Scan barcode
mark_b's review against another edition
4.5
Our Mutual Friend is a long read, originally published in monthly installments over a year and a half in 1864-1865. Many themes are present, but the dominant ones are money and social status. Money lenders, lawyers, inherited wealth, mistaken identity, marriage, the status of women, wills, and social etiquette are also prominent.
Many, many characters populate Our Mutual Friend. I cheated and consulted Wikipedia’s list of characters to avoid confusion.
A Jew, Riah, plays a role in the story. In Our Mutual Friend, he’s a sympathetic character, unlike the evil Fagin in Oliver Twist. I’m no Dickens scholar, so I can’t really say that Riah’s role in the story means anything significant about the author’s attitudes toward 19th century England’s Jewish population.
In an afterward Dickens acknowledges the apparent improbability of much of the plot, but he also writes that many of the individual elements are commonplace. That’s partly what makes Our Mutual Friend so readable. Highly recommended.
Many, many characters populate Our Mutual Friend. I cheated and consulted Wikipedia’s list of characters to avoid confusion.
A Jew, Riah, plays a role in the story. In Our Mutual Friend, he’s a sympathetic character, unlike the evil Fagin in Oliver Twist. I’m no Dickens scholar, so I can’t really say that Riah’s role in the story means anything significant about the author’s attitudes toward 19th century England’s Jewish population.
In an afterward Dickens acknowledges the apparent improbability of much of the plot, but he also writes that many of the individual elements are commonplace. That’s partly what makes Our Mutual Friend so readable. Highly recommended.
caffee's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-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
4.0
laur31's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
midgereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
A bunch of things in this book are confusing, but Bella and John’s story make the whole thing worth it. It only took Charles Dickens’s whole life to write a book full of amazing, girlboss women, but at least he did it. Easily his best book IMO. Would have liked to see more of Lizzie and Bella together, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Antisemitism, Murder, Death of parent, and Stalking
Minor: Ableism
bethriley's review against another edition
3.0
So, so, so long. Maybe the superfluous, though artfully written, rambling would have worked better in its initial release in installments over 19 months, but as a single book, it feels kind of like a filibuster in book form most of the time. Would recommend to Dickens lovers only.
vibeke_hiatt's review against another edition
3.0
It took 11 years, but I finally finished this book. If it had been written by Anthony Trollope, it might have taken me only two weeks. Dickens doesn't have Elizabeth Gaskell's or Anthony Trollope's way with words, but he does craft an interesting story. I remember enjoying this book when I started it, but for some reason I set it down a few years ago with only 100 pages left and didn't pick it back up again until this week. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with Great Expectations.
ratgirlreads's review against another edition
3.0
I wonder what Dickens would consider an appropriate method to employ to discover whether your husband or husband-to-be was the sort of person who would lie about his identity and involve your guardians in a complicated scheme to test your character, in case that sounds like an undesirable quality in a man to you.
adholmes3's review against another edition
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? Yes
5.0
igru23's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated