The Old Curiosity Shop [with Biographical Introduction]

First published as a weekly serial in 1841, "The Old Curiosity Shop" is a novel that details the life of a young orphaned girl named Nell Trent. She lives with her loving grandfather in his London curiosity shop, until a gamble for wealth forces them to leave for the English countryside, penniless. After their departure, they are sought by both friends who wish to help them and cruel men with harmful designs. The pair of beggars ultimately experience the extremes of human loyalty and villainy in their state of abject poverty. Although one of his lesser known works, Dickens artfully displays a cast of diverse characters in a tale that captivates readers to its tragic conclusion.