The Dickens Boy

Explore the captivating world of *The Dickens Boy*, a historical novel penned by the acclaimed author Tom Keneally, set in the vibrant backdrops of 19th-century Australia. This engaging narrative follows Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens—affectionately known as Plorn—who embarks on a transformative journey to the rugged outback of New South Wales. Sent by his father, the literary giant Charles Dickens, at the age of sixteen, Plorn carries with him the burden of a family secret: he has never read a single word of his father’s work. In a thrilling blend of historical fiction and rich Australian culture, Keneally masterfully weaves tales of cricket tournaments, horse-racing, and encounters with bushrangers, bringing a lively and authentic flavor to the colonial experience. Readers will be drawn into Plorn's adventures as he learns to navigate the challenges of becoming a gentleman stockman amidst a diverse cast of characters including colonists, ex-convicts, and first encounters with Australian women. This captivating book is not just a coming-of-age story but also an exploration of family legacy and identity. Don’t miss out on adding *The Dickens Boy* to your bookshelf—perfect for fans of historical fiction and those interested in Australia’s colorful past. Grab your copy today from Smartfox NZ and enjoy free shipping!
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781760893200
Format: B-format paperback
Year: 2021
Publisher: Penguin Australia Pty Ltd
Pages: 400


Description:
In this joyful novel, our narrator is Charles Dickens's tenth child, Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, known as Plorn. Sent, as his brother Alfred had been before him, at sixteen years of age, to Australia to learn to 'apply himself'. We follow his early Australian adventures in outback NSW learning to become a man from the most diverse and toughest of men.
Part of Dickens' motivation was to separate these younger of his children from the Dickens family schism, where Charles had expelled his wife from the family home, keeping her sister Georgie there to run the household and taking up with the actress Ellen Tiernan.
Plorn arrived in Melbourne in late 1868 carrying a terrible secret. He has never read a word of his father's work. After a very brief stopover he is sent out to become a gentleman stockman on a 2000 square mile station in remotest, semi-arid parts of NSW. Here he inevitably gets enmeshed with Paakantji, colonists, colonial-born, ex-convicts, ex-soldiers, and very few women.
Plorn did not expect he would encounter the same veneration of his father and familiarity with his work in Australia that was rampant in England. Against this backdrop, and featuring cricket tournaments, horse-racing, bushrangers, sheep droving, shifty stock and station agents, frontier wars and first encounters with Australian women we follow Plorn, and sometimes his brother Alfred, through wonderful adventures as he works to apply himself.
This is Tom Keneally in his most familiar terrain. Taking historical figures and events an

This product has FREE shipping however combined shipping for other products is not available with this item. Please allow up to 10 days for shipping