Girl in a Blue Dress: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles Dickens

Written by Gaynor Arnold

Narrated by Jennifer M. Dixon

Girl in a Blue Dress opens on the day of Alfred's funeral. Dorothea is not among the throngs in attendance when The One and Only is laid to rest. Her mourning must take place within the walls of her modest apartment, a parting gift from Alfred as he ushered her out of their shared home and his life more than a decade earlier. Even her own children, save her outspoken daughter Kitty, are not there to offer her comfort-they were poisoned against her when Alfred publicly declared her an unfit wife and mother. Though she refuses to don the proper mourning attire, Dodo cannot bring herself to demonize her late husband, something that comes all too easily to Kitty.

Instead, she reflects on their time together: their clandestine and passionate courtship, when he was a force of nature and she a willing follower; and the salad days of their marriage, before too many children sapped her vitality and his interest. She uncovers the frighteningly hypnotic power of the celebrity author she married. Now liberated from his hold on her, Dodo finds the courage to face her adult children, the sister who betrayed her, and the charming actress who claimed her husband's love and left her heart aching.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Feb 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977373168

Gaynor Arnold

Gaynor Arnold was born in Wales, but now lives in Birmingham. Her 2008 debut novel Girl in a Blue Dress (based on the marriage of Charles Dickens) was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Orange Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize; and shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize. It was published worldwide and translated into several languages. Gaynor's short story collection Lying Together, partly based on her experiences as a social worker, came out in 2011 and was longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize. Her second novel, After Such Kindness (exploring the relationship between Lewis Carroll and his child-muse Alice) was published in 2012. Gaynor has also co-edited The Sea in Birmingham with Julia Bell.

Reviews for Girl in a Blue Dress

[micahmom2002 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

fictional novel based on the life and marraige of Charles Dickens. Interesting read, but did drag on in some places and was left a bit unsatisfied with the ending.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having the names changed seemed unnecessary. Sure she changed things, but it is historical FICTION, not history. She changed the names because she didn't want to attribute things to Charles Dickens he didn't say, but didn't have that problem with Queen Victoria. Love at 1st sight ok, but love at 1st sound? Dodo hears his laugh and unseen everything changes. Good grief, that was a bit much.She changed the funeral into a public spectral.. But Dickens funeral was small and private - so his mistress could attend.I enjoyed it when she brought in other characters and we saw the view points of the children and mistress.The ending kind of left things hanging.

[mikalina_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

As I progressed with my reading the feeling that overtook me is a feeling I seldom am in contact with - so seldom it took awhile to recognize it: I was bored. That took me by surprise. How could a book about Charles Dickens be boring? Girl in a blue dress is fictionalization of Charles Dickens life, the story mostly told as seen through his wife´s eyes. Where did I get bored? Did I ever believe in Gaynor´s melodrama? I did not. Too much 21th century context, and too little 19th century, it is so easy to get angry on behalf of the women´situation, in any era, even today most places in the world. But any man has the right to be judged by his peers; Dickens´ lived from 1812 to 1870, his peers where 19th century. I do not even think you can read Dickens´behavior towards his wife as his attitude towards womens´ rights - in the end of the day, he chose a woman as executor of his will. I believe I come closer to his dilemma by asking myself how long I would stay with a drug-abusing spouse, or whether I would remove my children from a drug abusing (how much laudanum did she take?) co-parent? And whether at the time I could not be present I would find it responsible to leave the care-taking to a sober capable aunt the children know? How a minor author (Dickens will still be a name when Gaynor is all but forgotten) dears doing the moral laundering on behalf of a great writer is beyond me. But I gained one important thing from reading this book; what it made me realize, is that when melodrama turns in on itself, does not carry a greater issue than laundering your underwear in public, it does not stir neither the greater feelings, nor engage intellectually. An insight that puts Dickens´ books in perspective: Their most important trait is not the melodrama; Dickens chose the most difficult form of melodrama as carrier for serious social critic - and succeeded (when I grew up loving Dickens´ books, they were dismissed by literary critics as nothing more than reader friendly melodramas.) Dickens could read his fellow beings and paint their characters precisely in a few strokes, in words that would be read with joy, relished and remembered. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, but it is only in the 20th century that scholars and critics have recognized him as the literary genius he is. By contrast, Gaynor chooses the form of melodrama as carrier of a portrait of a great author - making his most striking feature abusiveness. Do I believe she has captured his portrait through this dull repetitive story that "girl in a blue dress" is? The only thing I believe in is the vantage point; the story as seen through the eyes of a woman we know next to nothing about. What we see is not Mrs. Dickens, it is an opportunistic Gaynor who is longlisted for the Booker prize - by a book that will be forgotten - because neither opportunistic borrowing of a great name, being politically correct in the 21th century, being bound to your own prejudices, or to what is "in" in any century, is enough for a book to survive their time.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I will be completely honest and admit I knew next to nothing about Charles Dickens' private life prior to this novel and now I find myself intrigued by the relationship between him and his wife. This novel re-imagines Dickens and his wife as Alfred and Dorothea Gibson and focuses on Dorothea's remembrances of her husband as she recounts their story in the wake of his death. Well-written and very human, I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys Dickens' novels or historical fiction.

