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turrean 's review for:
Our Mutual Friend
by Charles Dickens
Dickens was a master storyteller, so I apologize to his shade for the 4⭐️ rating. But I dislike the fairy tale ending. The story ends exactly as "King Grisly Beard" does, with the spoiled shrewish girl learning respect for her husband through adversity and hard work. (The husband, already perfectly moral and manly, has nothing to learn. A little symmetry here might have been nice. I ground my teeth over Mary Graham's loyalty to the feckless Martin, too. Couldn't both partners have something to learn? I can't think of a Dickens example of both partners needing to learn and change, except perhaps Dick Swiveller & the Marchioness.)
Bella is one of the few Dickens heroines you could remotely describe as "spunky," and the author is careful to make sure she's a grateful little bright-eyed adoring angel-of-the-house by the end. I know, I know...my favorite, Esther Summerson, is even sweeter and more self-sacrificing than Bella becomes. But I think the world of Bleak House is wider, deeper, more dangerous and bitter, and ultimately more satisfying, than the world of Our Mutual Friend. Bella's life, with her handsome, adoring husband, her adorable healthy baby, her 150 pounds a year, and her little furnished cottage was already a pretty damn satisfying complete life. Adding in untold wealth was just the icing on the cake. Esther SUFFERED.
I will add, though...this is my third? fourth? complete reading of the book, and I'm pleasantly surprised each time to discover that Dickens does not excuse Bradley Headstone's obsessive behavior. Even in the year 2016, stalkers and abusers are so often excused. "She was so beautiful." "He was so in love with her, you can see why he did what he did." Good on you, Mr. Dickens.
Bella is one of the few Dickens heroines you could remotely describe as "spunky," and the author is careful to make sure she's a grateful little bright-eyed adoring angel-of-the-house by the end. I know, I know...my favorite, Esther Summerson, is even sweeter and more self-sacrificing than Bella becomes. But I think the world of Bleak House is wider, deeper, more dangerous and bitter, and ultimately more satisfying, than the world of Our Mutual Friend. Bella's life, with her handsome, adoring husband, her adorable healthy baby, her 150 pounds a year, and her little furnished cottage was already a pretty damn satisfying complete life. Adding in untold wealth was just the icing on the cake. Esther SUFFERED.
I will add, though...this is my third? fourth? complete reading of the book, and I'm pleasantly surprised each time to discover that Dickens does not excuse Bradley Headstone's obsessive behavior. Even in the year 2016, stalkers and abusers are so often excused. "She was so beautiful." "He was so in love with her, you can see why he did what he did." Good on you, Mr. Dickens.