From the Bookshelf of 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]…

Our Mutual Friend

Charles Dickens

Discussion: . Week 1: More Than 500 Pages

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. Week 1: More Than 500 Pages

* Week 1: Introduction
By Jessica · 102 posts · 1093 views

last updated Aug 11, 2015 02:06PM

* Week 1: Progress Post
By Jessica · 100 posts · 421 views

last updated Nov 06, 2015 06:29AM

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Dec 06, 2016 Jesse rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dickens-in-december-reading-proje

Dickens in December 2016!

6 word review:

Our Mutual Friend = Best. Dickens. Ever.

More comprehensive, less melodramatic review:

Okay, first of all, this is seriously the best Dickens I've read. For those who follow my Dickens in December project annually (looking at you, Kat), you're probably thinking, "But Jesse, you say that every year!" Well okay, guilty as charged, but looking back, only Bleak House has impressed and captivated me like Our Mutual Friend.

First, let's talk about the characters. Dickens in December 2016!

6 word review:

Our Mutual Friend = Best. Dickens. Ever.

More comprehensive, less melodramatic review:

Okay, first of all, this is seriously the best Dickens I've read. For those who follow my Dickens in December project annually (looking at you, Kat), you're probably thinking, "But Jesse, you say that every year!" Well okay, guilty as charged, but looking back, only Bleak House has impressed and captivated me like Our Mutual Friend.

First, let's talk about the characters. Starting with their names. And oh, what names! Noddy Boffin (aka The Golden Dustman), Gaffer Hexam (real name Jesse), Bradley Headstone, Rogue Riderhood and his daughter Pleasant Riderhood (one can only hope that "Little Red" was his pet name for her), Sloppy (no last name necessary), Fascination Fledgeby, Rumty Wilfer, and last but not least, the Veneerings, who are not given first names, nor personalities, but are, as their name suggests, just supposed to look pretty from the outside.

Our Mutual Friend was Dickens's last finished novel, and he is obviously at the peak of his craft. Each of these characters represents something important to Dickens, whether for good or ill, and he crafts them skillfully in a story with more twists and turns than a ~~presidential election~~ soap opera (sorry, too soon?). By the end, I was literally cheering aloud when each character got exactly what he or she deserved.

Speaking of the presidential election, Dickens certainly would have had plenty to say about that recent event. He was never shy about jumping in and tackling the wrongs he saw in society around him, and this book is no exception. The side-story of the Veneerings and their elegant trappings lashes out and lands squarely on the chin of that part of society that Dickens scorned.

As for the heroes, Mr John Rokesmith and Miss Bella Wilfer, among others, they are some of the tenderest characters you will ever meet. The double transformation that occurs in Bella is inspirational, and the never-ending patience in the face of opposition that is faced by Mr Rokesmith make me want to hang posters of them on my wall. (Seriously, why has no one ever come up with that? Posters are wasted on pop stars that shoot through the sky and burn out in 6 months...)

So, bottom line: go read Our Mutual Friend. In the immortal words of everyone's BFF Larry the Cucumber: "I laughed, I cried, It moved me Bob!"

2024 addendum: Still the best Dickens. ...more

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