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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I have a love/hate relationship with Dickens. He's always verbose and often sloppily sentimental, and I find most of his female characters trying, but there's something that keeps me reading. Our Mutual Friend is about identity, disguise, and concealment, which I mostly found interesting, but I hated a deception that's revealed at the end, because it simply plays into my dislike of Dickens' childlike-type women (one of whom is deliberately, lengthily deceived "for her own good"). However, that aside, I did mostly enjoy the book, certainly more than the last Dickens I read, [b:The Pickwick Papers|2187994|The Pickwick Papers Volume 2 (Large Print Edition)|Charles Dickens|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/6176hzEvfXL._SL75_.jpg|3315230]; I found one of the two romances quite a bit more appealing than the other, and I generally do like Dickens' settings and social concerns.
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I was surprised by how easy I found this to follow. Generally I find him a bit heavy-going but this was really quite painless. Right, now to pick out a nice fluffy read for the holidays!
Mostly, I’m just over here daydreaming about just how much I would have loved this book if I didn’t have to hurtle through it like a maniac. I think a reread of this novel will mostly certainly bump it up to five stars. A meticulously, almost dizzyingly hyper-networked novel - with 17 characters (16.5 of whom are men) to keep track of with suspiciously similar names and various extra names/extra identities. The extra star was for Jenny Wren, the dolls’ dress-maker (and also for Lizzie Hexam and Bella Wilfer). *sighs*
Loved the last half--could have done without the Veneering scenes that didn't seem central to the plot.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
This book is one of the best Dicken's books, in my opinion, the cast is as diverse as it could be, with characters having jobs and features very diverse and creative, the writing is beautiful with the capacity to transport the reading to every location. As the descriptions are extensive, the reading can be slow, but it's worth it.
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
This took me a while to read from start to finish, I began in June 2019 and finished 02 02 2020 (granted I was reading other books concurrently). My copy weighed in at a hefty 777 pages. It is the first book where I have had both the paperback copy and a Kindle version. I read a lot when I am travelling the city (Tbilisi, not smoky old London) and the paperback seemed a bit bulky to lug around. Aside from the issue of weight, the paperback (Wordsworth Classics Edition) is preferable as it includes notes and some charming illustrations absent in the free Kindle version I have.
Despite my leisurely pace, I loved dipping in and out of the book far more than I imagine Bradley Headstone and certain other characters enjoyed their dip into old father Thames. It is a complex work with many characters. Well worth a read.
Despite my leisurely pace, I loved dipping in and out of the book far more than I imagine Bradley Headstone and certain other characters enjoyed their dip into old father Thames. It is a complex work with many characters. Well worth a read.
I first read this as part of a Victorian Lit class is college, and it became one of my favorite books. It's Dickens at his very Dickens-est--tightly knit plot, vast web of interconnected characters, sweeping or sarcastic or poignent comments on the human condition. Centered around the will of old Harmon, a miserly old grouch, and the people it touches in one way or the other, everything gets thrown out of whack and then set back right in a neat, satisfying ending.
What makes a Dickens book for me is the characters, and here we have some of his best. I could fill a review just describing them. From sweet, brave, selfless Lizzie to petulant but good-hearted Bella; from the conniving Wegg and the evil Riderhood to the dear Boffins and the shiny bran-new Veneerings, all are expertly drawn and filled out. To anyone daunted at the length, soldier on. It's worth it.
What makes a Dickens book for me is the characters, and here we have some of his best. I could fill a review just describing them. From sweet, brave, selfless Lizzie to petulant but good-hearted Bella; from the conniving Wegg and the evil Riderhood to the dear Boffins and the shiny bran-new Veneerings, all are expertly drawn and filled out. To anyone daunted at the length, soldier on. It's worth it.