Barnaby Rudge

Charles Dickens

Perhaps Charles Dickens’s least-read novel, Barnaby Rudge is currently my favorite. Rudge was the first time Dickens had put in the time before he started publishing to cement his story, its themes, and its characters. His book prior to this one—The Old Curiosity Shop—especially showed the signs of the author making it up as he wrote. (His novels were r…