Our Mutual Friend > Likes and Comments

This is an April 2026 Buddy Read thread to discuss Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

I've started (I'm only about 50 pages in) and I love it already! I haven't read Dickens for a couple of years, and he just tickles me! Can't wait to get further into it :)

I started this novel a little while back and am roughly around page 80 in ( this ebook is numbered in ' locations ' , rather than in pages . About 10 locations is = one page ) , Book 1, chapter 5 . I , too , am reading Dickens after a long time , and for the first time on Goodreads. I am loving the way C.Dickens is introducing the characters. Sometimes he uses such dry humor while describing a character, you just have to laugh out loud 👌😄 !
Quite a number of characters are being introduced one after another, so I've resorted to making a list so that it will be easier to remember as the story progresses.
So happy to be back with Dickens after a long gap , and looking forward to the comments by fellow readers .

I have also started and have read through Chapter 4. Like Savita. I also started a list of characters.

I think I am at about the same spot as you both, Savita and Terry -- maybe Book 1, Chapter 7. I am loving it and Dickens' humor! But I agree with both of you -- I think I may have to start making a list of characters! He has several stories going at the same time ;)

Oh great , there are three of us making good progress! Making a list of the characters is going to make things easier as we progress .. there are several characters introduced, especially in chapter 2 . I read Sara's review of this book , and she has mentioned that though there are several characters and storylines , everything ties up beautifully in the end . In fact , in the Buddy Read request thread she said this is Dickens at his best .

[ Making a list becomes quite a necessity in Russian novels ... their names are so impossibly long 😊 ]

I hope the other members who said they would be joining/ or may be joining also join up : Luffy , Klowey, Shawn and Spoko . The more the merrier 😊

Posting a comment from Bk 1 , chapter 2 , approx page 19 : ( Introducing Lady Tippins ) .... charming old Lady Tippins ... with an immense obtuse drab oblong face , like a face in a tablespoon ! I had to stop to have a good laugh here 😅 ... what a novel way to describe someone's face 😄

Another comment , from chapter 4 , I'll post tomorrow, on R. Wilfer . Even if you can hold back your smile through the passage ( for fear of hurting the good man's feelings ) , you'll have to laugh outright by the time you reach the last sentence 🤣 ! Really Mr Dickens, you are 👌 !

Posting now another instance of C.Dickens ' humor that inevitably tugs out an ear to ear smile , even at the cost of poor Reginald Wilfer's ( the clerk ) ruffled feelings ! The last sentence is just too much!
( Not really a spoiler , so I'm not putting a spoiler warning ) . Bk 1 , chapter 4 , approx pg 53 : R.Wilfer was so poor a clerk that he had never yet attained the modest object of his ambition : which was , to wear a complete new suit of clothes , hat and boots included , at one time . His black hat was brown before he could buy a pair of boots , his boots had worn out before he could treat himself to new pantaloons , and by the time he had worked round to the hat again , that shining modern article roofed in an ancient ruin of various periods . 😂 Apologies Mr Wilfer , but it's not that the readers are insensitive folks , but rather your ingenious creator has superb writing skill !

Savita wrote: "Posting now another instance of C.Dickens ' humor that inevitably tugs out an ear to ear smile , even at the cost of poor Reginald Wilfer's ( the clerk ) ruffled feelings ! The last sentence is jus..."

I loved that one too, Savita!! I love Dickens' sense of humor ;)

Terris wrote: "Savita wrote: "Posting now another instance of C.Dickens ' humor that inevitably tugs out an ear to ear smile , even at the cost of poor Reginald Wilfer's ( the clerk ) ruffled feelings ! The last ..."


👍😃

My reading plans have run aground. March did not go as planned and set me back a slight bit. I'm hoping to get started on this in the next few days. It has been quite a while since I've read Dickens and I'm excited to get started.

Welcome to this lovely thread , Shawn ! Don't worry about the time factor because these threads remain open indefinitely . Then , this book is a tome . I think Terry mentioned that she'll probably take two , if not three months, to finish this book . And , I , myself , have a rather slow reading pace , so you'll not only catch up soon , but even get right ahead quite easily 😊 !
Looking forward to your comments ( when you've started ) .