[japaul22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is subtitled " A novel inspired by the life and marriage of Charles Dickens". It is told from the point of view of Charles Dickens's wife and I suppose would be considered historical fiction. However, the author takes wide liberties with the "truth". She even changes the names of the characters, making the book about Alfred and Dorothea Gibson rather than Charles and Catherine Dickens. Of course this leaves me wondering through the whole book "did that really happen?".I hope not, because this is a horrifying picture of Charles Dickens and marriage in the 1800s. "Dorothea Gibson" marries "Alfred" at a young age - totally, blindly in love and unequipped to run a household or deal with her manic husband. She has 8 children in quick succession and loses two of them. Alfred is emotionally abusive and manipulative and ends up banishing Dorothea to a small, cramped apartment and separating her from her children while her sister remains in Alfred's house, running the home and raising the children. He takes up with a young actress while all the time publicly blaming his wife for the failure of their marriage.Dorothea obviously suffers from depression and exhaustion (probably post-partum depression) and Alfred is unable and unwilling to support her or consider what her body and mind have gone through in bearing him 8 children. There is a feminist aspect to this book, as Dorothea begins to come into her own after Alfred's death, but I didn't find it totally convincing.This book was long-listed for the Man Booker prize and the Orange prize. I found that a bit surprising since I thought a lot of the dialogue was pretty unsatisfying. In fact, I almost put down the book after the first chapter because I was so annoyed! But in the end, I became pretty absorbed in the story. I don't like what happened and I wish I could sort out fact from fiction more easily, but it was an interesting and engaging book to read. Because it's a quick read, I would say it's worth the time.

[deargreenplace · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is another of these books to come from a creative writing course - so many around at the moment, and often of dubious quality.Inspired by the life of Charles Dickens, the story is told from Alfred Gibson's wife's perspective. Dorothea, or Dodo, first meets Alfred at a young age, and is swept off her feet by his charm and unpredictable sense of fun (he actually comes across as really irritating and reminded me of Russell Brand). They marry, and in the following years, Alfred becomes a world-renowned author.But Dodo has been living alone in modest rented quarters for the last ten years and the book tells the story of how she came to be in this situation. Dodo is an absolute pain, to be honest. Vacuous and conceited and wilfully naive. I'm not a historian, but I thought that being plump was considered to be a sign of wealth and standing in Victorian society. Dodo is obsessed with her appearance and weight and it gets boring after a while. I couldn't find much sympathy for her at all.

[huntersun9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this fictionalized look at the Dickens' marriage. Dodo's gradual shift from timidity to relative strength made sense to me. Even thought they spent 10 years apart, Alfred's influence over Dodo's demeanor was still well in force; when he died, she was finally able to freely ferret out the truth of their life together without fear of his anger or interference. The children were also liberated from the fear of taking sides against their father if they should contact their mother. From what I've read about Dickens (admittedly little), he really was a troubled man, haunted by his poverty-stricken childhood, and he did treat his wife Catherine terribly. This novel made me want to learn more about them both.

[brianajae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought that, although this book is set in the past, the characters were all relatable and also developed well over the course of the book. This book makes me want to read a biography of Dickens, however, because I know very little about the man. This book is based on letters donated to a museum by his wife. He does not seem like the great man that he has been documented as in history books.

[mumineurope · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fictionalised account of Charles Dickens from perspective of wife. Really good.

