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benjfleck 's review for:
Our Mutual Friend
by Charles Dickens
Our Mutual Friend: Or, Where for art thou Editor?
Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend, or as I like to call it, the Neverending Story: Unabridged Version, was a neverending look into the lives of *millions (ok, ok, not millions, but it felt like millions) of characters in 18th century London. We've got: John Harmon, the Boffins, the Wilfers, the Hexams, the Lammles, the Veneerings, Mortimer Lightwood, Eugene Wrayburn, Mr. Riah, Bradley Headstone etc. etc. etc. on and on and on... Just when you think there aren't anymore characters, he throws MORE characters at you. It's quite insane.
On top of all the characters, the writing is repetitive and at times meandering and pointless. Someone's baby is described as "inexhaustible" at least twenty times in one chapter. You know what's inexhaustible? Describing a baby as inexhaustible over twenty dang times!
I couldn't keep up with characters and descriptions and the conversations. Look -- I get it. It's satire! He's making fun of the stupid rich people. The good guys are mostly the poor and innocent ones (not counting Wegg & Venus & Riderhood). It probably meant way more back then to the people who read it week to week. But for me, the "plot twist" was obvious from the beginning. Nothing was surprising or frankly interesting. It just kept slogging on and on and on...
The only thing I really learned is the importance of hiring an editor. A good editor -- one that can stop you from using the word "inexhaustible" over twenty times in the span of a few pages. One that can reduce your 900+ page book into an actually coherent and intriguing piece of literature.
P.S. I read this because Desmond on LOST kept a picture of his "constant" love Penny in its pages.. So, sorry to Desmond that I didn't like it. I feel like I disappointed you, brotha!
Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend, or as I like to call it, the Neverending Story: Unabridged Version, was a neverending look into the lives of *millions (ok, ok, not millions, but it felt like millions) of characters in 18th century London. We've got: John Harmon, the Boffins, the Wilfers, the Hexams, the Lammles, the Veneerings, Mortimer Lightwood, Eugene Wrayburn, Mr. Riah, Bradley Headstone etc. etc. etc. on and on and on... Just when you think there aren't anymore characters, he throws MORE characters at you. It's quite insane.
On top of all the characters, the writing is repetitive and at times meandering and pointless. Someone's baby is described as "inexhaustible" at least twenty times in one chapter. You know what's inexhaustible? Describing a baby as inexhaustible over twenty dang times!
I couldn't keep up with characters and descriptions and the conversations. Look -- I get it. It's satire! He's making fun of the stupid rich people. The good guys are mostly the poor and innocent ones (not counting Wegg & Venus & Riderhood). It probably meant way more back then to the people who read it week to week. But for me, the "plot twist" was obvious from the beginning. Nothing was surprising or frankly interesting. It just kept slogging on and on and on...
The only thing I really learned is the importance of hiring an editor. A good editor -- one that can stop you from using the word "inexhaustible" over twenty times in the span of a few pages. One that can reduce your 900+ page book into an actually coherent and intriguing piece of literature.
P.S. I read this because Desmond on LOST kept a picture of his "constant" love Penny in its pages.. So, sorry to Desmond that I didn't like it. I feel like I disappointed you, brotha!