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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
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
This book has made me fall further in love with Dickens and his novels. What an expert writer. He’s going on my list of authors I would like to read everything he has written!
I very much liked that the first scene of the novel involves a woman - Lizzie Hexam - performing a task competently - rowing a boat. What’s more, her ability as a boat-woman becomes plot significant at the end of the novel, when she saves a drowning man.
Overall I quite enjoyed the novel. I think Dickens was at times his sharpest in excoriating certain figures, and I liked that there was a Jewish character portrayed sympathetically.
Overall I quite enjoyed the novel. I think Dickens was at times his sharpest in excoriating certain figures, and I liked that there was a Jewish character portrayed sympathetically.
“The whole life I place before myself is money, money, money, and what money can make of life”
A wealthy London miser’s will provides for the transfer of his entire estate to his estranged son, John Harmon, provided he returns to England and marries Miss Bella Wilfer, a young woman that the son has never met. (Come to that she has never met the son either). The son fails to appear, having apparently drowned in the Thames under questionable circumstances on his way home. Mr Harmon’s apparent murder makes the achievement of the marriage condition problematic and, subsequently per the conditions of the will, the entire estate devolves onto two former employees of the eccentric deceased, Mr and Mrs Boffin, a naïve, generous, light-hearted, outgoing couple.
If Dickens wrote tales filled with plots, situations, and characters that modern readers have collectively characterized as Dickensian, then OUR MUTUAL FRIEND has to qualify as the most Dickensian of all of his prodigious output. Every single character – whether comic, heroic, romantic, hapless, generous, or nasty - is brought to vivid life and brilliantly described at considerable length (well … what else? We are talking about Dickens here!) OUR MUTUAL FRIEND is a complex, blood-soaked tale that is filled with murder, fisticuffs, beatings, violence, extortion, double-crossing, and complex plot twists and turns. Along the way Dickens makes room to flex his satirical muscles and ruthlessly lampoons London high society, parliament, lawyers and general Victorian behavioural standards. Some of this is so effectively delivered that readers will almost certainly be brought to out loud laughter. In addition, particularly as the plot comes to a close, Dickens adds in some generosity, pure goodness, love and romance that almost falls over the edge into the realm of outrageous, saccharine melodrama.
Since the over-riding theme of OUR MUTUAL FRIEND was money and love of money as the proverbial root of all evil, I was led to mental comparison with another more modern classic that dealt with similar topics. If Charles Dickens and F Scott Fitzgerald could somehow manage to have a conversation on the themes of their novels, I’m sure that they would find considerable common ground in OUR MUTUAL FRIEND and THE GREAT GATSBY. When I reviewed THE GREAT GATSBY, I said, for example:
“The brim of the cup that is THE GREAT GATSBY runneth over with licentiousness, hypocrisy, greed, amorality, false friendship and weak-kneed love – in other words, a veritable cocktail of moral turpitude to sip or swill and digest while pondering its base flavours plus a variety of notes and subtle overtones.”
Dickens and Victorian England weren’t quite ready for open licentiousness in a novel, but, despite the vast societal differences between 19th century England and pre-depression USA, the remainder of the comment could serve as a pretty reasonable thematic summary for OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. Of course, moral turpitude is available at all levels of society but Dickens was pleased to reserve particularly biting satirical commentary in that regard for the vacuous, rather meaningless lives led by the privileged upper class, whether they had real money or were merely acting as if they did.
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND is a long, complex and, frankly, difficult read. But if you’re a Dickens fan, your reading life is not complete until you’ve read this one. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss
A wealthy London miser’s will provides for the transfer of his entire estate to his estranged son, John Harmon, provided he returns to England and marries Miss Bella Wilfer, a young woman that the son has never met. (Come to that she has never met the son either). The son fails to appear, having apparently drowned in the Thames under questionable circumstances on his way home. Mr Harmon’s apparent murder makes the achievement of the marriage condition problematic and, subsequently per the conditions of the will, the entire estate devolves onto two former employees of the eccentric deceased, Mr and Mrs Boffin, a naïve, generous, light-hearted, outgoing couple.
If Dickens wrote tales filled with plots, situations, and characters that modern readers have collectively characterized as Dickensian, then OUR MUTUAL FRIEND has to qualify as the most Dickensian of all of his prodigious output. Every single character – whether comic, heroic, romantic, hapless, generous, or nasty - is brought to vivid life and brilliantly described at considerable length (well … what else? We are talking about Dickens here!) OUR MUTUAL FRIEND is a complex, blood-soaked tale that is filled with murder, fisticuffs, beatings, violence, extortion, double-crossing, and complex plot twists and turns. Along the way Dickens makes room to flex his satirical muscles and ruthlessly lampoons London high society, parliament, lawyers and general Victorian behavioural standards. Some of this is so effectively delivered that readers will almost certainly be brought to out loud laughter. In addition, particularly as the plot comes to a close, Dickens adds in some generosity, pure goodness, love and romance that almost falls over the edge into the realm of outrageous, saccharine melodrama.
