British Novelist Charles Reade was an English novelist and dramatist of the Victorian era. He is best known for his novel, The Cloister and the Hearth, which was published in 1861. He also wrote a number of plays, including It Is Never Too Late to Mend and Masks and Faces. Reade was a prolific writer, producing over forty works during his lifetime. He was a strong advocate for social reform, and his works often addressed issues such as poverty, injustice, and the plight of the working class. Reade's works remain popular today, and he is remembered as one of the most influential British novelists of the 19th century.