What the Dickens? Our Mutual Friend (my favourite book ever)

In which I talk about Charles Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend, my favourite book in the history of forever…
Our Mutual Friend was Dickens’s fourteenth novel, published in 1864-5 it is my favourite Dickens novel (and my favourite book of all time).
Our Mutual Friend: / 31244.our_mutual_friend
1998 TV adaptation: www.imdb.com/ti...
Catch up on What the Dickens? • What the Dickens? An I...
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[@radiantchristina]

your enthusiasm for Dickens now has me wanting to read some of his works.

[@katiejlumsden]

Great! I hope you enjoy them :)

[@MicahMicahel]

@@katiejlumsden What do you think about reviewing Dicken's unfinished book?

[@vincentperratore4395]

I've read most of them though, but not that one.

[@shilpshah6738]

You know what you call a channel like this ; "SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED" .

[@katiejlumsden]

Ha thank you :)

[@lw3646]

Well never know for sure, but lots of writers have argued Dickens own personal life had an effect on his later writings. They became much darker, more about for instance a man or a woman with a terrible secret they wanted to conceal like in Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend or Great Expectations, or a man who loves a woman he cannot have, again Great Expectations. We get much more angry, tormented protagonists. A lot of this seems to mirror his own private life. His fame and success ironically meant he had to go to enormous lengths to conceal his mistress and the life he wanted with her. When he was young he'd thought riches, fame and respectability were all you could want in life, but he still wasn't satisfied when he got those things. The days when characters in his novels were rewarded with a happy marriage and bags of money at the end began to be replaced by a different kind of ending.

[@ratherrapid]

read omf.

[@geoffreylrd7351]

I absolutely love your enthusiasm for this book and I’m starting it today because of you. I also recently finished bleak house which I would have never read if it wasn’t for you as well. Thanks for taking the time to re-introduced the world to dickens in a fun and exciting way!

[@JaneKrauss]

Another really great element is the relationship between Mrs. Wilder and her daughter Lavinia. SO funny!

[@daneades8983]

My favorite novel of Dickens. And, of course, one of my favorite characters is Twemlow, the milk toast who rises to the occasion as the novel ends and provides Dickens's redefinition of a gentleman, a redefinition that has proven irrevocable. And that makes Eugene Wrayburn and Lizzie Hexam true hero and true heroine. Of course, Twemlow himself develops from "an innocent piece of dinner furniture" to in Mortimer Lightwood's estimation, "The Voice of Society."

[@lw3646]

Well never know for sure, but lots of writers have argued Dickens own personal life had an effect on his later writings. They became much darker, more about for instance a man or a woman with a terrible secret they wanted to conceal like in Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend or Great Expectations, or a man who loves a woman he cannot have, again Great Expectations. We get much more angry, tormented protagonists. A lot of this seems to mirror his own private life. His fame and success ironically meant he had to go to enormous lengths to conceal his mistress and the life he wanted with her. When he was young he'd thought riches, fame and respectability were all you could want in life, but he still wasn't satisfied when he got those things. The days when characters in his novels were rewarded with a happy marriage and bags of money at the end began to be replaced by a different kind of ending.

[@anatolyyurkin6635]

Нет

[@BookishLorrie]

Love this video! I’ve been following you for a couple years and I so appreciate your love for Dickens. He’s definitely my first love in Victorian literature. I was introduced to A Christmas Carol as a child by my grandfather so that book has my heart. But Our Mutual Friend is a favorite! Just reread it as an Instagram read along. Thank you so much for your contagious, joyful love for Dickens’ books. 🥰

[@thecatclipfan]

My first introduction to Dickens was a short story he wrote called "The Signal Man." And that got me HOOKED since! I've read "A Christmas Carol" and "Oliver Twist" and loved them to pieces! Those got me into Dickens novels, though I haven't read one in awhile. Planning to be pick up "The Pickwick Papers" soon, hopefully. It's absolutely lovely to see others enjoy his work, thank you so much for this video! Cheers, and Happy New Year!

[@stressedoutofexistence663]

Amazing! Congratulations for working so assiduously this past fortnight on this wonderful project. I cannot wait to see what you will be up to next! This definetly made me pick up Dickens and roused my curiosity for all of his novels thanks to you. And OMF seems his most mysterious out of all so combined with Dickens's characteristic social critique makes me want to reach it even faster. Again the appreciation for these videos cannot be described young lady (;) ) so as I read through Dickens, I will endeavour to come back on your videos and examine your thoughts on the particular novel. Kindest regards!

[@katiejlumsden]

+IAmBroke Hoorah, I hope you'll be reading lots more Dickens in the future! I definitely enjoyed making the series, for all the work it took me, and if I've encouraged more people to read Dickens, that makes me thoroughly happily!

[@williamcurcio7367]

I have recently been rekindling my love of Dickens and then I came across your channel. I really enjoy your reviews, enthusiasm, insight and knowledge on the works of Dickens! His beautifully composed words resurrected the joy I had many years ago but you certainly reignited my excitement to explore some of his works that I have yet to experience. Thank you for sharing your passion with the rest of us!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks - Dickens is amazing :D

[@kevinrussell1144]

I've gone back and fished up three or four of your older Dickens pieces, and yes, Katie, they are enjoyable, as is this one. You were very good six years ago and your work is better now. Anyone can see your enthusiasm. Well worth the time.

