For those who've enjoyed this BBC R4 Dickens parody, here it is - and more - in print.

It seems to me that Dickens' success as a public reader of his own works is evidence that he wrote as much to be heard as to be read: hence the excellent screen and radio adaptations; likewise, this radio piece succeeds as an adaptation into novel form.

The parody is mordant, but affectionate: a deep love (and knowledge) of the originals shines from every page.

More important, it's very funny. I enjoyed it; I think you will, too. ( )

I am a big fan of Radio 4 comedy Bleak Expectations - this book is a novelisation of the first series and, to me at least, it felt like a pretty close match. That is not a good thing.

The trouble is that the radio play has an absolutely stellar cast. The book has ... all these great lines which I'm not convinced work if you have no idea of how they are delivered.

The book is decent enough. It has footnotes, which are tremendously irritating if you are reading on Kindle as I was, and it's entertaining. If you are a fan of the radio show, this is a nice accompaniment. If you've never heard of it, I'd recommend looking it up.

A three star score indicates a book which did what I expected it to. Ultimately, this didn't offer enough for me to give it more than that. ( )