About the Book

The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in 1846. It’s the fourth of his five “Christmas Books”, coming after The Cricket on the Hearth, followed by The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain. The setting is an English village that stands on the site of a historic battle. Some characters refer to the battle as a metaphor for the struggles of life, hence the title. The story is basically divided into three parts. It bears some resemblance to The Cricket on the Hearth in two respects: it has a non-urban setting, and it involves a romantic twist. It is even less of a social novel than The Cricket. As is typical with Dickens, the ending is a happy one. This novel basically depicts the battles one faces in life and winning them. Unlike his other stories, this does not have any supernatural reference.