finds herself captivated by Caleb's eccentric mind and deep passion for Macbeth. So, when she is warned by three mysterious women that Caleb is keeping secrets from her, she ... continue

23.

Life After Life : A Novel by Kate Atkinson EN

Rating: 5 (5 votes)
Description:
The award-winning author of Behind the Scenes at the Museum follows the experiences of a woman who after being born on a snowy night in 1910 repeated dies and reincarnates into the same life to correct missteps and ultimately save the world. 75,000 first printing.

24.

The Island Child by Molly Aitken EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Description:
A rich, haunting and deeply moving novel about the power and the danger in a mother's love, from one of the most exciting new voices in Irish fiction.

25.

Emma by Jane Austen RO

Rating: 5 (3 votes)
Description:
„Jane Austen avea cel mai minunat dar din câte am întâlnit în a descrie implicaţiile, sentimentele şi caracterele din viaţa obişnuită. Rafinamentul cu care transformă personajele şi situaţiile din banale în interesante, tuşa de veridic pe care o imprimă descrierilor şi sentimentelor sunt lucruri la care eu nu pot decât să aspir.” – SIR WALTER SCOTT „Domnişoara Austen a înţeles perfect dimensiunea măruntă a vieţii... A fost o mare creatoare, egală – în mica ei sferă – cu Shakespeare…” – ALFRE... continue

26.

Regrettably, I Am About to Cause Trouble by Amie McNee EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
1535, Oxfordshire. Lady Maude Shaftsberry has it all sorted. She will marry the well-connected lord, ascend the ranks of the Tudor court, and be mother to a small battalion of boys. But Maude has a secret that she carries everywhere: a birthmark that stretches over her stomach and between her legs. Is it a mark of fertility? Did her mother rub her pregnant belly too vigorously on the full moon? Or is it the sign of a witch? Her new husband is certain it's the latter. Maude, faced with annulment and the nunnery, must make her own way. The witches in town are the only ones who will give her refu... continue

27.

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens EN

Rating: 5 (3 votes)
Description:
A classic tale of the young Englishman who gives up his life during the French Revolution to save the husband of the woman he loves.

28.

The Man of Property by John Galsworthy EN

0 Ratings
Description:
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

29.

Iubita locotenentului francez by John Fowles RO

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
Plasata in jurul anului 1867, actiunea romanului pune in cumpana libertatea viziunii de la sfirsitul anilor ’60 ai secolului al XX-lea cu atitudinile severe ale perioadei victoriene din urma cu o suta de ani. Romanul evoca in chip convingator atmosfera acelor „certitudini de fier”, a conventiilor rigide, a emotiilor reprimate, reactualizind unele modalitati caracteristice ale naratiunii victoriene. De fapt, succesul la public a fost explicat si prin dexteritatea cu care Fowles minuieste o intriga intru totul conventionala: triunghiul alcatuit din Charles, logodnica lui, suava... continue

30.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Description:
Set in twelfth-century England, this epic of kings and peasants juxtaposes the building of a magnificent church with the violence and treachery that often characterized the Middle Ages.

31.

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanne Quinn EN

Rating: 2 (1 vote)
Description:
'A tour de force' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life This is the story of an old English manor house by the sea, with crumbling chimneys, draping ivy and a library full of dusty hardbacks. It's the story of the three children who grow up there, and the adventures they create for themselves while the grown-ups entertain endless party guests. This is the story of a whale that washes up on a beach, whose bones are claimed by a twelve-year-old girl with big ambitions and an even bigger imagination. An unwanted orphan who grows into an unmarriageable young woman, fiercely determined to do things di... continue

32.

Rape of the Fair Country by Alexander Cordell EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
The first volume in Alexander Cordell's classic trilogy of mid-nineteenth century Wales. Set in the grim valleys of the Welsh iron country during the turbulent times of the Industrial Revolution, this unforgettable novel begins the saga of the Mortymer family - a family of hard men and beautiful women, all forced into a bitter struggle with their harsh environment, as they slave and starve for the cruel English ironmasters. But adversity could never still the free spirit of Wales, or quiet its soaring voice, and the Mortymers struggle on even as the iron foundries ravish their homeland and cri... continue


34.

Hard Times by Charles Dickens EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
Novel depicting Victorian industrial society.

35.

Cahokia Jazz : A Novel by Francis Spufford EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
"Like Golden Hill, Cahokia Jazz inhabits a different version of America, and like Golden Hill it has a propulsive and brilliantly twisty plot set within a fully imagined world. Only this world is full of fog, cigarette smoke, dubious motives, danger, and dark deeds. And in the main character of Joe Barrow, we have a hero of truly heroic proportions, and a troubled soul to fall in love with. One snowy night at the end of winter, Barrow and his partner find a body on the roof of a skyscraper. Down below, streetcar bells ring, factory whistles blow, Americans drink in speakeasies and dance to the... continue

36.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Description:
Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman comes a remarkable quest into the dark and miraculous—in pursuit of love and the utterly impossible.

37.

