Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5)
Genre: Classic Literature, Fiction, Satire

Book Review:
Charles Dickens' ''Martin Chuzzlewit'' is a sprawling, satirical masterpiece that, while perhaps less famous than ''Great Expectations'' or ''A Christmas Carol,'' stands as one of his most ambitious and bitingly funny works. At its heart, it is a blistering critique of selfishness and greed, a theme Dickens explores with characteristic verve and a cast of unforgettable grotesques.

The novel follows the fortunes of young Martin Chuzzlewit, who, suspected of inheriting the family vice of selfishness, is cast out by his wealthy grandfather. He falls under the tutelage of the hypocritical and oily Seth Pecksniff, one of Dickens' most perfectly repulsive creations. The story then splits, sending Martin on a disastrous and darkly comic journey to America—a section of the book famous for its scathing satire of American society—while back in England, we follow the gentle Tom Pinch and the irrepressible Mark Tapley.

With an insightful introduction by Simon Callow, this Vintage Classics edition brings the novel to life for a new generation. Though it is a long and densely plotted work, its energy never flags. Dickens populates his world with a rogue's gallery of memorable characters: the scheming Montague Tigg, the vicious Jonas Chuzzlewit, and the mysterious boarder at Mrs. Todgers's. ''Martin Chuzzlewit'' is a rich, rewarding, and often hilarious novel that confirms Dickens' genius for holding a mirror up to human nature in all its flawed and fascinating complexity.