Reviews - Our Mutual Friend:

428 reviews for:

Our Mutual Friend:

Charles Dickens

4.02 AVERAGE

emmabeckman's review against another edition

4.0

Read this book for class. Truly a behemoth.

rosielazar1's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

isobelline's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The psychological Dickens

Gods have heard my prayers, dear whoever reads this review. And after all the turmoil I finally managed to once again enjoy a Dickens novel! Hallelujah! It is a real miracle.

Our Mutual Friend is by far the most psychological of Dickens' novels and I am 100% here for it. I actually related to its characters, felt that I understand them and what they are going through. The female characters (almost) didn't make me want to bash my head into a wall (loved Bella Wilfer and especially Jenny Wren, but, by god, Lizzie Hexam is less interesting than a piece of toast)! Bradley Headstone was a particular highlight for me character-wise - he is incredibly sinister without being a moustache-twirling villain. He is so real! And that's why he's so terrifying! The subplot with the Lammles was also highly entertaining - I'd like to read an entire book about them and their exploits.

I guess I liked it much better than previous novels because it is far less didactic. However, one thing I didn't like was

the plot twist with Mr Boffin, when it turned out that he wasn't really corrupted by wealth he was just doing all of these things to test Bella and to make her understand that money isn't everything

. Like, what? That's insanely convoluted and highly unrealistic.

All in all, and I can't believe I'm finally saying this, I'm glad I read it! Wow! Too bad that it's the last novel that he finished. There's still Edwin Drood, though.

herdivineshadow's review against another edition

3.0

I have a problem with Dickens in that all of his work that I have read so far has been incredibly heavy-going. Our Mutual Friend was more of the same, although I did enjoy the story.

bookguyeric's review against another edition

5.0

This book contains several intertwined stories, as does the best of Dickens. And some of his best characters are here: Jenny Wren, the doll’s dressmaker, Eugene Wrayburn, the witty and indolent barrister, Bradley Headstone, the insanely jealous schoolmaster, and Simon Wegg, the one-legged blackmailer, to name a few.

The most interesting characters are the villains: Headstone, Wegg, the Lammles, Rogue Riderhood, and Fascination Fledgeby.

A positive portrayal of a Jewish man appears, Mr. Riah. Maybe Dickens felt bad about his creation of Fagin and wanted to balance the scales.

Nicodemus Boffin (the Golden Dustman) was also entertaining, but his turnaround at the end seemed unbelievable and unearned. Still, that wasn’t a deal-breaker. This book is still prime Dickens.

patsmith139's review against another edition

4.0

This won't overtake Bleak House or Great Expectations as my all-time favourite Dickens novels but still loved it. It's packed with more marvellous characters and a wonderful plot that builds slowly to a breathless climax that you don't want to leave until you are sure that the unpleasant characters have received their just desserts (which they do) and the good (and indeed the two characters who become greatly improved) receive their reward (which they do). I adored the last chapter which was a wonderful dig at the snobs and heartless social climbers that Dickens clearly came across on a frequent basis. In homage to that chapter I would like to shake Dickens metaphorically by the hand and tell him a job well done.

thoughton98's review against another edition

5.0

Dickens’ final fully-completed novel tells the story of the inheritance of a deceased man and the various characters affected by the money - and likewise those who wish to unscrupulously gain from the fortunes. The interwoven plots and subplots are intricate, with dozens of twists and turns, and a pantheon of brilliant characters (with Jenny Wren, Mr Headstone, Mrs Boffin, Mr Twemlow, Riah, Silas Wegg and Mr Venus being some of my favourites).

Something Dickens is often notorious for are his ‘coincidences’ that he writes into his narratives, and ‘Our Mutual Friend’ is filled with coincidences. However, this works well in this book and, as the title suggests, the links between the characters help to move the story forward at a fast pace. Likewise, the comedy and tragedy of the story are mixed perfectly together (more so than in many of his previous novels), and there are certain characters who end the novel uncertain if they are either an antagonist or a protagonist. Overall, a great book - hilarious and somber at times but, as usual, written vividly and fluently throughout.