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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Lovely, lovely, lovely! I loved this book from beginning to end and read it faster than I thought I could.
I prefer Charles Dickens' longer books, those that are crammed with multiple characters, plots, subplots and settings, because it is like delving into a parallel but very real world that I can lose myself in completely. This one had memorable characters en core (Mr Eugene Wrayburn, I love you!), lots of subplots and incidents, and a mystery at its core. And, no boring, angelic, insipid heroines in this one. The candidate for that title, Lizzie Hexam, is actually quite cool and active, though sweet and kind.
I feel like hugging this book. It's more than 800 pages long, but it never lost my interest. On the contrary, Dickens kept throwing cliffhangers at me and indulged me with wonderful dialogues (Mr Eugene Wrayburn, I love you!), and dark, gloomy settings by the river. He invited me to dinner with the snobby London upperclass (henceforth known as Podsnappery), and into the dangerous, twisted mind of a creepy schoolmaster. And kudos to Dickens for portraying a good, sweet, kind and caring Jew and showing the hardships of a hardworking, kind, intelligent girl with crooked legs and a twisted back.
This is Dickens at his finest, and a must-read if you like Dickensian stories.
I prefer Charles Dickens' longer books, those that are crammed with multiple characters, plots, subplots and settings, because it is like delving into a parallel but very real world that I can lose myself in completely. This one had memorable characters en core (Mr Eugene Wrayburn, I love you!), lots of subplots and incidents, and a mystery at its core. And, no boring, angelic, insipid heroines in this one. The candidate for that title, Lizzie Hexam, is actually quite cool and active, though sweet and kind.
I feel like hugging this book. It's more than 800 pages long, but it never lost my interest. On the contrary, Dickens kept throwing cliffhangers at me and indulged me with wonderful dialogues (Mr Eugene Wrayburn, I love you!), and dark, gloomy settings by the river. He invited me to dinner with the snobby London upperclass (henceforth known as Podsnappery), and into the dangerous, twisted mind of a creepy schoolmaster. And kudos to Dickens for portraying a good, sweet, kind and caring Jew and showing the hardships of a hardworking, kind, intelligent girl with crooked legs and a twisted back.
This is Dickens at his finest, and a must-read if you like Dickensian stories.
My first ever classic
I feel it was a very odd choice for my first classic. many would have gone for a more obvious jane Austen or even Christmas carol from the same author. But nonetheless, I have enjoyed my journal immensely. While there were parts I felt that I was getting dragged along due to its descriptive nature that was needed for the serial fashion It was first published in there were parts that made me laugh so hard. For those who are scared of the classic fo attempt it with an audio book as you read it. i attempted it the same way and it allowed me to get over the different formating of words and sentences because the English back them is very different from the English we use to day
I feel it was a very odd choice for my first classic. many would have gone for a more obvious jane Austen or even Christmas carol from the same author. But nonetheless, I have enjoyed my journal immensely. While there were parts I felt that I was getting dragged along due to its descriptive nature that was needed for the serial fashion It was first published in there were parts that made me laugh so hard. For those who are scared of the classic fo attempt it with an audio book as you read it. i attempted it the same way and it allowed me to get over the different formating of words and sentences because the English back them is very different from the English we use to day
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
While this book was an absolute mammoth of a grind to get through, I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of the 900 pages. It had a full circle happy ending and Dickens does a marvellous job of tying up all of the loose ends in the final chapters, (some I had even forgotten were still loose!) I fell in love with the characters and the thematic morals throughout and am so very proud of myself for beginning a partnership with this book, if you have the time (and certainly the dedication) please read this novel.
Ranks up there with one of my favorite novels of Dickens - top three for sure! Why did it take me this long to read it? I'm slowly working my way through his major 15 novels; this is the 10th one I've read. I loved almost all but the last one I read, Hard Times. It was so bad that it's taken me the better part of a year to get back in the saddle and start reading Dickens again. I was worried that I'd read all the good novels and I could only expect unpleasant mediocrity from here on out. Whew, luckily I was mistaken. This book is great!
Like all Dickens I have read, Our Mutual Friend has a ridiculous amount of major characters. I've found the best way to deal with this is to read as much as you can in the first few sittings so you can meet the characters more quickly. It takes at least 200, maybe 300 pages, before everyone gets introduced and the story really starts moving along. If you are only reading 10 pages or so at a time then I think the plot will come across as confusing and disjointed. You've got to dive in!
There are a lot of amazing characters. It's hard to pick my favorites. I loved Mr Venus and his dark steampunky workroom filled with taxidermied animals and skulls and fetuses in jars. What the....I was not expecting that! The chapter describing where he worked was when I knew this was going to be a great book. It was so gothic and insane.
