Jack Maggs

Peter Carey

A good page-turning story about a convict back in Victorian London from Australia. Seán didn't want to give away too much of the plot so he left his comments there, but recommended that we all read it.
Seán 8/2/98

I read this because Seán recommended it. It's great. I loved it because of all the Dickensian references. Jack Maggs is Magwitch, and Phelps is Pip from Great Expectations. Tobias Oates is Dickens himself. Tobias is the name of one of Pip's dead brothers. Oates wife is called Mary, the name of Dickens' adored sister in law. This is a version from Magwitch's point of view. The author does a great job of describing Victorian London with all its dirt and poverty and Maggs is a frightening and mysterious character. The book is more than a pastiche but it has sent me back to the original which is of course brilliant.
Doreen 17/5/98

Like Wide Sargasso Sea, a fantasy on a character from another novel. This book is about Dickens meeting a convict from Australia, from which developed Great Expectations. Gill was intrigued at how much the character of Dickens was brought into the story. It stands on its own even if you haven't read Dickens novel. It fantasises about unknown parts of Dickens' life, particularly about his sister-in-law.
Gill 5/12/99

By the same author

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