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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
"Our Mutual Friend" is a beautifully written work that, as many of Dickens' works do, take on the topic of class differences. Love and money are two other leading themes of the book, and even though it certainly differs from Dickens' usual kind of writing, it is, in my opinion, one of his best works.
Dickens explores greed and how money and deception can affect people differently in a way that has you hooked on every line to see what comes next.
The book explores two different depictions of love and between the passionate writing and the depiction of a near perfectly made villain, "Our Mutual Friend" is a delightful read that comes close to "David Copperfield" in excellency.
Dickens explores greed and how money and deception can affect people differently in a way that has you hooked on every line to see what comes next.
The book explores two different depictions of love and between the passionate writing and the depiction of a near perfectly made villain, "Our Mutual Friend" is a delightful read that comes close to "David Copperfield" in excellency.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
This is not my first Dicken's book but I can assure you I won't be reading anymore. I understand that Dicken's was paid per word so I can forgive him for being a boring windbag but this books was not enjoyable for me at all. It was apparently humourous but I did not find the humor in it. I recall enjoying Oliver Twist but that was one of Dicken's shorter books. I think the man is a great writer but find it a shame that he dragged almost every single on of his novels out. This book, including a few others I have read by him would have been better off if it was cut in half.
4.5
“This reminds me, Godmother, to ask you a serious question. You are as wise as wise can be (having been brought up by the fairies), and you can tell me this: Is it better to have had a good thing and lost it, or never to have had it?”
At first look, Our Mutual Friend seems to be a brick of a Victorian novel where the themes of family life, marriage, class and money will be treated in a strong fashion. This is correct and yet this description doesn’t even scratch the surface of this amazing book.
Dickens offers us in this last novel of his a veritable fairy tale with more mysteries and secrets than could be believed, and focuses particularly on social mobility, greed, avarice and obsessive passion, while adding elements of Beauty and Beast and Little Red Riding Hood. Naturally, the cast is wide and colourful, full of fascinating protagonists with undisputably dickensian names and attributes: the pretentious Veneerings, Silas Wegg and his wooden leg, the taxidermist Mr Venus, the kind Jew Mr Riah, etc. The female characters are especially noteworthy in this instance, not just two-dimensional or secondary but fully portrayed, Jenny Wren being the most memorable and likeable. Comparisons and contrasts abound, from the superficial world of the nouveau riche to the poor river-dwellers, with the Thames, the one constant, meandering through the setting and indeed the lives of all the protagonists.
Dickens is brilliant at painting the society he lived in, criticising it while entertaining his public. This story is at the same time dark and violent, comical and full of ridicule, suspenseful and thrilling, and even touching in its representation of love. This is a long book and yes it could have been shorter but it is still a great novel worth of the extra time.
“This reminds me, Godmother, to ask you a serious question. You are as wise as wise can be (having been brought up by the fairies), and you can tell me this: Is it better to have had a good thing and lost it, or never to have had it?”
At first look, Our Mutual Friend seems to be a brick of a Victorian novel where the themes of family life, marriage, class and money will be treated in a strong fashion. This is correct and yet this description doesn’t even scratch the surface of this amazing book.
Dickens offers us in this last novel of his a veritable fairy tale with more mysteries and secrets than could be believed, and focuses particularly on social mobility, greed, avarice and obsessive passion, while adding elements of Beauty and Beast and Little Red Riding Hood. Naturally, the cast is wide and colourful, full of fascinating protagonists with undisputably dickensian names and attributes: the pretentious Veneerings, Silas Wegg and his wooden leg, the taxidermist Mr Venus, the kind Jew Mr Riah, etc. The female characters are especially noteworthy in this instance, not just two-dimensional or secondary but fully portrayed, Jenny Wren being the most memorable and likeable. Comparisons and contrasts abound, from the superficial world of the nouveau riche to the poor river-dwellers, with the Thames, the one constant, meandering through the setting and indeed the lives of all the protagonists.
Dickens is brilliant at painting the society he lived in, criticising it while entertaining his public. This story is at the same time dark and violent, comical and full of ridicule, suspenseful and thrilling, and even touching in its representation of love. This is a long book and yes it could have been shorter but it is still a great novel worth of the extra time.
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A painfully long yet very charming read.
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.15★
this was extremely difficult to read, and i wouldn't exactly say i got bored but disinterested. charles dickens writes very well and very much, but unfortunately, i think having to read this with a deadline and in just a few weeks takes away a lot of its intent. either way i'm looking forward for our discussion in class tomorrow!
i only cared for a couple of the subplots, so having to deal with a lot of stuff that i wasn't interested in didn't motivate me a lot while reading this
this was extremely difficult to read, and i wouldn't exactly say i got bored but disinterested. charles dickens writes very well and very much, but unfortunately, i think having to read this with a deadline and in just a few weeks takes away a lot of its intent. either way i'm looking forward for our discussion in class tomorrow!
i only cared for a couple of the subplots, so having to deal with a lot of stuff that i wasn't interested in didn't motivate me a lot while reading this
«L'uomo di Nonsodove ci interessa tutti moltissimo», osserva Veneering, e i quattro Cuscinetti, facendosi coraggio gridano tutti in coro:
«Profondamente!»
«Appassionatamente!»
«Drammaticamente!»
«Profondamente!»
«Appassionatamente!»
«Drammaticamente!»
It’s not that i didn’t like it, i just didn’t enjoy having to read it
Really well woven together, if the ending was very abrupt and disappointing.