Since the over-riding theme of OUR MUTUAL FRIEND was money and love of money as the proverbial root of all evil, I was led to mental comparison with another more modern classic that dealt with similar topics. If Charles Dickens and F Scott Fitzgerald could somehow manage to have a conversation on the themes of their novels, I’m sure that they would find considerable common ground in OUR MUTUAL FRIEND and THE GREAT GATSBY. When I reviewed THE GREAT GATSBY, I said, for example:
“The brim of the cup that is THE GREAT GATSBY runneth over with licentiousness, hypocrisy, greed, amorality, false friendship and weak-kneed love – in other words, a veritable cocktail of moral turpitude to sip or swill and digest while pondering its base flavours plus a variety of notes and subtle overtones.”
Dickens and Victorian England weren’t quite ready for open licentiousness in a novel, but, despite the vast societal differences between 19th century England and pre-depression USA, the remainder of the comment could serve as a pretty reasonable thematic summary for OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. Of course, moral turpitude is available at all levels of society but Dickens was pleased to reserve particularly biting satirical commentary in that regard for the vacuous, rather meaningless lives led by the privileged upper class, whether they had real money or were merely acting as if they did.
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND is a long, complex and, frankly, difficult read. But if you’re a Dickens fan, your reading life is not complete until you’ve read this one. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I bought this book in 2003 after the recommendation of a friend. I know this because the receipt for the book purchase was still ensconced at the beginning of chapter 4, which is probably where I originally abandoned it. And it traveled with me--unread--when I moved to a different country, where it sat on a shelf taunting me that I'd yet to read it. Well, no more! I have finally finished this novel. And I did struggle to get through it again, but I was rescued by my library and the audiobook they had in the collection. Simon Vance, sir, you were an incredible man to spend ~31 hours of my life with. Thank you for helping me get through this book.
I have two degrees in literature--with a specialization in 19th English literature--and I've read very little of Charles Dickens' works. So I wasn't quite sure what to expect and whether or not this is a typical narrative style or something that is unique to this book. I definitely do not remember him being so funny. But this was a really hard book to get into. There's a cast of dozens of characters and Dickens like to spend time with each of them before returning back to the story. For example, Chapter 1 is about characters A, B and C. Chapter 2 introduced D, E, F and G, etc. And it isn't until Chapter 8 that you get a glimpse of A. And, well, it's hard to keep everyone straight initially and also get a foothold/interest in their story when they won't factor in again until Dickens' next cycle through.
But I was rewarded for sticking with it. Again, thank you, Simon Vance and Toronto Public Library! Because while I can't say I loved this story or these characters, I love the way Dickens is critiquing his world and the things Victorians--particularly Victorians with wealth and status--valued. And I also loved the way Dickens played with words and phrases. It's a really rich novel. So even though I didn't love it, I'm really glad I finally read it. Now it can go back to my shelf where it will mock me no more!
If this review was based solely on Simon Vance's performance it would get a full 5 stars. One of the best audiobooks I've listened to. Easily.
I have two degrees in literature--with a specialization in 19th English literature--and I've read very little of Charles Dickens' works. So I wasn't quite sure what to expect and whether or not this is a typical narrative style or something that is unique to this book. I definitely do not remember him being so funny. But this was a really hard book to get into. There's a cast of dozens of characters and Dickens like to spend time with each of them before returning back to the story. For example, Chapter 1 is about characters A, B and C. Chapter 2 introduced D, E, F and G, etc. And it isn't until Chapter 8 that you get a glimpse of A. And, well, it's hard to keep everyone straight initially and also get a foothold/interest in their story when they won't factor in again until Dickens' next cycle through.
But I was rewarded for sticking with it. Again, thank you, Simon Vance and Toronto Public Library! Because while I can't say I loved this story or these characters, I love the way Dickens is critiquing his world and the things Victorians--particularly Victorians with wealth and status--valued. And I also loved the way Dickens played with words and phrases. It's a really rich novel. So even though I didn't love it, I'm really glad I finally read it. Now it can go back to my shelf where it will mock me no more!
If this review was based solely on Simon Vance's performance it would get a full 5 stars. One of the best audiobooks I've listened to. Easily.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Every time I read a Dickens' novel I am a bit suffused with sadness ... he's long dead and not writing any more, so my stash of Dickens is eventually going to be entirely depleted (but maybe I can hold off reading "The Chimes," forever). So I think this book is tinged with melancholy, but that might just be me.
