From the brilliant mind that brought us The Invention of Murder and The Victorian House comes yet another example of what social historians are for. Managing to capture the very sounds and smell, and of course fog, of Victorian London, Flanders breaths new life into the term “Dickensian.” Why this period captures, irritates, and haunts us is given the full attention and wit of the author. The age of Victoria changed the world map, created the form of the novel and even challenged the understanding of what it meant to be human. From the street boy to the richest old lady, Flanders explores the lives of those living amongst this era of invention and power.