Welcome, Shawn! I generally read at a slower pace than a lot of people, so no worries. And don’t let Chapter 2 throw you off, with the many characters introduced. The story will pick up although there will be even more characters to meet.

I did manage to get up to Chapter 11 today.

Savita wrote: "Oh great , there are three of us making good progress! Making a list of the characters is going to make things easier as we progress .. there are several characters introduced, especially in chapte..."

I will be jumping in.

Indeed a list of characters is a must. And I agree the various plots tie together nicely. I also think each subplot represents an important slice of social commentary. Some provide delicious satirical humor, some move the main plot along, and some are scathing glimpses into the 19th c. British social indifference that brought me to tears.

Not being a literature major or Dickens scholar, I'd be interested if anyone has comments about this last of his novels and modernity. From wikipedia:

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, some reviewers suggested that Dickens was, in fact, experimenting with structure, and that the characters considered somewhat flat and not recognized by the contemporary reviewers were meant rather to be true representations of the Victorian working class and the key to understanding the structure of the society depicted by Dickens in the novel.

Is this a spoilers thread? If not:(view spoiler)[One example is "Book the First, Chapter 2" where Dickens tracks the guests around the dining table and, in effect, “views” them in the mirror-like surfaces of the room; the narration is notably self-conscious and satirical. I thought it was a brilliant technique, where he is not just describing a dinner party but mocking the Veneerings as social surfaces. The mirror effect reinforces that people here are presented as reflections, not deep selves. (hide spoiler)]

Welcome to this thread , Klowey ! Now ( after reading Sara's review, and now your comment) , it ( this thread ) is with certainty giving a promise of being very worthwhile indeed , even , I may venture to comment, a valuable one ... there's going to be lots to learn from here ( about human behavior, more or less similar all over the world ,really , and down the ages ) 🤔 .
I didn't realize that this is your second read . So your comments will be from a bird's eye view , from which we other readers can benefit.

Regarding the spoiler comment from Bk 1 , chapter 2 : While reading passage I thought the author's idea of describing the hosts and the guests as how they appeared in the great looking - glass above the sideboard was very novel and interesting, but I thought no more about it . So I was surprised and impressed by what you have mentioned: The mirror effect reinforces that people here are presented as reflections, not deep selves . oh yes , yes indeed ! That's what usually happens . We generally present a social mask ( of necessity or otherwise) , and it's so true that our deep selves remain , more , or less , hidden 🤔 . Thank you for pointing it out , Klowey. I agree with you , C.Dickens was really a brilliant author !

This is a spoiler thread , Klowey , but it's quite helpful if before a spoiler comment a warning is given , so any member , who has not reached that point yet , may put off reading that comment till later . For example, highlighting the warning: Spoilers till end of chapter 2 .
Spoiler tags can also be used , but some members have some technical difficulties in opening these spoilers , and will , therefore, miss the comment altogether.

Savita wrote: "Welcome to this thread , Klowey ! Now ( after reading Sara's review, and now your comment) , it ( this thread ) is with certainty giving a promise of being very worthwhile indeed , even , I may ven..."

I am a fan of much post-modern literature, and I also felt when reading the dinner party / mirror chapter that it just felt very "modern" in an experimental way. And it also made me think about the film technique when the camera moves around a room seeing people from different perspectives (front, side back) and maybe while they are moving. It seemed so modern!

I had the same reaction as I read that section, Klowey, that it was very cinematic; but it did not strike me as “modern” until you and Savita brought it up. Of course, it is a modern move, ahead of its time. To me, it felt like Dickens was showing us the people through the lens of a camera, filming the characters. Motion Pictures were invented in the 1880s whereas this book was published in 1865. And then, so descriptive of the dinner guests that maybe a comparison to a director is more to the point. Anyway, great observations!

I am in the middle of chapter 8 . All the different characters have already tied up so well . At first I couldn't understand Mr Boffin's connection, but now that's become clear , too .
Tomorrow I'll comment on Lizzie . I can't remember if the author mentioned her age , but she's probably in her very early teens , or maybe younger . I am very pleasantly astonished by this young girl's character. Tomorrow I will elaborate ( with spoiler warning) .

It's a very flowing story . I'm really loving it .