The New Life : A Novel by Tom Crewe EN

0 Ratings
Description:
"A brilliant and captivating debut, in the tradition of Alan Hollinghurst and Colm Tóibín, about two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late 19th-century London. In this powerful, visceral novel about love, sex, and the struggle for a better world, two men collaborate on a book in defense of homosexuality, then a crime-risking their old lives in the process. In the summer of 1894, John Addington and Henry Ellis begin writing a book arguing that what they call "inversion," or homosexuality, is a natural, harmless variation of human ... continue

38.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens EN

Rating: 4 (4 votes)
Description:
Just before France's bloody revolution, watch the drama unfold through the eyes of Lucie, Charles and Sidney, three people whose lives are about to change forever.

39.

Richard III by William Shakespeare EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
The authoritative edition of Richard III from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on a moral holiday. The play draws us to identify with Richard and his fantasy of total control of self and domination of others. Not yet king at the start of the play, Richard presents himself as an enterprising villain as he successfully plans to dispose of his brother Clarence. Richard achieves similar success in conquering the woman he chooses to marry. He carves a way to the throne through assa... continue

40.

Kololo Hill by Neema Shah EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
‘[An] incredible debut’ - Stylist 'A novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates' - Irish Times Uganda 1972 A devastating decree is issued: all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days. They must take only what they can carry, give up their money and never return. For Asha and Pran, married a matter of months, it means abandoning the family business that Pran has worked so hard to save. For his mother, Jaya, it means saying goodbye to the house that has been her home for decades. But violence is escalating in... continue

41.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters EN

0 Ratings
Description:
After being summoned to treat a patient at dilapidated Hundreds Hall, Dr. Faraday finds himself becoming entangled in the lives of the owners, the Ayres family, and the supernatural presences in the house.

42.

Zennor in Darkness by Helen Dunmore EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
They stand by side on the rock, facing out to sea. They are hidden from land here. Even spies would see nothing of them. It is spring 1917 in the Cornish coastal village of Zennor, and the young artist Clare Coyne is waking up to the world. Ignoring the whispers from her neighbours, she has struck a rare friendship with D.H. Lawrence and his German wife, who are hoping to escape the war-fever of London. In between painting and visits to her new friends she whiles away the warm days with her cousin John, who is on leave from the trenches, harbouring secrets she couldn't begin to understand. But... continue

43.

The Ghost Cat : 12 Decades, 9 Lives, 1 Cat by Alex Howard EN

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Description:
Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.'The Ghost Cat is an Edinburgh delight: "mizzle-ridden" days were made for books like this!'LUCY RIBCHESTER, author of The Hourglass Factory'A beautiful story' Tiktok's @beansthegingercat'Enchanting, entertaining and engaging ...[Bokinfo].

44.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley EN

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Description:
In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry. Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' - Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. During a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine frie... continue

45.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
As relevant now as when it was first published, Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South skilfully weaves a compelling love story into a clash between the pursuit of profit and humanitarian ideals. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction by Patricia Ingham. When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the North of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of loc... continue

46.

Comfort Me with Apples by Catrin Morgan EN

0 Ratings
Description:
Family saga set in south Wales in 1920s.

47.

Lily Among Thorns by Catrin Morgan EN

0 Ratings
Description:
At the end of the First World War, Lily Walters returns home to Abercarn, in South Wales. The strongest and most discerning member of her large family, most of whom live and work in the local mining community, Lily is determined to make the best of all that life has to offer. But when her love affair with a local doctor ends in heartache, she is less sure of her destiny. Lily's life begins to have meaning again when she meets a young mining deputy, and through him becomes involved in local politics. With the threat of wage cuts and tougher working hours, violent confrontations soon begin ... continue


49.

The Beholders by Hester Musson EN

0 Ratings
Description:
'Held me completely in its thrall until the very last line’ SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, bestselling author of Pandora SOME HOUSES ARE HAUNTED BY THE LIVING June, 1878. The body of a boy is pulled from the depths of the River Thames, suspected to be the beloved missing child of the widely admired Liberal MP Ralph Gethin. Four months earlier. Harriet is a young maid newly employed at Finton Hall. Fleeing the drudgery of an unwanted engagement in the small village where she grew up, Harriet is entranced by the grand country hall; she is entranced too by her glamorous mistress Clara Gethin, w... continue

50.

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy EN

Rating: 4.5 (2 votes)
Description:
**THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER (The Times), SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023** 'Like Sally Rooney mixed with a political thriller' RUSSELL KANE 'Intense, unflinchingly honest, it broke my heart a million times' MARIAN KEYES 'Absolutely loved it' MAX PORTER 'A beautiful, devastating novel' NICK HORNBY ------------------------- One by one, she undid each event, each decision, each choice. If Davy had remembered to put on a coat. If Seamie McGeown had not found himself alone on a dark street. If Michael Agnew had not walked through the door of the pub on a quiet night in February in his... continue

51.

George Silverman's Explanation by Charles Dickens EN

0 Ratings
Description:
"George Silverman's Explanation," published in instalments from January to March 1868, was one of the last pieces of fiction written by Charles Dickens, two years before his death. Silverman is born in a Preston cellar, and spends his early years locked in there, often left alone while his parents go out to seek work.