Review Summaries

• Reviewers consistently praise Tomalin's meticulous detective work in piecing together scarce evidence, and her balanced portrayal of both Dickens and Ternan. Some found the detailed theatrical history tedious. Generally well regarded.

• The Victorian Web review affirms the work holds up well over two decades after publication. It praises the depiction of harsh economic and social realities facing Victorian actresses, and Tomalin's skillful use of conditional language while maintaining scholarly credibility. Highly regarded.

Reviews

• I greatly admire those biographies written by Claire Tomalin I ...

  I greatly admire those biographies written by Claire Tomalin I have read. I am not a Dickens fan although I have read all of his books - his women characters are so insipid but then this is how he probably felt about most of his "conquests". He strikes me as a charismatic monster far too full of himself.

• Very interesting

  Arrived quickly, the contents were useful for my studies

• The Frozen Deep.

  The invisible woman is the woman who, for the last thirteen years of Charles Dickens's life, was his secret obsession and intimate companion. Her name was Nelly Ternan; she was an actress, reared in a family history of performers but within a few years of meeting Dickens she left the stage and disappeared from public view. Although she reappeared, she was always liable to become invisible again, sometimes by her own choice, sometimes at the insistence who preferred to keep her out of sight. Her disappearance was considered essential for the protection of Dickens good name with a public that idolized him. It enabled him to continue in his role as the great upholder of family values. It also protected Nelly from scandal. So efficiently did Dickens and Nelly shield themselves that they managed to efface most of the traces of their association; she was able to reappear after his death as an entirely new person, constructing a background, history and even age to suit the requirements of the society she wished to enter. We move through this book in three parts of Nelly's life. A child actress, a hidden love and a respectable wife and mother which span the Victorian and Edwardian ages. In her lifetime no one asked Nelly for her memories, any more than they asked her sisters Fanny and Maria, both writers who had also known Dickens intimately. It was only after the First World War and Nelly's death that this part in Dickens life began to be discussed openly, though even then some denied the very possibility of the association. The Author Claire Tomalin looks at this story from her own point of view, but it does offer up some new perspective and surprises. What I loved most about this book, it reads like a Dickens novel, wonderful social history, part detective, many twist and turns involving lost and found diaries and inked-out letters, playbills, hidden bank accounts, railway networks, newspaper reports and disappearing babies. While on Nelly's side of the family, part of the journey is a history of actresses. We get a feel of what it was like to be an actress before an audience that simultaneously despised and desired you. Another interesting aspect was the way Dickens lived this part of his life in codes, to protect Nelly who was not so much asked but forced to live in a world of double identities and secret arrangements; or find herself as damaged goods with an uncertain future. Overall I love this book, it reminded me of the programme Who Do You Think You Are? Looking into our own family history and finding the emotional highs and lows, the element of surprise when discovering a secret, one that our great grandparents had tried to bury. The Invisible Woman is highly recommended, its entertaining reading and an account of a love affair that cast its shadow over two families and two generations, a century later, it remains a matter of dispute. Andrea Bowhill

• Fascinating Read! I Had only heard of this relationship before reading the Book. The Book REALLY details it!

  Nelly Ternan was a VERY interesting young woman. Born into a talented family of actors and actresses, she lived a very different life then most young middle class ladies did in Victorian England. Her family traveled frequently to play in various theaters throughout England. And because of this, the women of her family had much more freedom then the average female of that era. The downside of being an actress in Victorian England though was that acting as a profession was not always considered an acceptable vocation in polite English society. Of all the amazing women in Nelly's family, Nelly was considered the least talented as an actress. Her mother was an acting dynamo and her two sisters possessed a great deal of acting talent as well. But Nelly, despite attempting the profession too, never really made it as an actress. However, she was a lovely, well-read, intelligent young woman who delighted Charles Dickens after he met her while acting with her family in an amateur theatrical. Quite smitten with young Nelly, Dickens leaves his wife of many years to be with her. But he could never divorce his wife, so his relationship with Nelly, was one they could only carry out together behind closed doors, as Dickens was such a well known and beloved public figure in England. It is very probable (according to this author) that Nelly eventually became pregnant with Dickens child, but that she lost it. Their relationship lasted quite a few years, and he obviously loved Nelly, but could do nothing while his wife still lived, to make their relationship a legitimate one. Nelly really had to struggle emotionally with the difficulties of this. Dickens was much older then Nelly and died before her. After his death she went on to marry a man more her age and have a family with him, leaving the memory of Dickens behind. I enjoyed this book a lot and after reading it, watched the recent movie that was made based upon this book, and enjoyed that as well. A women's ability to choose a way of life for herself back then was so very limited, especially when involved with a man as famous as Charles Dickens. A big "THUMBS UP" for this book. Quite a fascinating read!

• A wonderful look at a Victorian icon

  Claire Tomalin writes a wonderful, human account, of both Dickens and Nelly Ternan and the Victorian age they lived in. Her attention to detail and easy writing style, enables the reader to look into an era and story we can all appreciate now, more fully. Most enjoyable.

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