Our Mutual Friend has four “books.” My assumption is that in her post, Savita was referring to a Chapter in Book One.

I am both reading and listening to the book. With a fair amount of driving in the past two days, I have made a lot of listening progress. I am now in Book 2, Chapter 7.

Some of the characters introduced earlier get fleshed out. Some new characters have been introduced. It is challenging for me trying to keep all these characters straight, but I’m just pushing through until I get on familiar ground, hoping that characters will be further defined as I read on.

Terry wrote: "Our Mutual Friend has four “books.” My assumption is that in her post, Savita was referring to a Chapter in Book One.

I am both reading and listening to the book. With a fair amount of driving in ..."

While the characters do fill out, I still found it helpful to keep notes because of the interconnectedness of everyone. And there are a handful of them. Even making diagrams is useful.

Terry wrote: "Our Mutual Friend has four “books.” My assumption is that in her post, Savita was referring to a Chapter in Book One.

I am both reading and listening to the book. With a fair amount of driving in ..."

Yes , Terry, I am reading chapter 8 , Book one . Last 3 or 4 days I got a little less reading time , but I'll make up now , in the coming week .
Klowey has made a very helpful suggestion : ( make a list ) , ( brief ) notes and a diagram. That should help a lot .
Spoilers till the middle of chapter 8 , Bk 1 , around page 150 . I am wondering who murdered John Harmon ( the son who was to inherit his hitherto alienated father's considerable property , but got murdered on the way , when he was coming to claim his { conditional} inheritance ) . I hope it does not turn out to be Gaffer ( Lizzie's father ) , because that will badly hurt and bewilder the little girl, hurt all the love and trust that she has for her father . Then , Gaffer, for all his rough and coarse behavior, stikes me as a genuine and honest person , deserving his daughter 's unshakable devotion . Yet , life is unpredictable, it may be that I am quite wrong about Gaffer. 🤔
I am hoping it won't be Mr Boffin ( the husband and wife were serving John Harmon's father , when little John Harmon went away) , though the possibility exists here , but if it's the Boffins , I would suspect his ' fashionable ' wife , than he himself. I don't feel comfortable with Mrs Boffin .
I don't know how Reginald Wilfer ( the very poor clerk ) is connected to the murder . Also , one or two other names were mentioned briefly , but I can't remember them . End of Spoiler

Spoilers for Bk 1 , chapter 6 . I was deeply touched by this young girl's , Lizzie's ( Gaffer 's daughter ) , profound love and unshakable trust and loyalty towards her father . There's, too , rare courage in this young child . Never once does she consider ditching her father ( against whom Ms Potterson { Six Jolly bar's proprietor} levies the serious charge of murder ) and her little brother . She sends away her brother , that he may remain shielded from an accusing society . So much selflessness and courage? And at so young an age ? They say it's only real gold that can withstand the tremendous heat of the goldsmith's furnace . Lizzie has already passed through life's testing fire , and emerged with the glitter of 24 carat gold . True , this may only be the beginning of her tests and trials , but I think she will not stumble anywhere along the way . She reminds me of Ms XYZ .. Spoilers for book Crime and Punishment Sonia End of Spoiler for Crime and Punishment . The same rare courage, real love and pure selflessness. Beautiful ! I salute her , just the way I saluted Ms XYZ .
Another thing , both Lizzie and Ms XYZ were from the lower rungs of life's status ladder . Hmm .. Money can only buy precious jewels from a jeweller's shop , it cannot purchase bejewelled character 🤔 End of Spoiler

Savita wrote: "Terry wrote: "Our Mutual Friend has four “books.” My assumption is that in her post, Savita was referring to a Chapter in Book One.

I am both reading and listening to the book. With a fair amount ..."

Your speculation was so much fun to read. Makes me realize why this novel was such an enjoyable page-turner. It kept my mind constantly busy . . . wondering how all the plots would play out.

What a brilliant storyteller Dickens is, and I think his pacing and revealing was well done, like peeling an orange. On top of that, he manages to weave in so much fabulous social commentary and biting satire.

Klowey wrote: "Savita wrote: "Terry wrote: "Our Mutual Friend has four “books.” My assumption is that in her post, Savita was referring to a Chapter in Book One.

I am both reading and listening to the book. With..."