[dubaireader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Charles Dickens. This is the fictionalised story of the lives of Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine, thinly disguised in the novel as Alfred and Dorothea Gibson. Of course I knew of Dickens and his literature but I had no idea that he was quite such a larger-than-life character and I think it was this fact that remained with me after I'd finished the book. Interestingly, the story is told from Catherine's (Dorothea's) point of view. She met and fell in love with Dickens while she was still very young and impressionable but she remained adoringly true to him throughout her life. He, on the other hand, was fickle and unfaithful, rejecting her so that she spent the last ten years of his life lonely and estranged. She was not even invited to the funeral or the reading of the will. The characters were wonderful, especially their daughter Kitty, and, of course 'The One and Only', Charles Dickens/Alfred Gibson. But also Dorothea's sisters, Alice and Sissy, who lived with the family, and Kitty's money-grabbing husband, Augustus. The clever use of capital letters for certain significant nouns also worked well, a device that can easily grate if abused. Although this book slows a bit in the middle, it was overall, a fascinating and entertaining read. Recommended .

[lman_45 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In regards to the expression: “no one knows what goes on behind closed doors” Ms Arnold has done a fine job expounding such in her debut novel Girl in a Blue Dress. Ostensibly ‘inspired’ by the personal life of Charles Dickens and, more pertinently, his wife Catherine, and though filled with entirely fictional characters and events, this supplies the foundation for the main interest in this tale for me, and most likely many other readers. And on the whole it works very well - at the least imparting a well-written, at times punchy, depiction of Victorian England and the mores of Dickensian times.This is the narrative of Dorothea Gibson: her romance, marriage and subsequent separation from Alfred Gibson – a successful and inexhaustible writer who achieved much renown and eminence in his lifetime. But as always with celebrity, there is often a disparity between the public and private persona – the latter (read family) habitually falling victim to the demands of the former! Beginning with the funeral of this luminary attended by throngs of His Public, yet to which his wife was not invited, his very death seems to act as a catalyst to this reclusive woman, unleashing a litany of memories and instigating a rash of actions considerably opposite to the last ten years of her existence. Dodo, at first, is thrust out of seclusion with a summons from the queen; but as she remembers, and thus recreates her past for the reader, she is emboldened to question, not only her actions, but that of her illustrious husband, her sisters and her many children - their life together, their family domesticity and the issues which tore their lives apart.Whether this fascinating chronicle reveals actualities of the Dickens family life, my ignorance cannot confirm nor deny. But I do believe the veracity of the era the author invokes; especially in regard to the status of men and women within the strictures of the society of those times. There are parts of this chronicle which mesmerise in their ability to recreate the Dickens quality: the tone, the wit, the satire amongst the deep inequality, so pertinently expressed in novels written by Charles Dickens. Ms Arnold has captured it sublimely! I adored the clever play of capital letters, used so appropriately and fittingly throughout the text. And yet, despite this being an enjoyable and sustainable read, I was most frustrated by all of the characters; in fact, at times, I felt a strong dislike – and though they played truly to their make-up I can’t help but wonder why Dodo could only find some backbone after her husband had died, in spite of ten years separation. Perhaps the point the author meant to engender! Plus the alacrity and success of Dodo’s reversal of circumstance also deflected from the overall credence of the story, to my mind.Quibbles aside, this book was an easy, entertaining interlude; and as a friend of mine commented: “I had no idea Dickens was such a character!” For someone with no prior notion, or education, this was eye-opening in its interpretation of a man who wrote so many masterpieces of literature, in which he debunked many facets of ‘civilised’ society, but seemingly did not adhere to these principles, in relation to his wife. With Girl in a Blue Dress Ms Arnold has indeed given a voice to Catherine Dickens; if somewhat imperfect in timbre at times – a voice nonetheless!(Feb 19, 2010)

