Dombey and Son (version 2) by DICKENS, Charles

Dombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. The story concerns Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company of the books title, whose dream is to have a son to continue his business. The book begins when his son is born, and Dombeys wife dies shortly after giving birth. As with most of Dickens work, a number of socially significant themes are to be found in this book. In particular the book deals with the then-prevalent common practice of arranged marriages for financial gain. Other themes to be detected within this work include child cruelty (particularly in Dombeys treatment of Florence), familial relationships, and as ever in Dickens, betrayal and deceit and the consequences thereof. (Wikipedia)