😊 Yes , and it's a long book , and yet more characters are going to be introduced, so guessing who the culprit( s) is , will not be easy . From your comment, ' like peeling an orange ' , it's safe to conclude that the readers need not fear disappointment. But ,a list , brief notes and a few diagrams are essential for easy reading.
I am , also , thoroughly enjoying the social commentary and the biting satire . 👌

I had this group read down for May, not April! This is my favorite Dickens novel so far, and I wanted to do a reread with you. I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in now, but I'm enjoying everyone's comments so far.

Teri-K wrote: "I had this group read down for May, not April! This is my favorite Dickens novel so far, and I wanted to do a reread with you. I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in now, but I'm enjoying everyo..."

I think it was an April-May read, but in any case, that's what I had down. It's a long book. I'm not sure I'll have time to reread it all, but it's great seeing the discussion. Since I loved this book too, can I ask if you've read Bleak House and if so, what you thought by comparison?

Klowey wrote: "Teri-K wrote: "I had this group read down for May, not April! This is my favorite Dickens novel so far, and I wanted to do a reread with you. I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in now, but I'm ..."

I haven't read it yet so I can't compare. Sorry. My new Dickens for this year is Little Dorrit.

Any comment, now and then, from you will be most welcome , Teri . Klowey also is not rereading it , but his comments, as the discussion is progressing, are very interesting and also very useful .

How far along is everyone? I am in Book 2, Chapter 13, about 45% along, making good progress. I may actually get through the book this month! Or, maybe not!

By this point in the novel, we learn more about John Harmon, John Rokesmith and Julius Handford. Some of the fuzzy points are getting clearer, although I still feel awash in keeping track of all these characters.

Terry wrote: "How far along is everyone? I am in Book 2, Chapter 13, about 45% along, making good progress. I may actually get through the book this month! Or, maybe not!

By this point in the novel, we learn mo..."

Terry , you've made good progress . The characters are very many , but I am able to keep track of them fairly well because of my list ( with brief distinguishing features ) as I'm reading . But , for you , if you're , at times , listening to an audio version, especially while driving , it would be very difficult to make a list alongside. But , I suppose that would happen only occasionally ( that is , audio version coupled with driving) ? It's such a lovely book , worth the extra trouble , and I am really hanging on to my list , because otherwise I would really be hopelessly lost !

I've reached the last page of chapter 11 , Book one . A number of different characters have been introduced. Each character is so distinctive, so different from the others . Mostly all the characters are in some way related to the case of the murdered man . Terry has mentioned Mr Rokesmith , a man I'm very curious about , at this point , and very , very wary of 🤔 . Tomorrow I'll comment on Mr and Mrs Alfred Lammle , and young Georgina . Also , I'll have to acknowledge , tomorrow, that I probably wasn't right in my surmise of Mrs Boffin 's character 🤔 .
One thing I know for sure : I am enjoying this book so much , that by and by I'm going to start feeling sorry that the end is approaching ... which , unfortunately, is bound to happen sooner or later 😏 ! And , one of the reasons ( for enjoying this read ) is that this is a Buddy Read . It adds so much the fun 😊 !

I abandoned my list at some point, but I do go back and refer to it. Some of the names resurface unexpectedly. The story is getting very absorbing now that it is coming together much better. I think you have to get almost halfway in before it starts to really mesh.

I wouldn’t worry about finishing the book yet, Savita! 😊 We have a lot of pages still ahead!

Terris, how is it coming for you?

Savita wrote: "I've reached the last page of chapter 11 , Book one . A number of different characters have been introduced. Each character is so distinctive, so different from the others . Mostly all the characte..."

The Lammles turned out to be among my favorite subplots.
*major grin*

Terry wrote: "I abandoned my list at some point, but I do go back and refer to it. Some of the names resurface unexpectedly. The story is getting very absorbing now that it is coming together much better. I thin..."

