Dombey and SonDombey and Son
Score Classic
What it's about
Set amid the bustle of Victorian England, it's the story of a powerful man whose coldhearted neglect of his family brings about his professional and personal downfall.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's a major Dickens novel about pride, money and family.
You'll love it if you liked
Little Dorrit
Bleak House
The Way We Live NowGood to know
It's long, with a big cast. Take it slowly.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller4 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #132 of the 260 young adult books we rank
- #584 of the 924 classics we rank
- #1862 of the 3,057 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Charles Dickens
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Quick answers
Is Dombey and Son worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #1,862 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 66.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Dombey and Son about?
Set amid the bustle of Victorian England, it's the story of a powerful man whose coldhearted neglect of his family brings about his professional and personal downfall.
How long does it take to read Dombey and Son?
About 24 hours (978 pages), or about 7 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Dombey and Son?
If you liked it, try Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, Bleak House by Charles Dickens or The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope.