The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby's father dies unexpectedly after losing all of his money in a poor investment. Nicholas, his mother, and his younger sister, Kate, are forced to give up their comfortable lifestyle in Devonshire and travel to London to seek the aid of their only relative, Nicholas's uncle, Ralph Nickleby. Ralph, a cold-hearted businessman, is reluctant to help his relations and has an immediate dislike of Nicholas, perhaps because he reminds him of his dead brother. Nicholas has secured a position, many miles distant, as an assistant to the cruel Wackford Squeers, master of Dotheboys Hall, a school for boys in Yorkshire. Kate meanwhile is apprenticed to the milliner, Madame Mantalini. Melodrama, humour, and tragedy abound as the narrative switches between the changing fortunes of the noble-hearted brother and sister as they come to terms with life so very different from their Devonshire upbringing. A wonderful cast of villains, friends, and foes people the various locations and numero