I undertook to read this book because an introduction to Mary Barton, the first novel of Mrs. Glaskell, mentioned this book as the first novel of Charles Kingsley and suggested it was worth reading. I cannot see how anyone could enjoy reading this awful book. The story it tells is really inane, I thought, tho I know one should make allowances for the period in which it was written. But we all know Dickens wrote in the same time period and his works still enthrall readers. I cannot imagine anyone being enthralled by this work. It does not help that Kingsley for entirely gratuituous reasons periodically snarls at what he calls "papists" with obvious bigotry. Towards the end there is a long chapter devoted to telling of a dream Alton Locke had, which I only was able to keep reading because I was determined to finish the book, since I seldom quit reading a book once I have decided, wisely or unwisely, to read it. Unless you are going to write a thesis or something on Kingsley you will be glad you did not decide to read this book.