It is rare in Dickens that I am aware that he was paid by the word....but this one reminded me. Its storylines are uncharacteristically diffuse --to the point where it feels as if he's abandoned them. And, as in "A Christmas Carol," I found the spiritual transformation of one of the central characters contrived. However, there are searing and all-too-realistic portraits of emotional abuse here, brutal even for Dickens; compared to the victimised children in this book, his orphans were fortunate. As a parent, I found this an excellent how-NOT-to guide.