Showing results for "Our Mutual Friend" in Literature & Fiction

Full of both satire and social analysis, Our Mutual Friend looks at what could happen in Victorian England when a fortune passes to a working-class couple. The audiobook will enchant the listener with its larger-than-life characters, its poignant depiction of social injustice and the singular seed of hope with which Dickens hints at the possibility of a better tomorrow.

John Harmon, in exile for many years, discovers that by a curious quirk in his father’s will he must marry Bella Wilfer, a girl he has never met, in order to claim his inheritance. Mistakenly thought to have drowned, on his return he gains employment with the kindly Mr Boffin under the assumed name of John Rokesmith and falls in love with the flighty and mercenary Bella, who scornfully rejects him as a mere impoverished secretary. But Boffin and his wife contrive a plan to help John and show Bella the error of her ways.

Famed for being Dickens’s last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend is a sophisticated social analysis and damning satire of wealth, and the greed and corruption it can bring. First published between 1864 and 1865, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a large fortune left by John Harmon Sr., owner of a huge estate. Once John passes, his wealth is left to his son, but only under one condition: that he marries Miss Bella Wilfer, a shallow young woman preoccupied with money.

A mysterious boatman on the Thames, a drowned heir, a dustman and his wife, and a host of other Dickens characters populate this novel of relationships between the classes, money, greed, and love. The 58 characters are presented with remarkable clarity by David Timson.

Dickens wrote into life some of the most beloved and well-known characters in the history of English literature, introducing us to Pip, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Little Nell, Scrooge, Nicholas Nickleby, Miss Haversham, and many more who have lived in the imagination of generations. In this definitive and beautifully curated collection, you'll discover some of Dickens's most beloved classics and walk the streets of London, Paris...

A sinister masterpiece, Our Mutual Friend was Dickens' last completed novel. It is perhaps his ultimate vision of a dark, macabre London and the corrupting power of money.

The British Classics Collection – Volume 2 steps into the grand world of 18th, 19th, and 20th-century British literature to create a compelling anthology featuring iconic works that span time and genres. From the whimsy of Alice in Wonderland to the mystery of The Woman in White, the philosophical insights of The Waste Land and the unforgettable detective stories of Sherlock Holme, this volume offers a rich variety of British literary masterpieces.

"Our Mutual Friend", Dickens' last complete novel, gives one of his most comprehensive and penetrating accounts of Victorian society. Its vision of a culture stifled by materialistic values emerges not just through its central narratives, but through its apparently incidental characters and...

The Essential Classics: Volume 7 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Jonathan Keeble, Kristin Atherton, Emma Gregory, and Matt Bates. From the charming and compassionate world of Cranford to the ambitious and tragic tale of Jude the Obscure, this volume is a rich tapestry of human experience. Daniel Deronda challenges notions of identity, morality, and destiny, while Evelina offers a sharp yet humorous commentary on social class and manners.

Following his father's death, John Harmon returns to London to claim his inheritance. But he finds he is only eligible if he marries Bella Wilfer. To observe her character he assumes another identity and secures work with his father's foreman, Mr Boffin, who is also Bella's guardian. 'Our...

Out of the dust-heaps and dirty streets of mid-Victorian London Dickens creates a classic murder-mystery tale. A dead man is fished out of the Thames by a scavenger and his daughter. Who is he, and how did he get there? His death affects members of all levels of a society permeated by greed.

John Harmon, the heir to the Harmon estate discovers that his father's will requires him to marry Bella Wilfer, a woman whom he's never met, in order to claim his inheritance. But, when the body of a young man is found in the River Thames, his papers identify him as the heir to the Harmon estate, and Bella's hopes to marry into riches are diminished, and she's then pursued by a mysterious John Rokesmith.

Our Mutual Friend (written in the years 1864–65) is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining psychological insight with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, "money, money, money, and what money can make of life" but is also about human values. In the opening chapters a body is found in the Thames and identified as John Harmon, a young man recently returned to London to receive his inheritance. Were he alive, his father's will would require him to marry Bella Wilfer, a beautiful, mercenary girl whom ...

Charles Dickens' classic novel of mystery, read by Alex Jennings. A body is found in the River Thames and is identified as John Harmon. He was due to inherit a great fortune on the condition that he marry a young woman called Bella Wilfer. And so the story begins and unravels and we are...

John Harmon returns from exile expecting to receive an inheritance, but knows that he must marry a stranger, Bella Wilfer, in order to collect. He fakes his own death and takes on a new identity in order to observe her first. Some of the memorable characters in this, the last completed Dickens novel, include Bella who, unlike other Dickens heroines, cannot be accused of unnatural virtue; the insolent barrister Eugene Wrayburn; the amiable Boffin; and the rascal Silas Wegg.

Dickens' last complete novel was published serially 1864-5. It begins with an intriguing fortune offered to John Harmon by his late father, a rich dust contractor, in his will. To receive the money, John must marry a certain Bella Wilfer who he does not know from Eve. He is returning from the exile enforced by his father and confides in a ship's mate who attempts to murder him. The mate gets killed instead, leaving one inconvenient corpse. Because John is considered dead (the body is found with his papers), the money passes to Mr Boffin, old Harmon's foreman. Harmon adopts Bella and John comes...

Charles Dickens’ final completed novel, Our Mutual Friend, explores the tangled web of wealth, ambition, and human folly in Victorian London. The story revolves around the inheritance of a vast fortune from the recently deceased John Harmon and the lives it touches—including the humble yet determined Bella Wilfer, the gentle Lizzie Hexam, and a host of morally complex characters.

Dive into the world of Our Mutual Friend, the final novel by Charles Dickens, penned between 1864 and 1865. This intricate narrative weaves together psychological depth and keen social commentary, exploring the themes of wealth and its impact on human relationships. The story unfolds with the discovery of a body in the Thames, identified as John Harmon—a young man poised to inherit a fortune. His fathers will, however, mandates that he marry Bella Wilfer, a beautiful yet materialistic stranger. With Harmon’s death, the inheritance shifts to the humble Boffins, sending ripples through the ...

Explore the intricate dynamics of society, wealth, and relationships through the lens of human ambition and morality. The ideas suggested by this title revolve around the complexities of social interactions and the impact of financial aspirations on personal lives. This podcast offers a rotating collection of complete audiobooks, each week highlighting a different classic that delves into these themes. With a variety of perspectives, time periods, and narrative styles, listeners can gain insights, satisfy curiosity, or simply enjoy an engaging escape from the present. Tune in weekly for new ...

Delve into the intricate web of human relationships and societal structures, as suggested by the evocative title "Our Mutual Friend." This podcast invites listeners to explore the timeless themes of wealth, social stratification, and moral ambiguity, reflecting the complex interplay of characters driven by ambition and desire in a rapidly changing world. Each episode features a new complete audiobook, offering a rotating collection that illuminates the struggles and triumphs of individuals navigating the challenges of class conflict and personal aspiration. This is not a single story but a ...