It’s quite a feat for an author’s novel to be described as “Dickensian.” After all, Charles Dickens was the greatest novelist of his time and is, perhaps, the most famous English writer after William Shakespeare. And for an author’s writing style to be compared to Dickens, it requires a host of literary flourishes. That includes (to name a few) creative word choice and sentence structure, use of humor and satire, and an ability to capture and critique the classes of society—all of which must be executed at the highest level.
Needless to say, it’s not easy. But when a novel achieves the high praise of “reading like Dickens,” you can bet it’s worth picking up and diving in. Which is why we’ve selected a collection of six books that do just that. So, once you’ve finished Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations, feel free to get started . . . just kidding.