Yes, I'm enjoying it! But, Terry, I'm glad that you mentioned at about 50% through, the stories are starting to come together and become a little more understandable! I did make a list of the characters (that I'm getting to know and recognize better, thank goodness!) and I like the stories, but everything was just kind of floating around in my mind and I didn't really understand who was connected to who(m?) and why! Glad I wasn't the only one that felt that way! Now, I'm almost halfway through, Mr. Rokesmith just told his "John Harmon" story and things are starting to come together and make more sense!
I always enjoy Dickens's writing, but I want to be able to understand the story, too! And I think I'm getting there ;)
Thanks for asking! :)

Klowey wrote: "Savita wrote: "I've reached the last page of chapter 11 , Book one . A number of different characters have been introduced. Each character is so distinctive, so different from the others . Mostly a..."

Yes! I'm also enjoying the Lammles couple's story! :)

Terry wrote: "I abandoned my list at some point, but I do go back and refer to it. Some of the names resurface unexpectedly. The story is getting very absorbing now that it is coming together much better. I thin..."

I am still a little less than a quarter way through, and it's nice to know from the comments by Terry and Terris that after halfway through the story begins to mesh .
And , yes , Terry , .... 😄 ... at around page 230 ( that's where I am ) , there is but little need to worry and feel bad that a good read is drawing to a close 😉 !! There are still, after all , more than 1000 pages left of the novel .. 🤭😂 . [ You know , Terry, I really love your sense of humour 😊.... you've got a matter of fact style , that really makes me laugh , a little like C.Dickens ' himself . I remember how you commented , in your matter of fact style , about the the late appearance of the dolphin in The Rough Magic , and I just laughed outright 😄 ! ]

Klowey wrote: "Savita wrote: "I've reached the last page of chapter 11 , Book one . A number of different characters have been introduced. Each character is so distinctive, so different from the others . Mostly a..."

Hmm ... Regarding the Lammles : Spoilers till end of chapter 11 : I enjoyed the scene on the Isle of Wright where they both discover that both have deceived each other 🤭😂 ! There's something really comical about this pair ! But , later they seemed to make a cloudy pact which appears to be rather hanky , panky in nature . Further , there seems to be a dubious scheme afoot involving Ms Podsnap . Because the background thread is one of a murder , I think I'm looking at everyone through a suspicious lens 🤔 . From Klowey's and Terris ' comment, it looks like they are a hamless , foolish couple ?

And a word about Ms Podsnap : Spoilers till end of chapter 11 . She's a curious mix : so self effacing and shy on the exterior , yet inside she's boiling with anger and resentment against the dominance of her parents. At her age it's natural to resent the way her mother's behaving , I do agree . I suppose she's ( Ms Podsnap ) afraid to assert . Then , she's the only child , which must make things more difficult for her.
I wonder whether she really trusts Mrs Lammle , a stranger yet , so completely , or is this just a show ? At present, I feel like telling her to be cautious, just like I feel like telling Mr Boffin not to encourage a perfect stranger, Mr Rokesmith , a very slippery, evasive person , so much. Let's see how the story progresses further .

Lastly , I wasn't right about Mrs Boffin . Spoilers till end of chapter 9 : The author clarifies that both of them , Mr and Mrs Boffin , are , at heart , simple , straightforward people. Hmm

Thanks, Savita, for commenting on my comments! I appreciate your participation in this group read, including your many comments in this thread.

I would, however, go easy on speculating about these characters and be open to perhaps changing your mind about them as you read on. Many of the characters are acting in surprising ways as the stories progress. To get to their real character and motivations, we may need to wait until the end of the novel. Characters in novels sometimes change more than characters in real life! Of course, that is one of the wonderful things about novels in general and perhaps even more so about the novels of Charles Dickens.

One general comment, going back to what Klowey may have said, this novel seems to be a lot about the relationships between people of differing classes. This particular theme hovers especially around Lizzie Hexam and Bella Wilfer and their suitors. It will be interesting to see where they end up!

Terry wrote: "this novel seems to be a lot about the relationships between people of differing classes...."

Indeed. I haven't read much Dickens, so maybe he's always this good, but his skill at social commentary, using both humor and biting satire, with sympathetic and colorful characters, is impressive. One of the most poignant for me was the arc of Betty Higden. It's such a rich book.

I've wondered over the past few years what Dickens would think of the world today, especially our treatment of the poor and working and homeless. Some of the scenes in the book could be entirely contemporary, sadly. I mean, an employee recently died while working at an Amazon warehouse, and the managers told people to ignore him and get back to work.