It's not my favourite, but really, it's Dickens, so it's almost 5 stars automatically. I've graded him on his own curve here, which isn't fair. My favourite, Bleak House, my least favourite, Hard Times, and this is far closer to the best than the worst. There's even a twist ending, of sorts. It's later, deeper Dickens, as opposed to the generally lighter earlier works. You'll like it, of course, but I wouldn't necessarily start here (I always think David Copperfield is the best starting point, even though it's not my favourite—enticing enough to alert you to the author's pleasures, but not so perfect as to ruin you for anything else by him).
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
It's not my favourite, but really, it's Dickens, so it's almost 5 stars automatically. I've graded him on his own curve here, which isn't fair. My favourite, Bleak House, my least favourite, Hard Times, and this is far closer to the best than the worst. There's even a twist ending, of sorts. It's later, deeper Dickens, as opposed to the generally lighter earlier works. You'll like it, of course, but I wouldn't necessarily start here (I always think David Copperfield is the best starting point, even though it's not my favourite—enticing enough to alert you to the author's pleasures, but not so perfect as to ruin you for anything else by him).
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
read this book for an upper div english class at a liberal arts college and oh boy it is such an upper div english class novel that would be taught at a liberal arts college
It was a foggy day in London, and the fog was heavy and dark. Animate London, with smarting eyes and irritated lungs, was blinking, wheezing, and choking; inanimate London was a sooty spectre, divided in purpose between being visible and invisible, and so being wholly neither. Gaslights flared in the shops with a haggard and unblest air, as knowing themselves to be night-creatures that had no business abroad under the sun; while the sun itself, when it was for a few moments dimly indicated through circling eddies of fog, showed as if it had gone out, and were collapsing flat and cold.
Reading a Dickens novel is like stepping into a bath that is already piping hot - even if you've read many of his other books before, it still takes a moment to adjust, to settle into the pace, and begin the process of memorising its large cast of characters as well as starting to work out the connections between each of the various plots. I completely understand why this puts people off and why some readers give up within the first hundred pages, but, regardless of how overwhelming all of that can be, I love his books so much.
Our Mutual Friend was Dickens' final completed novel and, knowing that, it really does feel like a crescendo that highlights all of his strengths, demonstrates his development and growth over the years, and it just feels like a perfect farewell to one of the greatest writers of all time. It features some of his finest characters such as Eugene Wrayburn, Lizzie Hexam, Bradley Headstone, and the Boffins, it is a balanced blend of dark grittiness and twinkling humour, and the story itself unfolds so beautifully and, even though there's so much going on, it didn't lose me for one minute - I was completely engaged from page one.
The social commentary in this book is especially sharp, even for a Dickens, and, while he can be scathing about the follies and vapidity of society, his work also exudes so much love for the human condition. I think that Dickens despaired with society many times and in many ways, but he never completely succumbed to absolute pessimism and cynicism - he saw the charm and the tragedy, the flaws and the beauty, and there is so much hope in his books.
While I don't think this one quite surpasses the brilliance of Bleak House or Little Dorrit for me, Our Mutual Friend is a masterpiece and a perfect final novel.
Reading a Dickens novel is like stepping into a bath that is already piping hot - even if you've read many of his other books before, it still takes a moment to adjust, to settle into the pace, and begin the process of memorising its large cast of characters as well as starting to work out the connections between each of the various plots. I completely understand why this puts people off and why some readers give up within the first hundred pages, but, regardless of how overwhelming all of that can be, I love his books so much.
Our Mutual Friend was Dickens' final completed novel and, knowing that, it really does feel like a crescendo that highlights all of his strengths, demonstrates his development and growth over the years, and it just feels like a perfect farewell to one of the greatest writers of all time. It features some of his finest characters such as Eugene Wrayburn, Lizzie Hexam, Bradley Headstone, and the Boffins, it is a balanced blend of dark grittiness and twinkling humour, and the story itself unfolds so beautifully and, even though there's so much going on, it didn't lose me for one minute - I was completely engaged from page one.
The social commentary in this book is especially sharp, even for a Dickens, and, while he can be scathing about the follies and vapidity of society, his work also exudes so much love for the human condition. I think that Dickens despaired with society many times and in many ways, but he never completely succumbed to absolute pessimism and cynicism - he saw the charm and the tragedy, the flaws and the beauty, and there is so much hope in his books.
While I don't think this one quite surpasses the brilliance of Bleak House or Little Dorrit for me, Our Mutual Friend is a masterpiece and a perfect final novel.
Loved the last half--could have done without the Veneering scenes that didn't seem central to the plot.