Mrs. Dickens by Emily Howes

London, 1835. Nineteen-year-old Kate Hogarth falls in love with the young journalist Charles Dickens. In the early days of their marriage, Charles is infatuated with his bride and Kate delights in her new life, the balm to her husband's irrepressible spirit.

But as he finds fame as a novelist and the family rise through the ranks of Victorian society, Kate becomes increasingly aware of his frustration that real people cannot be manipulated as easily as his characters. Meanwhile, in the East End slums, a young orphan named Anne Brown has lost everything, but is determined to make her way in the world. A chance encounter with the Dickens family transports her to the heart of the household, opening up a world of privilege, travel and remarkable company.

SELECTED FOR THE BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB' Mrs Dickens has my whole heart . . .I was enthralled' Jennie Godfrey

Format:Hardback 448 pages
Publisher:Orion Publishing Co
Imprint:Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group
ISBN:9781399610834
Published:11 Jun 2026
Classifications:Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Historical fiction
Weight:672g