This was a fascinating biography of Charles Dickens daughter Katey or Kate Perugini Nee Dickens It also gives the reader a different insight into the famous author Charles Dickens himself and it was surprising to read about his treatment towards his wife and many of his sons and siblings His daughters were his favorites and they went against society of the time by taking his side against their mother something which Kate regretted in later life She was a complex woman of real artistic talent who was obviously deeply affected by the relationship difficulties between her parents Not a particularly likeable person but very fascinating and it was interesting to read about all the famous actors writers artists etc that she was acquainted as well as reading about the tumultuous times in which she lived Recommended if you are interested in Charles Dickens in general and his family and in the Victorian era Dickens s Artistic Daughter Katey Her Life.

Loves u0026 Impact I couldn t put this book down I have read several books about Dickens and his circle and his family but this gave me the greatest amount of what I wanted to know What was this overdriven man the most famous Englishman of his time like to live with What was it like to be his child And so much about the difficulties of being a woman in those times and the precarious financial situation of anyone who lost their means to live there were no social support services I fell in love with Katey and am amazed at how beautifully Lucinda Hawksley brought her to vivid life The first biographies I read about Dickens himself depressed me because he did in one day what I do in two weeks or a month and I always felt like a kind of sloth after reading about that high energy level I so loved Katey that I hoped she would not leave life like any mortal I wanted to be able to climb the steep stairs of her London home and visit herebut I was nearly a hundred years too late Reading this book was the next best thing Such a beautifully written book A perfect absolute treasure Dickens s Artistic Daughter Katey Her Life Loves u0026 Impact Lucinda Hawksley s Dickens s Artistic Daughter Katey is a welcome addition to the growing number of books that look beyond the many fine biographies of Charles Dickens himself For example biographies such as Claire Tomalin s The Invisible Woman and Lillian Nayder s The Other Dickens A Life of Catherine Hogarth have offered us other lenses from which to view Charles Dickens Hawksley s biography gives the reader a very fascinating and insightful look into Charles Dickens s favourite daughter You will also get another angle of insight into Charles Dickens Katey Dickens like all his children were raised in the household of the greatest novelist of the Victorian Age This biography reveals in much detail the life of such a child Dickens himself was a perfectionist and his feelings towards his children swung from adoring them to deploring their lack of success Katey Dickens knew best how to navigate with and around her famous father She maintained her love for him but at the same time strove to find her own place in society. Artistic by nature she gravitated towards painting Her first husband was the brother of Wilkie Collins a great friend of Dickens and author Charlie Collins turned out to be less than a suitable husband and Kate found herself functioning as much as a nursemaid as she did a wife When Charlie Collins died Katey married Carlo Perugini another artist and a man closely attuned to her own interests. What fascinated me most about this biography was the vast cast of characters that Katey associated with befriended and welcomed into her sphere of life She was a model for and very close friend of the great Victorian artist John Millais befriended William Thackeray s daughters and became a good friend in her later life of George Bernard Shaw and JM Barrie She was very well travelled and respected by all who met her As her artistic talents faded because of her failing eyesight Katey began writing poetry. This biography is a wonderful view into the life and times of a privileged Victorian woman who broke the early mold of how a young woman should conduct herself Being the daughter of Charles Dickens was both an asset and a liability and this biography traces with both accuracy and insight how she became than simply a daughter of Dickens. If I have one complaint it is that the text does not reference much of the researched material in detail A thorough bibliography does exist in the book but I found myself at times reading a letter or other source of material in the text and wanted to know the source No luck if a reader wants to know the specific place where much of the letterpress comes from exactly. That said I would encourage all those who enjoy Dickens to read this biography of his daughter She was a fascinating woman in her own right Dickens s Artistic Daughter Katey Her Life Loves u0026 Impact I m a true fan of all things Charles Dickens This book captured me for the entire Christmas vacation The author is a direct descendant of Dickens which made my appreciation significant I am thankful to have been given this book as a gift for my personal collection Dickens s Artistic Daughter Katey Her Life Loves u0026 Impact

Dickens's Artistic Daughter Katey: Her Life, Loves \u0026 Impact By Lucinda Hawksley

152671230X

9781526712301

English

304

Paperback

Katey Dickens was born into a house of turbulent celebrity and grew up surrounded by fascinating famous and infamous people From a very young age she knew her vocation was to be an artist Lucinda Hawksley charts the life of a celebrated portrait painter who redefines our preconceptions about Victorian women Living to be almost ninety Katey survived an unconventional marriage love affairs heartbreak depression and the challenges of being a female artist in a male dominated era Compelling and illuminating Katey tells the story of a spirited woman who found fame at the centre of the first celebrity phenomenon it also uncovers the reality of what it was like to be a child of Charles and Catherine Dickens This biography of Katey celebrating her artistic prestige which saw her compared to Millais is long overdue The details of her fascinating life await rediscovery Dickens s Artistic Daughter Katey Her Life Loves u0026 ImpactLucinda Hawksley is a British biographer author and lecturer She is the great great great granddaughter of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine Hawksley is an award winning travel writer.She also writes under the name Lucinda Dickens Hawksley..