Jenny Wren is another stand out character. Years ago my father told me that Jenny Wren was one of his favorite Dickens characters. Dad died last fall and I'm sad that I can't call him up and discuss the book with him and have him go into more detail about what he thought of her. Jenny's sharpness and humor is a welcome relief from Lizzie Hexam, who has the role of the beautiful, kind, good, self-effacing etc. heroine that Dickens loves to include in his stories. Always young and beautiful and saintly. Snore. Luckily, there is always such a large cast of characters that the reader doesn't have to spend too long with a character that has no story arc but maintains a constant same goodness.
Mr & Mrs Alfred Lammle was another pair that were a delight to read about - a pair of grifters right out of a Jim Thompson noir novel. That scene when they discover each is not who the other seems to be is priceless(happens early on, not a spoiler!) I liked that Mrs Lammle's behaviors and personality were not constant but grew and developed. I kept wondering what she would do next.
Bradley Headstone, the creepy schoolteacher, is like the original incel. "I'm so nice, why don't you like me! Why do you have to date Chad? You're such a !" etc. I'm not sure Dickens realized just what a spooky character he was creating there. Every woman has met guys like this, who think that women are objects they deserve, rather than autonomous people with feelings. He only likes Lizzie because she is beautiful. Jeez, he doesn't even know her! She is a prize to be won, not a potential life partner.
I could go on & on, discussing the many great characters populating this book, but I'll refrain. Instead, I'll share some of my favorite funny lines from the book. Man, Dickens is so witty and clever. Such a pleasure to spend time with.
"It is one of the easiest achievements in life to offend your family when your family want to get rid of you."
"It was very remarkable that what Providence meant, was invariably what Mr Podsnap meant."
"It was the unfortunate destiny of Buffer to damage a cause by espousing it."
"She soon proved to be a baby of wonderful intelligence, evincing the strongest objection to her grandmother's society and being invariably seized with a painful acidity of the stomach when that dignified lady honored her with any attention."
Like all Dickens I have read, Our Mutual Friend has a ridiculous amount of major characters. I've found the best way to deal with this is to read as much as you can in the first few sittings so you can meet the characters more quickly. It takes at least 200, maybe 300 pages, before everyone gets introduced and the story really starts moving along. If you are only reading 10 pages or so at a time then I think the plot will come across as confusing and disjointed. You've got to dive in!
There are a lot of amazing characters. It's hard to pick my favorites. I loved Mr Venus and his dark steampunky workroom filled with taxidermied animals and skulls and fetuses in jars. What the....I was not expecting that! The chapter describing where he worked was when I knew this was going to be a great book. It was so gothic and insane.
Jenny Wren is another stand out character. Years ago my father told me that Jenny Wren was one of his favorite Dickens characters. Dad died last fall and I'm sad that I can't call him up and discuss the book with him and have him go into more detail about what he thought of her. Jenny's sharpness and humor is a welcome relief from Lizzie Hexam, who has the role of the beautiful, kind, good, self-effacing etc. heroine that Dickens loves to include in his stories. Always young and beautiful and saintly. Snore. Luckily, there is always such a large cast of characters that the reader doesn't have to spend too long with a character that has no story arc but maintains a constant same goodness.
Mr & Mrs Alfred Lammle was another pair that were a delight to read about - a pair of grifters right out of a Jim Thompson noir novel. That scene when they discover each is not who the other seems to be is priceless(happens early on, not a spoiler!) I liked that Mrs Lammle's behaviors and personality were not constant but grew and developed. I kept wondering what she would do next.
Bradley Headstone, the creepy schoolteacher, is like the original incel. "I'm so nice, why don't you like me! Why do you have to date Chad? You're such a !" etc. I'm not sure Dickens realized just what a spooky character he was creating there. Every woman has met guys like this, who think that women are objects they deserve, rather than autonomous people with feelings. He only likes Lizzie because she is beautiful. Jeez, he doesn't even know her! She is a prize to be won, not a potential life partner.
I could go on & on, discussing the many great characters populating this book, but I'll refrain. Instead, I'll share some of my favorite funny lines from the book. Man, Dickens is so witty and clever. Such a pleasure to spend time with.
"It is one of the easiest achievements in life to offend your family when your family want to get rid of you."
"It was very remarkable that what Providence meant, was invariably what Mr Podsnap meant."
"It was the unfortunate destiny of Buffer to damage a cause by espousing it."
"She soon proved to be a baby of wonderful intelligence, evincing the strongest objection to her grandmother's society and being invariably seized with a painful acidity of the stomach when that dignified lady honored her with any attention."
challenging
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
okay so technically i did not sit and read this 800 page novel of chaos and corruption. but i watched the way-to-long movie adaption so i feel like i get the gist.
WAY TOO MANY PLOTLINES!!!!
WAY TOO MANY PLOTLINES!!!!
I am really not a Dickens fan. He is far too long-winded, and it gets old. Fast. This book could have been completed with half the length.