Mrs Dickens

Mrs Dickens has my whole heart. Will undoubtedly be one of my books of the year, with its unflinching portrait of a marriage unravelling, and the women who surround Charles Dickens. I was enthralled – Jennie Godfrey
How beloved Mrs Dickens would have felt had she known that, all these years later, Emily Howes would take such care in giving her a voice. I adored this book. Richly compelling and beautifully drawn, the understated elegance of Emily Howes’ writing offers a combination of warmth and stark insight that took my breath away – Florence Knapp
A beautiful, heartbreaking, immersive novel, which brings a woman’s silenced story back to vivid, irrepressible life. A story about the cost of male ambition, and the courage it takes for a woman to reclaim her own narrative. Howes’ distinctive voice is so warm, so relatable, so companionable; readers will fall in love with Kate, or “Mrs. Dickens” – Roisín O’Donnell
Mrs Dickens cements Emily Howes as a major new talent in historical fiction. Her reimagining of Catherine Dickens’ life is intensely moving and constantly surprising, delivering both a gripping, lingering love story and a devastating portrait of a marriage in strife. I hugely admire Emily’s ability to reach the heart of a woman forgotten by history, and give her back her voice. A marvellous achievement – Emma Stonex
Emily Howes has done a wonderful job of recreating the world of my great-great-great-grandmother, Catherine Dickens, a woman who has long deserved to be brought out from the shadow of her husband. In Mrs Dickens, Catherine gets to enjoy her own life at last! – Lucinda Hawksley
A genuine triumph. Emily Howes continues to astonish with her command of language and empathy – Amy Twigg
Powerful, tender and evocative, Mrs Dickens is a deeply thoughtful contribution to our understanding of the life of Catherine Dickens. Emily Howes writes with great skill, plucking at the truth without flinching and exploring topics that are as relevant today as they were in the 1800s, from the manipulation of women by the men they love, to the ill treatment of mothers in society. She captures the complexities of their famous marriage, and the harsh realities of being married to a genius, with such depth … An impressive follow-up to her brilliant debut The Painter’s Daughters, Emily Howes is a class act. I will be recommending to everyone! – Harriet Constable
Incredible … it really blew me away. Emily Howes’ writing is beautiful and her characters are so fully realised, complex and compelling. I loved it – Caroline Lea
I loved Mrs Dickens; I couldn’t put it down. A powerful and compelling portrait of a marriage, it made me question many of my previous assumptions about Charles Dickens. Part love story, part horror story, Mrs Dickens kept me gripped until the final pages – Flora Carr
I know it’s only February, but Mrs Dickens is already a serious contender for my Book of the Year. Huge applause to Emily Howes for bringing pitch-perfect storytelling and a profound understanding of human frailty to this devastating account of a doomed marriage. Every character is beautifully observed, from Mr Dickens’ hubris and hypocrisy to his wife’s nerve-shredding passivity. In Victorian England, a woman who lost her husband’s love stood to lose everything, and nowhere, I think, has the vulnerability and heartbreak of that situation been so poignantly described as here. I hope the whole world is paying attention - I think we’re witnessing the emergence of a very great writer. And one final point; I suspect I will never read a Dickens novel again without snarling – Annie Garthwaite
I loved Mrs Dickens; I couldn’t put it down. A powerful and compelling portrait of a marriage, it made me question many of my previous assumptions about Charles Dickens. Part love story, part horror story, Mrs Dickens kept me gripped until the final pages – Flora Carr
I adored this book … a devastating and utterly compelling account of a marriage, from romance to the slow-burn of abuse with its wounds that never heal … The truth of these characters leaps off the page. A triumph of a novel – Lori Inglis Hall
How can you hope to tell your truth when you’re up against the greatest fiction-writer of the nineteenth century? Mrs Dickens rescues the novelist’s despised wife from the margins of her husband’s story and makes her the heroine of her own – Helena Kelly
The story Emily Howes tells in this impressive, involving novel is not an unfamiliar one but the tale is nearly always told through his eyes. Howes has brought Kate Dickens out of the shadows into which history and her husband cast her, and given her a fresh burst of attention * The Times *
There’s such tenderness in Howes’ portrayal of Catherine Hogarth … Heartfelt and heartbreaking, Howes gives voice to Kate’s ‘splintered’ story … Trusted servant Anne describes her tainted connection with Dickens and friendship with Kate to moving effect * Daily Mail *
Charting their early romance and the harder realities of their decades-long marriage, during which they had ten children, this is a fascinating look at a woman forgotten by history and how she found her voice * Good Housekeeping *
Richly drawn, the story illuminates the sacrifices, joys and turbulent challenges behind a celebrated public life * Woman and Home *
Mrs Dickens tells the story of Charles Dickens’ beleaguered bride, Kate. She bore ten children, travelled around the world with her husband, and still couldn’t live up to the Victorian ideal of the Angel in the Home. Soon, their family is unravelling in a way that seems, well, Dickensian. Reimagining the life of a woman lost to history, this is a book just begging for screen rights * Tatler, The 14 Buzziest Books of 2026 *
Told through the eyes of both Kate and Anne, an orphan who finds herself thrust into the midst of the Dickens’ family’s orbit, Mrs Dickens is every bit as compelling as Emily Howes’ debut, The Painter’s Daughters … Howes excels at giving voice to women silenced by history. I can’t wait to see whose cause she takes up next – Sam Baker * The Shift *
A captivating and deeply moving novel about one of history’s invisible women … One of the books I have loved most passionately in 2026 so far … it moved me to tears … Mrs Dickens will remind you of the pleasure there is to be had from a good book * Crib Notes *
I absolutely loved this clever, moving novel about a long marriage to a complex, much vaunted man … Tender, furious, beautiful and informative. Not to be missed! – Adele Parks * Platinum *
Howes draws us right into the household to live out the best of marriages, the worst of marriages * Saga *
Beautifully written and absorbing to the last. One longs for Kate to find reparation but the real pulse of the book is the fascinating, flawed genius of one of Britain’s greatest figures * Country Life *
Remarkably well-imagined, compelling and intimate … a beautiful, absorbing read, in which Kate’s survival becomes a cause for joy * Church Times *

Emily Howes is the award-winning author of The Painter’s Daughters. She has worked as a storyteller, theatre maker, performer, writer, and director in stage, television, and radio. In addition to writing fiction, Emily has a Masters in Existential Psychotherapy and works as a psychotherapist in private practice. She lives in London with her children.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.