Our Mutual Friend

A classic can never go wrong.

This is probably the darkest book ever written by Dickens. It explores that side of humanity that one the surface is quite deplorable. A beautiful story, masterfully crafted with amazing characters that keep you engaged with the plot from beginning till the end. This is a must read and takes you back in time when it was not easy to imagine a plot as thick as this.

Very Good Quality and timely delivery.

My all time favourite after Sherley and Gone with the wind.Immense satisfaction in reading this classic.

Great print.Great novel

Thank you for spoiling a great classic by using an extremely small font. It is illegible. Penguin must stop doing this to classics.

Few of the pages of the copy I received were torn.

This last year I have been engaged in reading all of Dickens' novels as he wrote them, so 'Our mutual friend' should have been the last to read but for some reason or other I skipped A Tale of Two Cities (Oxford World's Classics) along the way. But apart from that it has been a glorious experience and a journey fully worth taking. All of his novels share certain characteristics but also have their own special appeal, and 'Our mutual friend' is no exception. In fact, I found this novel one of the most disturbing of them all. The plot itself is fairly straightforward: John Harmon has been living abroad for years separated from his miserly father, but now that this father has died John Harmon travels to London to find that even from beyond the grave his father continues to taunt him: in order to inherit his father's vast fortune, John must marry a particular girl (Bella Wilfer). If he does not, he inherits nothing. However, by a freak accident a murdered man is mistaken for John Harmon which allows John to assume another name and personality and observe Bella Wilfer without her knowing who he is: is she worth having? And what if she isn't? Now that in itself is surely a disturbing conundrum, and not just to John Harmon. What of Bella Wilfer? Should she not feel that this will turns her into a sort of product to be bought and sold? If she accepts John Harmon, won't people think she took him for the money? And if she refuses him, will not many consider her a silly girl? Is it still possible to come to an honest decision about a suitor, knowing that you'll be not only marrying him but also his money? To my mind Dickens explores this theme of 'deceptive appearances' in a masterly way. Many of the other characters in the book also turn out to be not what (or how) they appear at first sight or are altered beyond recognition before the novel is out: members of 'Society' turn out to be bankrupt frauds, the most sarcastic lawyer falls desperately in love with a factory girl, a gentle old man turns into a greedy miser while the proverbial money-grasping Jew is something completely different, and at times it seems there are more gentlemen amongst the poor than in the upper classes. Which brings me to a second theme: as in many of Dickens' novels, there is also a huge element of social inquiry and criticism. Contrary to what most members of 'Society' in the novel would claim, it seems that having a lot of money is not a prerequisite to be a gentleman or a lady. On the contrary, time and again Dickens shows how money can corrupt, and how those without often (but not always, that would be going too far even for Dickens) have a true morality while the rich do not. This is not to say that all is gloom in 'Our mutual friend'. Indeed, I found it to be one of the funniest novels he wrote, abounding with hilarious characters and laugh-out-loud scenes. Although his novels are steeped in 'realism' (in the sense that the whole setting and period is brought magnificently to life) I can well imagine that some may think Dickens utterly unrealistic. True enough, the 'good guy' usually 'gets the girl' in his novels (and the good girl also gets her guy). Whether that is a good thing (at the very least it's a comforting thought that things may turn out right in the end) or a bad thing (after all, in real life none of us are born with a guaranteed happy ending certificate) I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I immensely enjoyed each and every one of his novels, and 'Our mutual friend' is definitely no exception!

The first half of this book was a bit of a tough slog, and were it not for the fact that I had it on excellent authority that I was in for a treat, I would have been tempted to give up. The pace picked up considerably at the start of section 3, though. This book has a little bit of everything to please an array of tastes. There are unsavory, disreputable characters (which Dickens did so well), the ridiculous and self-important who are worthy of nothing but contempt, and kind and honorable characters. There is mystery, murder, greed, romance, jealousy, betrayal, and it is all topped off with a thoroughly satisfying ending. I chose this particular edition over the myriad of others that are available because it included an introduction by Nick Hornby, whose books I love. Sadly, I could have done without Mr. Hornby's introduction. After disparaging many contemporary writers (and there are many out there who may feel rightly so, but I don't feel the was the appropriate forum to voice this opinion), he then went on to state ". . . it is only fair to warn you that Our Mutual Friend - his last completed novel - is in the opinion of many, including this writer, far from his best." Perhaps the publishers should have looked a little harder to find someone who actually likes and respects the novel to write an introduction, rather than go with a popular writer who clearly does not. Also included in this edition was a list of characters and some charming illustrations. I don't know if the list of characters is standard in all editions, but I found it invaluable as I read the first half of the book. Trying to keep track of something like two dozen principal characters while trying to follow the story would have been near impossible for me without this tool. So let me sum up my rating: 5 stars for the work by Dickens, and 1 star for the introduction by Nick Hornby.

This book was purchased for my son and is the beginning of his planned Classics library and was unaware of the Nonesuch editions prior to receiving this item. He is so delighted with the format and substantial appearance of "Our Mutual Friend" he has requested all future Dickens purchases be the Nonesuch editions. This has been one of my most successful purchases.

Leitura boa

C’est un très bon roman écrit par un de mes meilleurs romanciers que j’avais précédemment lu dans une autre édition. Il y a plusieurs histoires qui se croisent sans lien apparent mais qui sont liés par Dickens à la fin du livre. Tous les personnages principaux évoluent dans l’histoire et tissent des liens au fur et à mesure. C.est mon roman préféré de Dickens et également le dernier qu’i avait terminé avant son décès. Très belle édition mais prix d.achat légèrement élevé à mon avis