I had often wondered at the completeness of John Foster's "Life of Charles Dickens" (1874) -- especially about Charles Dickens' affirs. It appears from that reputable author that his chief interest was to give us more of his working life rather than his private life.

In "Georgina Hogarth and the Dickens Circle", for the first time we seem to find a complete picture of Dickens' life. Not only is the author interested in giving us a biography of one of the dedicated 19th century woman, but in the process reveals to us the character of one of the greatest English novelists.

This book covers Dickens' private life from where Foster leaves it in chapter four of his book: From the time of his courtship to the time of his death.

In fact, most of any curious reader's enquiries would be answered: How did Dickens fare in his marriage? What was the cause of his breakup with Kate? What was the response?

This book covers this from the angle of Georgina Hogarth: a woman who is presented as one who sacrificed her youth to dedicate her energies to keeping Dickens' house. Georgina's life sounds more like one of the complicated plots in Dickens' novel where a character sacrifices part of his or her self to please others.

This brings to mind a character such as Agnes Wickfield in "David Copperfield" and Carton in "A Tale of Two Cities".

From 1842 to 1870, Georgina's life becomes part of Dickens' private life. In fact, Georgina directs all her life's energies to promoting the interests of Dickens even after his death.

The book is divided into two main Parts: the First Part covers the period 1833 to 1870 -- Dickens' literary lifespan -- and the second Part covers 1870-1917, the remainder of Goergina's life.

If you ever wish to understand all about Dickens, this book is for you: backed by references to other literary works and correspondences with her lifetime friend, Ann Fields, this book is a must for any Dickens fan. Rather than a descriptive epistolary you get in Foster's book, or a cover-up attempt done by Georgina and Mammie in "The Letters of Charles Dickens", this biography is complete. You learn about what took place after Dickens' death; the way Dickens' children behaved later on.