New Grub Street by George Gissing

If you like mysteries, there are two series by Anne Perry. One features William Monk, a detective who has lost his memory, and a nurse who worked in the Crimea with Florence Nightingale.

The other is Charlotte and William Pitt who solve murders in Vic. London.

Yes, do try Gissing.

My English prof specialized in Victorian literature, and she considered Middlemarch by George Eliot to be its pinnacle.

Not sure just what you are looking for but my two favorites are Vanity Fair or Forsyte Saga, but they are probably of more interest to females than males...?

One of my favorite works by Dickens was Martin Chuzzlewit.

Pat

You could try Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White which is set in Victorian England. But it isn't exactly warm and fuzzy because there is nothing sentimental about it. There is poverty and misery which is what you'd expect since it is about being a prostitute in that era. And of course there is sex, but it's not erotic, rather sordid. I really enjoyed the book for its descriptions and authentic feel, but if you want to get in the "Christmas Spirit," skip it.

If you like fantasy you might enjoy Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. There are some past threads here about the book.

You could also try Anthony Trollope. The Warden is the first novel in the Barsetshire series. It's very short, so you wouldn't have to spend much time to see if you like his work.

Anne Perry, mentioned above, did four Christmas-time novels (short and easy and Victorian)
A Christmas Journey, A Christmas Visitor,
A Christmas Guest and A Christmas Secret

I love THE WOMAN IN WHITE by Wilkie Collins, and reread it often. Also BLEAK HOUSE by Dickens is wonderful. Both these novels were dramatized on PBS, too.

Brenda

Not to bump this up, but thanks for all the recommendations. I'll be hitting the bookstore in the morning.
Peace

OH YES - GEORGE GISSING! Be warned though, that he is not a "Mr. Happy-Ending" like Dickens. This is not a spoiler, but rather just a slight warning that Gissing is much more a realist than Dickens. While New Grub Street is definitely the first Gissing to read, some other great ones are:

The Unclassed
The Odd Women
The Whirpool
Born in Exile

Other great Victorian reading:
Pere Goriot - Honore de Balzac
Nana and L'Assomoir - Emile Zola
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Alienist - Caleb Carr (set in Victorian New York but written recently)
The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins

Just a few thoughts. Let us know what you decide to read!
PAM

s-monk there are so many Victorian books, and I'm guessing you don't want faux V writers, to choose from; although some are rather heavy for our modern tastes and few have jolly themes or are out to 'improve' us, there are some good yarns among them.
Slightly pre-Victorian, how about Sir Walter Scott's 'Waverley' novels?
Thomas Hardy, George Meredith, Charles Kingsley, Rudyard Kipling, William Thackeray, Mrs Gaskill, George Eliot and the Brontes are all the obvious choices.

A useful site below details much of interest about the Victorian era.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Victorian Web

JANE EYRE was ahead of its time, quite Victorian in tone. There is a tremendous amount of faux Victorian fiction around, but IMO nothing quite beats the real thing. The various subdivisions of fiction that we know were more or less extant in that era as well. E. Nesbit's children's novels are extremely period (those pinafores!); a good deal of Frances Hodgson Burnett is available, somebody else has mentioned Sherlock Holmes, and for thrilling action you cannot beat H. Rider Haggard.

Brenda

your post specifies "Dickens-like setting"-do you want a book written during the Victorian era, or one set then? We could generate two entirely different lists.

Wow! Again thanks.
I went to Borders to search and came out with The Warden by Trollope and a Dickens collection. I looked for Gissing and they didn't have any. I looked at Middlemarch and just couldn't commit to such a large novel.

twobigdogs, I read The Alienist by Carr and loved it, even though I found it morbid.

ccrdmrbks, I guess I am looking for a little bit of both, but am leaning more toward the setting.

bumblebeez, I tried the Jonathan Strange novel, and just couldn't get into it, seemed too much like an adult Harry Potter.

Thanks a bunch.
What a great site with great members,
peace

Simple Monk,

One more title that you may enjoy:
Lady's Maid by Margaret Forster. This is the fictional inside scoop on what a maid's live was like as told by our narrator, the lady's maid to Elizabeth Barrett before and after she married Robert Browning. Forster is an admirable historian and the book is rich in details. Not to be missed.

And your welcome for the help... that's what we do here... share our interest and love of books with others because reading is such a solitary hobby, and there aren't many truly dedicated bibliophiles in the world. At least, not enough of them in my opinion. And in case I didn't say it before, welcome to RP. Hope you stick around.

PAM