[@mile4802]

Love this. One of my favourite book of all time is David Copperfield, every time I read it I almost cry. It's a book that I can't really judge, what I see is only perfection.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! It is such a brilliant book :)

[@Nibelungenherr1876]

Rogue Riderhood is hilarious. I love how he pronounces "affidavit" as Alfred David. Silas Wegg rules as well. And the satirical passages, oh boy, this book has some amazing satire, I think only Little Dorrit can compete with the brilliance of it, at least when it comes to Dickens books. Bleak house may have some too, it's one of the few Dickens books I haven't read.

[@katiejlumsden]

Agreed! Bleak House has some great satirical writing too, but Our Mutual Friend will always be the best to me.

[@mariagov9734]

OMG I JUST LOVE THE WAY YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH DICKENS. THANK YOU ❤

[@ashokmarahatta1514]

I am happy to see someone who adore his writings. The first book I read was the Bleak House and it gets the top spot followed by Our Mutual Friend for me.

[@katiejlumsden]

He's an amazing writer.

[@pollyrussell4762]

I have just found your channel and I'm over the moon and feel like I have found a treasure chest 😍 thank you for all these videos and all the hard work they represent. I enjoy so much listening to you.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks so much!! This sort of lovely comment makes me very happy.

[@Fell-Purpose]

Reading this now. My current order of Dickens is 1) Bleak House 2) David Copperfield 3) Great Expectations 4) Old Curiosity Shop 5) Little Dorrit. Looking forward to seeing where this ranks.

[@chboskyy]

I've loved this series so much 😊 I really want to read this one now, despite not knowing much about it before!

[@katiejlumsden]

+chboskyy Thank you :) I really enjoyed making the series, and I very much recommend Our Mutual Friend! I'm going to be running a Dickens serialised readalong which will almost certainly be of Our Mutual Friend, so feel free to join the Goodreads group if you're interested :) www.goodreads.com/group/show/185058-victorian-style-dickens-readalong

[@fishjj76]

I've just finished "Our Mutual Friend". It was brilliant. I loved your serialised commentary. It added greatly to the experience.

[@sandra7319.]

I knew you would have a summary and listened intently as it is my Victober read seven years later ( from this video)...I read a Dickens each Victober as my father had an old complete set and I never spoke with him about it!!😢. A lost opportunity.

[@statuscold]

I enjoyed this series a lot. You have an amazing ability to deliver a significant amount of information in a short period of time in your videos. As others have commented, your excitement about these books is infectious. Thank you for the time, thought and effort you put into your videos.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thank you so much :)

[@nabhatthurakitseree3729]

I just knew that Pan Macmillion collectible library also has Our Mutual Friend in the new version. Hope you have one, it is really beautiful!😊

[@knittingbooksetc.2810]

It’s April 2021 and I’m reading Our Mutual Friend because of this video. I’m loving every moment of it. It’s so comic. It’s made me laugh out loud several times. Eugene Wrayburn is my favourite character. But there are so many other interesting characters. Jenny is so great. I love Mr. Boffin as well. I’ll never forget his description of Mr. Wegg’s job. “Professionally he declines and he falls.” 😂

[@katiejlumsden]

Yay, so glad you're enjoying it! It's just such a wonderful book.

[@1qwasz12]

"Come up and be dead with us". - The entire theme of the book in one sentence.

[@LutherStarling]

My favourite Dickens novel is David Copperfield but I also loved A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, as well as Dombey and Son - though those are my favourites, I've also enjoyed most of his other novels. However, I struggled to finish Our Mutual Friend - for some reason, I found it harder to 'get into it', but having watched this video review, I'm looking forward to returning to Our Mutual Friend. Thank you for this review!

[@katiejlumsden]

David Copperfield is a wonderful novel. I hope you enjoy Our Mutual Friend when you return to it!

[@princessnottoosure6413]

Just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your videos. I have watched your videos after finishing each dickens book and I adore dickens and you talking through them helps me to understand the books deeper and points out any plots that I missed or didn't quite understand. They have been perfect. Dickens has become my favorite author and David copperfield has become my favorite book of all time.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks so much! Dickens is the best!

[@danlucking8718]

Whenever I finish a Dickens book, especially Our Mutual Friend, I feel a pang of sadness like I am parting with friends. I have read many books but have only ever felt this way about Dickens stories.

[@curiousworld7912]

I feel much the same. :)

[@veronicaeasterbrook7698]

My first Dickens was A Christmas Carol. I’m a bit vague about the circumstances. Books were handed out in class and we were required to read whichever landed on our desk. At about 8 or 9 years old I was dubious about this exercise but once started I remember being gripped and it even occupied ‘playtime’. I didn’t go looking for more Dickens but as I came across them through life I had no trouble reading them. Now in my eighties it became one of my life pleasures and I have read most of them several times, and watched tv/film adaptations. Yes Our Mutual Friend is also one of my favourites. It’s good to see such enthusiasm in a younger person - may they give you many hours of pleasure through your life. This comment is made using my wife’s name (similar age but more tech wise)

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! Dickens is an amazing writer, and I've already got so many hours of joy from Dickens in my life so far!

