Stark nearly unrelenting Dickens tale of businessman par excellence. Dombey exemplifies the "modern" man of business whose devotion to work and denial of self are so starkly modern to render the ironic quotes superfluous. Dombey, and son, and daughter, and wives first and second, pay dearly for this misdirected devotion until very near the very-nearly bitter end of the 900+ page novel (published serially in the original).

Even (one might says especially) the "comic relief" characters in this book are strong, direct, and conscious of the faults of Dombey and the world he represents. Dombey himself is unrelievedly unlikable at best, and strongly detestable throughout, with little to be hoped or pitied in his private or public character.

Dickens writes here with a passion that snaps off the page in some of the strongest scenes he ever put to paper.

And yes, as the edition introduction points out, despite the title, this is a mostly domestic novel. But its assumption of the supremacy of "business" in Dombey's life, and the rough-shod journey over (literally) the neighborhoods of London and environments, place this novel in a more modern milieu than most Dickens novels, which might have been set and written anytime after the Middle Ages.

I got what I wanted in timely fashion. I expect that of Amazon purchases.

Dombey and Son is a long novel dealing with Mr. Dombey an affluent merchant who has a family in crisis. Dombey's first
wife dies giving birth to little Paul who dies early in chapter 16 in a moving and symbolic deathbed scene. His daughter Florence is shunned by her father but is loved by Walter Gay a sailor employed by her father's firm. Colorful characters populate the many pages of this classic: Captain Cuttle and Sol Gillis who befriend Florence; the evil Mr. Carker and many others who appear in the lives of the Dombeys.
This novel written in 1846 is more thematic, well plotted and serious than many of Dickens earlier works. Dickens had a cinematic imagination; the tale of Mr. Carker's flight is riveting. While not my favorite of the master's works this is a
great book with great characters and story. Well worth the time
to read it and absorb its lessons regarding pride and the need for love and beauty in the human soul.

I just finished reading this gargantuan tome today after two weeks of diligent reading. It is second only to "David Copperfield" in my opinion. It is easy to be intimidated by a book this size (almost 1000 pages) but you must give this one a try! If you adore books that revolve around family dysfunction, this one is perfect for you. It's got characters you will love to hate and it is replete with genuine mysteries. If you have read "Oliver Twist," you will be glad to know that this story's good characters are a little less flat and boring.

As with Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones," there will be a few lulls here and there. In a story of this magnitude, it is hard to avoid...but there are not many. This is truly an enjoyable read. Be sure to get a copy that contains drawings by "Phiz"-- they really add to the overall story.