A Christmas Carol

The character of Ebenezer Scrooge has become an archetype of the merciless miser. He was a man quite content with utter disregard for the welfare of those around him. A smile, a warm greeting or a kind word were all incomprehensible to old Scrooge.

A Christmas Carol is a parable, a tale of a journey towards transformation a reformation of beliefs, and long practised ways of viewing the world and all within it. This timeless classic is also a story of miracles and magic, a homage to the human spirit.

Great Expectations

Young, orphaned Philip Pirrip - known lovingly as Pip - lives with his borderline abusive elder sister, who also doubles as a flawed mother figure. Narrated in the first person by Pip, Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is a story of ambition and opportunities.

Despite being relegated by birth to lowly circumstances, Pip dreams big. One day, luck seems to turn in his favour, and Pip's prospects start to look up. But the young boy has many hard lessons to learn as he grows up, and ambition, it would seem, could come at the cost of things much more precious in life.

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities is a remarkable work of historical fiction set in the period prior to and during the French Revolution.

The story follows the Manette family and their friends from the peaceful lanes of London to the epicentre of the Reign of Terror and its cries of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death. A haunting narrative with uncomfortable glimpses into the oppressive world of the poor. Yet, it is also a tale of hope, love, courage, sacrifice, and redemption.

Hard Times

Following the lives of its unforgettable characters — master of fact, Thomas Gradgrind, heartless and perverse Bounderby, tragic Louisa, fanciful Sissy, honourable Stephen, selfish Tom, and the pesky Mrs. Sparsit — the narrative bemoans the extermination of imagination, curiosity, and enjoyment, the dehumanisation and suffering of workers, and the spread of rampant greed and dishonesty.

Placed in juxtaposition to this portrayal of the times is the entertaining Sleary's Circus Troupe, the only glimmer of a yearning for joie de vivre.

Oliver Twist

Charles Dicken's famous classic Oliver Twist is the tale of the eponymous hero - an orphaned boy whose life is beset by adversities and trials. Set in the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution, the book captures the gritty realities of 19h-century England. Dickens pulls you into the harsh lives of children attempting to survive in a world consumed by greed and cruelty.

Oliver Twist stands firm as the unblemished protagonist and the moral heart of the story, proving that love and kindness exist even in the darkest corners of the world.

Sku: 9789391348069