A scathing and ultimately tragic social commentary as only Dickens could write them, Dombey and Son is a book I come back to time and time again. It seems to grow as I do and change as I do, yet never loses any of its impact. It's a shame to see how overlooked and under-appreciated it seems (at least to me) to be. A great segue from the Gradgrind portions of Hard Times. ( )

I read Dombey and Son in an "Edition de Luxe" three volume triple-decker printed in 1890, weighing in at 1300 pages, not including illustrations. Unlike most Dicken's editions, the font, spacing, margins and paper are normal size, making it easier to read, and revealing its true length. It can be found online (V.1, V.2, V.3) and part of a complete set called Dicken's Works (1890; 45 volumes). It is my new favorite Dickens online reading copy, the beautiful letterpress and thick handmade paper in limited edition would cost thousands of dollars to replicate today.

As for Dombey and Son, I was charmed as always by Dicken's characters, manners and scenery. The main characters of Paul Dombey (Jr and Sr), Florence and Walter are so real, so human, so powerful, that the secondary characters reveal themselves as fairy tale cartoon characters. The contrast between the main characters and supporting cast is too stark, like the ill-fated 1980's fad of mixing cartoon characters with live action film. Mr Cuttle, the old women, Mrs McStinger etc.. they are true Dickens, not the too-terribly-real Dombey's. But this is a minor point. In all a great novel, difficult to judge since some parts shine forth and others drag onward, but certainly wonderful reading overall for any Dickens fan. ( )

read g k chesterton's dickens. stephen leacock's dickens also excellent. ( )

As is the case with most later Dickens, the villains are fleshed out and interesting and have realistic motivations, and the hero/ines are the barest of virtuous outlines. Although I'll admit that Florence Dombey's actions are realistic, though not at all for the reasons Dickens put forward: he claims she is just a living saint, as beautiful women in Dickens always are, whereas I could see someone who had that kind of relationship to her father actually being like that -- going to great lengths to be liked by everybody because she desperately needs approval, and promptly marrying the only person who's ever been nice to her. Dickens accidentally gets the actions of self-loathing right, in the guise of Perfect Womanhood. God, that's depressing.

Among Dickens two or three best. ( )