Night Walks
by Charlotte Reads Classics
Tis the season, and I am exhausted. But jolly. I love this time of year, even though work is absolute chaos. I’ve wrapped all my presents and turned the heating up. I’m still loving reading Middlemarch, slowly, and am just about to finish book three.
Whilst battling the crowds and stealing precious quiet moments away to myself, I fancied something light. You might think Dickens doesn’t quite fit this category, but this is a little book from the Penguin Great Ideas series.
Night Walks describes Dickens’ suffering as an insomniac, instead of sleeping he goes out walking the streets of London until the small hours.
The restlessness of a great city, and the way in which it tumbles and tosses before it can get to sleep, formed one of the first entertainments offered to the contemplation of us houseless persons.
I love this essay as a document of times been and gone. Anything that lets us glimpse into human life, the unseen every day, is completely fascinating. Must read The Diary of Samuel Pepys next year.
Charlotte Reads Classics 
I am DEFINITELY going to get this! 🙂 Glad you blogged about it!
It’s a little gem! Obviously, because it’s Dickens you can really imagine the London streets.
Keep meaning to read this and forgetting it – thanks for the reminder! 🙂
You’re welcome, I haven’t read a Dickens in ages and this is a good one to get back into his books with.
Thank you. I had no idea this book existed, but I loved the night walk at the start of The Old Curiosity Shop, so I am definitely going to track down a copy,
This sounds very interesting, and I absolutely love the cover. So pretty!
I’d never heard of this, but it sounds quite interesting. Must look into…