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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Well...I felt a bit Dickensian so indulged myself. What an enjoyable read.
Whereas all the writing advice seems to be ‘show don’t tell’ it seems Dickens did very well doing the exact opposite. A short sentence about being offered a box of assorted chocolates in other books is expanded in Dickens so that every chocolate is not only described but is given as a graphic, all senses experience. The taste, the smell, the feel of a strawberry cream wrapped in milk chocolate on the tongue, the gulp as it is swallowed, the sugar rush as the sweetness hits the bloodstream and then the sorrow of the empty place where the strawberry cream had been.... but the rising anticipation of the salted caramel truffle....and so on for every chocolate in the box. Not saying this happens in the book....I say this more as a way of seeing Dickens.
As with all Dickens books it is not just a read but a slow amble through the lives he creates and forever afterwards you realise that his characters walk the world still. No wait at an airport departure lounge can be boring as you watch people come and go and think how Dickens would describe them. Our Mutual Friend is a joy in this regard.
The story was bonkers, the people were bonkers but utterly enjoyable and very funny indeed.
‘...until there shall be written against my life, the two words with which I have closed this book:-THE END’
Whereas all the writing advice seems to be ‘show don’t tell’ it seems Dickens did very well doing the exact opposite. A short sentence about being offered a box of assorted chocolates in other books is expanded in Dickens so that every chocolate is not only described but is given as a graphic, all senses experience. The taste, the smell, the feel of a strawberry cream wrapped in milk chocolate on the tongue, the gulp as it is swallowed, the sugar rush as the sweetness hits the bloodstream and then the sorrow of the empty place where the strawberry cream had been.... but the rising anticipation of the salted caramel truffle....and so on for every chocolate in the box. Not saying this happens in the book....I say this more as a way of seeing Dickens.
As with all Dickens books it is not just a read but a slow amble through the lives he creates and forever afterwards you realise that his characters walk the world still. No wait at an airport departure lounge can be boring as you watch people come and go and think how Dickens would describe them. Our Mutual Friend is a joy in this regard.
The story was bonkers, the people were bonkers but utterly enjoyable and very funny indeed.
‘...until there shall be written against my life, the two words with which I have closed this book:-THE END’
Not Dickens' best. Loved Jenny Wren. Felt there was an about-face with Bella and Lizzie - they were not what they appeared at first, but that may have been gaps in my readings.
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the better Dickens Novels! I live for Bella’s sass now :)
Forget whatever you remember about not liking Dickens 20 years ago. This is the one to read. So funny, so savagely satirical about the wealthy, such varied, interesting, and alive characters. If this were a soap opera I would be its most loyal watcher. (Also, if this were a soap opera, there must be 5 season or more of material here.) Dickens has so many great lines in this book, you could make a whole normal-sized novel out of them.
Primarily a story about the problems of wealth and poverty — and in particular, the way the wealthy create the problems of the poor — Our Mutual Friend has more intertwining stories than it knows what to do with, but you will love many of the characters enough to remember them when the focus goes elsewhere for 50 pages.
Primarily a story about the problems of wealth and poverty — and in particular, the way the wealthy create the problems of the poor — Our Mutual Friend has more intertwining stories than it knows what to do with, but you will love many of the characters enough to remember them when the focus goes elsewhere for 50 pages.
My favourite Dickens so far. This is a romp of a read, at times truly moving and at others genuinely funny, (ha ha).
It has a lot to say about societal ills and about human virtues. There are characters to love, and some to fear, along with many to despise. In the construction, there are lots of parallels and deliberate but subtle reinforcements that are a joy to recognise and which make this a very literary read, alongside the page-turning narrative.
It has a lot to say about societal ills and about human virtues. There are characters to love, and some to fear, along with many to despise. In the construction, there are lots of parallels and deliberate but subtle reinforcements that are a joy to recognise and which make this a very literary read, alongside the page-turning narrative.
Read for the Olympic Games Readathon. Team Hades: Bonus Challenge - Sword & Shield: A book featuring a character whom you would not get along with.
Our Mutual Friend has some good story lines and memorable characters but it could stand to be abridged and it wouldn't lose anything. The beginning is ponderous. The ending seems abrupt after reading so long. There's some genuine humor and wit. One senses a bit of wistfulness on Dickens' part concerning father-daughter relations (I believe he and his eldest daughter had something of a falling out) and there are the usual over-dramatic death scenes. Still well worth reading.