Are there no workhouses, are there no prisons?

Klowey wrote: "Terry wrote: "this novel seems to be a lot about the relationships between people of differing classes...."

Indeed. I haven't read much Dickens, so maybe he's always this good, but his skill at so..."

Yes, Klowey, Dickens is always this good! His plots and storylines may vary (some better than others), but his "skill at social commentary, using both humor and biting satire, with sympathetic and colorful characters," as you said, are very impressive. His humor and satire always makes me laugh. But some of the things he is commenting on are very serious!
Keep reading him, I think you'll become a Dickens fan ;)

Terry wrote: "Thanks, Savita, for commenting on my comments! I appreciate your participation in this group read, including your many comments in this thread.

I would, however, go easy on speculating about thes..."

Oh , I see , so Lizzie is one of the central characters. I am quite keen to follow up Lizzie's life , know more about her character ( keeping your warning in mind { though it's also applicable many times to real life , I feel } ) . And , of course , I am most interested and avidly curious to know the kind of man who comes into her life , as a love interest 🤔 . Alas , since it's not Mary Stewart at the helm , I cannot be sure that a beautiful love story is in the offing ! Here it's C.Dickens . Quite another master .

Klowey wrote: "Terry wrote: "this novel seems to be a lot about the relationships between people of differing classes...."

Indeed. I haven't read much Dickens, so maybe he's always this good, but his skill at so..."

What a sad incident you've mentioned, Klowey ! And , sad to say this kind of an incident can occur in any part of our world . Did the managers not realize how badly they were damaging the morale of the employees ? How inhuman they were being ? It's a shortsightedness that will backfire on they themselves someday . A healthy , content and secure work environment is vital for the smooth running of any institution. Simple logic : if your workers are happy , the work output of your establishment will be good , better , best . Fair enough ⚖
I will quote Charlotte Bronte, from her book Jane Eyre : the context here is a school administration, but the same principle applies to the managers of other institutions. Spoilers for the book Jane Eyre : page 80 : context : when the management of the orphanage, Lowood , passes into new hands from the cruel and insensitive Mr Brocklehurst : The new management combined reason with strictness , comfort with economy , compassion with uprightness .... . End of Jane Eyre spoilers Charlotte Bronte was so very young when she wrote Jane Eyre, yet had such a deep insight into the human mind ! This passage should be put up outside the administrative section of All Institutions, all over the world . Each and every word is worth it's weight in gold 🤔 . It would bring so much happiness into myriads of lives .

I finished the book and thought it was great, living up to my expectations for a Dickens novel. I still think my favorite is Great Expectations, but I seem to love them all. Or, almost all. I did start The Pickwick Papers but put it down because the timing wasn’t right. I will come back to it again some day.

Terry wrote: "I finished the book and thought it was great, living up to my expectations for a Dickens novel. I still think my favorite is Great Expectations, but I seem to love them all. Or, almost all. I did s..."

I'm excited for you that you finished already, Terry! I am at 63% and hope to finish by the end of the week. I am enjoying it :)
I will say that my favorite that I've read recently was Nicholas Nickleby! If you haven't read that one, be sure to put it on the list ;)
I have not read The Pickwick Papers, but plan to. However, I completely understand putting it down if you're not in the mood. For Dickens's books you really need to be prepared and ready for "him" -- he's a lot!! ;)

Oh wow , Terry and Terris , you've made it in pretty quick time ! I am glad the book is enjoyable , though I think the numerous characters are a bit of a deterrent. I don't mind because I'm sticking to the list , only reading the kindle version. Looking forward to reading your reviews.
I am adding both Bleak House and Nicholas Nickleby to my TBR , but will only be able to get to them after August . Hoping to read them in a Group read , or Buddy Read.

Savita wrote: " Spoilers for Bk 1 , chapter 6 . I was deeply touched by this young girl's , Lizzie's ( Gaffer 's daughter ) , profound love and unshakable trust and loyalty towards her father . There's, too , ra..."

I deeply regret that I forgot to put Spoiler warning for Crime and Punishment, in my msg 24 . I've rectified the error now , and sincerely hope that the members who have hitherto read the comment will have already read that book , so nothing got spoiled for them . 🤞