No Thoroughfare Book

A charming little find for a reader working her way through the works of Mr. Dickens. A bit of research would suggest that No Thoughfare was both the title of a play and its novelization. (Pre-Hollywood cleverness, apparently, since interest in one was likely to increase box office sales and visa versa.) Plus, it represents a collaboration between Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins in the last years of the former's life. It is a "must read" simply for the sake of trivia, but also as sheer entertainment.

It is a novel of high melodrama, mistaken identity (two adopted orphans of the same name, forged documents, frozen Alpine skirmishes, wills and fortunes, a cool clock-lock, and a spunky heroine. Fun stuff! You can see touches of both Collins and Dickens in the tale. Overall, a very delightful read.