[lindenstein · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I have read this year, I applaud the strong characters, the story that is simultaneously heartbreaking and endearing, and the well-crafted prose that make this book unforgettable. Gaynor Arnold does something that hasn't been done, giving a voice to a woman largely forgotten, who feared that she would be a mere footnote in the life of her husband, and gives her the chance to be her own person and tell her own story. All of the characters are believable, from the larger-than-life, charismatic Alfred Gibson (Charles Dickens) to his precocious children and his wife, who in her grief is both silent (publicly) and outspoken (privately).Arnold's fictionalized version of the story Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine seamlessly becomes the heart-breaking story Dorothea "Dodo" and Alfred Gibson. Written from the cast-off wife's perspective, Dodo draws the reader in from the very beginning of her story, one which is largely unrecognized by a Public that hangs on every word of her husband. Over the course of their lengthy and secretive courtship, Dodo kept every letter written to her by her future husband, and over the course of the ten years between her 'banishment' and Alfred's death, she continues to re-read the letters and relive the love as it was in the beginning. When Alfred dies, Dodo must cope with her deep loss yet again, as she is not welcome at the funeral; it is here that Arnold's narrative begins, immediately following Alfred's death.One of the most compelling aspects of the story is Arnold's strong characterizations. Dodo's hopeful love, her desperate attempts to keep her marriage alive, and the anguish she feels following the death of her one true love are all expressed in completely honest, believable and heartfelt. It is clear that Arnold spent much time painting the portrait of Dodo, but she did not neglect the important supporting characters, composed of her servant Mrs. Wilson, her loyal friend Mr. O'Rourke and her children, particularly her daughter Kitty. The mother-daughter relationship is as well-crafted as that between husband and wife, and much of the tension the between all the children and their mother expresses, from the first moment they interact, the underlying love that will ultimately cancel out all of the uncomfortability of the situation. Dodo's love, which persists even in the wake of scandal and heartbreak, champions the power of language and the ability to love someone unconditionally.

[samfsmith_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Subtitle: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles DickensThis is an outstanding novel, a fictional examination of Dickens marriage and affair. Even the names are changed, and, as the author says in her introduction, events are rearranged to suit her narrative. But that’s OK, in fact, it probably makes for a much better novel.What’s important is that it rings true and convincing, which is a testament to the author’s skill. After finishing the novel, we can believe that it happened this way, and that we have had a glimpse of the real Charles Dickens.It’s not a flattering look at his personal life. The novel begins with his death, the the protagonist is his estranged wife. Dickens kicked her out of his home, denying her access to her children, ten years before he died, so that he could carry on an affair with an actress young enough to be his daughter. They didn’t teach that in school when I was a kid – only recently have details emerged about Dickens personal life.The author creates a convincing world for her fictional author, his wife, and his mistress. Highly recommended.

[livrecache · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know little about Dickens' life, but I am reasonably familiar with his work, and the references were quite interesting. I thought the narrative, being a blend of past and present, worked well enough, but I'm always a tad sceptical about characters who can relate whole screeds of conversation, years after the event. But that's a minor point. It's inspired me to find out more about Dickens, the man.I am surprised that this book was long-listed for the Booker and the Orange prizes. It was an enjoyable read, but very light weight. Maybe Alfred being a caricature was an intentional device, because many of Dickens' own character are caricature like. I thought Dodo was a bit wet, really, although she did seem to come into her own once the One and Only was dead. And, yes, I found the Queen Victoria section to be quite gratuitous. Overall though, I was entertained by this book, and it well written, so that's a plus.

[swanroad · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the way this story is told, beginning with the death of the One and Only (the character modeled after Dickens) and flashing back to events in the marriage of Dorothea and Alfred Gibson that led to her estrangement from her husband and children. The narrator's character arc illuminates the Victorian world that keeps women in a very small box.

