Reviews

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

jeanne_i_d's review

5.0

In honor of Dickens 200th "birthday"', my sister has us reading "Our Mutual Friend" at the exact same pace it was originally published beginning in May of 1864, about 3 or 4 chapters per month. The only rule of the "Our Mutual Friend Club" .... no reading ahead.

maryconnors6's review

4.0

"No one is useless in this world," retorted the secretary, "who lightens the burden of it for any one else."

Our Mutual Friend is a slow paced mystery surrounding, John Harmon, a newly wealthy sailor found floating in the river. Decked out with an interesting and lovable cast of characters, OMF is filled with heartwarming and thought provoking moments, done as only Charles Dickens can do. I think it did help my comprehension that I had seen the mini series before reading.

It is quite slow though. Not Dombey and Son level, but you have been warned.

ronne's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

karfiddler's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

jovanafinlebrun's review against another edition

4.0

Het leest langzamer weg door oud taalgebruik en veel personages. Toch erg de moeite waard. Uiteraard krijg je een kijkje in het leven van toen, maar wel ook in de gedachtegang van Dickens. Hij is erg moraliserend, vooral naar de maatschappij toe. Ik hou hiervan, omdat er in die tijd veel was om iets op aan te merken te hebben. Maar hebben we dat eigenlijk vandaag de dag niet ook nog steeds en is het niet fijn als we daar van tijd tot tijd op aangesproken worden of in ieder geval gedwongen worden en weer eens over na te denken? En zijn dingen als geld, status, aanzien nog steeds niet erg belangrijk in onze maatschappij?
Terug naar Charles. In Onze wederzijdse vriend neemt hij ons mee naar Londen waar hij veel leuke karakters creëert. Sommige overduidelijk goed en ook een paar slechteriken. Maar eigenlijk ondergaan alle personages een ontwikkeling. Ze worden allemaal geconfronteerd met hun eigen gedrag en worden tijdens het verhaal voor een keuze gezet om een bepaalde kant te ontwikkelen. En zoals een dwarsdoorsnede van de maatschappij is, maakt niet iedereen daarin de juiste keuze. Maar Dickens is wel zo moralistisch dat hij de lezer confronteert met de eventuele uitkomst van de goede en slechte keuzes.

Ik heb lang over dit boek gedaan, maar ik ga wel absoluut meer lezen van Dickens.

anishachana's review

challenging emotional inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

tstuppy's review against another edition

3.0

This book was long, slow, and sometimes very boring. I appreciate the style and the way that Dickens weaves together his plot and characters, but I won’t rush for a reread.

eliathereader's review against another edition

4.0

Dickens seviyorsanız mutkaka okuyun. 100 sayfadan itibaren kitap çok güzel açılıyor. Unutulmaz karakterler ve çok güzel olaylar var elbette toplumsal göndermeler yönünden dolu bir roman.

cari1268's review

4.0

I became interested in this book after I watched the BBC movie a few years ago. I finally got around to reading it and I must admit that I was at first disappointed. Dickens spends a long time introducing characters and there are quite a few characters to be introduced! I actually set this book aside for a few months after I had only read 10%. However, I eventually persevered and I'm glad that I did. I loved the stories and the characters. There were truly some gems of characters. I loved the dolls' dressmaker, the cherub father, the Boffins, Mr. Rokesmith, and even the villains in the story were great fun. By the end of the story, I was disappointed no more. This was a good read!

bigd1711's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0