The Old Curiosity Shop.

From a shadowy shop crowded with curiosities, a child and her ruined grandfather set out onto the roads of England with a monster at their heels. Charles Dickens's The Old Curiosity Shop is a story of innocence adrift in a harsh and marvellous world.

What it's about

Little Nell lives devotedly with her grandfather, keeper of a strange old shop, until his desperate weakness plunges them into debt and flight. Hunted by the malevolent, capering dwarf Quilp and a cast of schemers, the pair wander through towns, industrial wastes and open country, encountering kindness and cruelty in turn, while friends left behind labour to find and save them.

Themes

Dickens sets childhood innocence against adult greed and predation, meditating on poverty, compassion and the redemptive power of goodness in a grasping age. Sentiment and grotesque comedy sit side by side, as only he could manage.

Why it still matters

The novel gripped its original readers like few others, and its blend of tenderness, satire and pure storytelling remains characteristic Dickens. Quilp endures as one of his most gleefully wicked creations.

Who it's for

Lovers of Dickens, richly peopled Victorian narratives, and stories of endurance and villainy will find this a memorable journey.