[dsc73277 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Following the death of Victorian literary superstar Alfred Gibson his estranged wife emerges from her lodgings for the first time in a decade to re-establish contact with her children and to challenge those who, in conjunction with her late husband, were she believes complicit in destroying her marriage and her reputation. In doing so she ends up quite sympathetic towards the sister who took her place running the family home and even to the young actress who became her husband's lover.The author makes it clear in an afterword that this novel is what it appears to be, a fictionalised account of the marriage of Charles Dickens. I think she deserves credit for choosing to change the names of her principle characters in order to let her imagination roam more freely. I have trouble with works of fiction that have real historical figures in central roles because it is never clear where the reality ends and the fiction starts. Gaynor Arnold achieves the best of both worlds by admitting that her characters are inspired by but not necessarily factual representations of Mr and Mrs Dickens.Arnold also deserves praise for her empathy with all the women in Gibson/Dickens life. She suggests that they were all victims of Victorian hypocrisy, who made the best they could of the situation in which they found themselves.Anyone interested in nineteenth century England, Victorian life and literature in general, or Dickens in particular, is likely to get something out of this book. The more I discover about Dickens and the women in his life, the lower he sinks in my estimation as a person, though not to the extent of putting me off re-reading my favourites among his masterpieces.Why only three stars, you may be thinking? Well, the problem is that whilst I started out enjoying this book, I did begin to get a little bored with it as it went on. Whilst I sympathised with the women, I didn't really like any of the characters of either gender. Whilst it isn't necessary to like characters in books, it does help if they capture our interest. To be fair this may not be the fault of the author. If you have read any of my other recent reviews you will have detected that I am a very tough reader to please at present. Ultimately "Girl in a Blue Dress" failed to provide the boost to my mood which I currently crave from my reading, but it came a lot closer to doing so than many other past contenders for the Booker Prize. At the time of writing no one has rated this book less than three stars and the average is four, so the collective thinking on this is very positive.

[lizzied_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Longlisted for both Man Booker and Orange Broadband prizes, this is Ms. Arnold's first novel. She has based the story told from the wife's point of view on the marriage of Charles and Catherine Dickens. While reading, I found my memories of the two Dickens biographies read some time ago interfering with my appreciation of this book as a novel. Now that I have finished, I find that understanding the Victorians is just as unlikely for me as it ever was. Dorothea "Dodo" Millar was exactly the young woman for Alfred Gibson to idealize when he first met her: pretty, modest, ready to worship him. His imagination imbued her with every positive quality, and he felt himself betrayed when she turned out to be spoiled, slow-witted, and prone to pregnancy after their marriage. Ms. Arnold clearly shows his disillusionment and her incomprehension as their marriage disintegrates with his increasing fame and their growing family. When, eventually, he allows himself to fall in love with a young woman again, he justifies his decision to separate his wife from her home and family. She goes and remains in seclusion until his death ten years later. Her reemergence into the world is never sufficiently motivated. She had never been content, but she had not stirred from her three rooms in those ten years until he died; she had not been in touch with any of her children; she had never tried to see her husband again. Over the course of the next few weeks, she has an audience with Queen Victoria, visits her own home and confronts her sister who had remained as housekeeper to the Gibson family, reunites with her children, visits the other woman, visits her husband's tomb, and after a vision, takes the first step in carving out a new life for herself. I just don't believe it. The fact that all of this actually happened more or less as Ms. Arnold presents it, hardly makes it more believable. So I'm left with a sense of an interesting story with deft characterization in part and with more questions raised than answered. I loved the picture of Alfred Gibson, full of life however reprehensible; I still don't understand Dodo.

[kasthu_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The thinly-disguised story of Catherine Dickens, wife of the famous author, is at the heart of this unpretentious, unassuming story.The celebrated author Alfred Gibbons has died, leaving England in mourning. His estranged wife, Dorothy (or “Dodo”) sits at home as the funeral and reading of the will take place. As she sits, she looks back on her twenty-year-plus marriage to “the One and Only,” and “The Great Original.” An invitation to visit Queen Victoria, as well to her sister Sissy and the actress Wilhelmina Rickets, leads to another series of reflections on her marriage. It’s a quiet novel, simple yet complicated in many ways. There’s not much action, certainly not in the present day, but there’s a certain gentleness of language that makes this book compellingly readable. Dodo, despite her shy, retiring ways, is a likeable heroine, strong in the ways a “typical” Victorian woman wasn’t supposed to be. In addition, I enjoyed the way the characters interacted with one another: Dodo’s daughter Kitty, the son-in-law who is obsessed with money; but most of all, Alfred Gibson himself: control freak, obsessed with keeping poverty at bay (even when he was in his most successful period), and eagerness to change the truth when it suits him. I get the feeling that Gibson isn’t supposed to be likeable, but he’s charismatic enough that the people around him tend to overlook his flaws. The only one who realizes who Gibson really was is, ironically, Dodo. To the modern reader, Victorian England is a strange place—all those customs regarding mourning are simply mind-boggling. Dorothy’s world is one that’s strictly defined by traditions and conventions, and Dodo’s story is that of a woman who isn’t afraid to bend the rules a bit. In all, an excellent novel, worthy of having been longlisted for the Booker Prize.