[@mb1968ca]

I share your enthusiasm for all the wonderful works of Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend is my second favorite Dickens book after A Tale of Two Cities. I also watched and have on DVD the 1998 adaptation of Our Mutual Friend and also found it very good. Greetings from California.

[@katiejlumsden]

Hi! I'm glad you also like Our Mutual Friend - it's just such a great one :)

[@ayram617]

Just stumbled on your channel. Love it 😊

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks so much!

[@jessica-fcm]

I just bought Our Mutual Friend and High Expectations because you talk so highly of them! I'm looking forward to reading them! I love to watch you talk about Our Mutual Friend and you are so passionate about it which makes me all the more curious to read it! I'm quite ashamed to say I never read anything by Dickens, but I suppose it's never too late to start, right? :) It's quite nice to hear a person talking about their favourite things like this, with so much enthusiasm, I find it quite endearing, it almost makes me want to start a KZbin channel and talk about my favourite things too!!!

[@katiejlumsden]

I really hope you enjoy it :D

[@mikesnyder1788]

Once more I have very much enjoyed another of your excellent book reviews! While you read and enjoyed Our Mutual Friend at age 14, I am just finishing this astounding novel by Charles Dickens at the age of 74! I agree with you that this novel covers so many interesting topics (greed and avarice, duplicity, the trials of the working class, the treatment of female characters) I have one small problem with the novel and that is the fate of the unfortunate Simon Wegg. I mean, after all, he was just trying to get on in life and the challenges facing him are simply enormous I realize that any good Dickens novel needed a villain or two but I so enjoyed his early exchanges with Mr. Venus when the latter described the problem he faced with his sweet heart because she viewed their prospective union "in a bony light." That exchange between the two of them was absolutely superb. And his pitiful allegiance to "our house" wherein dwelt 'Miss Elizabeth,' ' Master George,' 'Aunt Jane,' 'Uncle Parker' was painfully delightful. Truly, a great novel. Kind regards from USA!

[@michaelblum4557]

Gf and I just started the 1998 tv series and are in absolute love with it. Think I might read the book - and then watch in full this video! My literary tastes have never brought me to or kept me long in this place and time, but some of these fine adaptations (OMF, north and south, mayor of casterbridge) might finally pull me into the 19th cent anglo wave.

[@nedmerrill5705]

I know you did this video years ago...I'm just reading Our Mutual Friend now for the first time, I'm about 1/2 way through. Mr. Venus in my reading is mostly a taxidermist, more so than a "buyer and seller of bones." (And Mr. V. is not above stuffing humans.) Just what I gather from my reading... Great video. Your enthusiasm for this novel got me to start reading it, and it is a corker! Thank you!

[@tonyd3266]

We love you! from The Dickens family

[@StaceyandLeanna4evs]

I am currently in a play of Our Mutual Friend and stumbled across your video whilst looking for background information. You have inspired me to read the book and also helped massively to understand characters that weren't included in our adaptation alongside how dickens intended his characters to be. Thank you !

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! I highly recommend reading the book - it is a wonderful and fascinating book and I'm sure will help with the play. I'm curious - which character are you playing?

[@StaceyandLeanna4evs]

Books and Things I'm playing rogue riderhood!

[@katiejlumsden]

A great part! Enjoy :)

[@davidwright7205]

Wow! I understand you liking it because it was your Mum's favourite book. My own Mum's favourite novel was David Copperfield, a much brighter novel, which I have read twice.. The drawback to Our Mutual Friend for me is the restlessness of Dickens. It would be so much better if he could just stick to a smaller number of characters and their goings on but he has to constantly drag as many people as possible into the story and flit from one to the other with effect that the novel seems more a series of stories rather than one story. That said, the dominance of money, people's concern with it and its corruption of people flows darkly throughout the novel like the river Thames to the extent that money could be described as the real our mutual friend. That DVD which you mention is very helpful for checking up on your understanding of the plot.. I am mid way through reading the novel. I think just reading to the end of this novel once will be a great achievement. Best wishes to everyone...

[@jam-nc8ut]

To begin - I absolutely love your enthusiasm! I am just reading Our Mutual Friend for the first time, at the grand old age of 39. I can't believe it has taken me until now to get to it. It is one of only 3 or 4 of Dickens novels I haven't read, but as I am reading (I am up to Book 3, Chapter 5), I am already sure that it is going to be one of my favourites. My absolute favourite is Bleak House, and the characters, the atmosphere and the uniquely Dickensian story of OMF, are proving to be right up there with Bleak House. I look forward to watching many more of your videos, I love anyone with a passion for literature, and though your knowledge, no doubt, way surpasses mine, I share that passion.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying Our Mutual Friend so far. It is certainly my favourite, but I love Bleak House an awful lot too and I think if you love Bleak House you'll definitely continue to enjoy Our Mutual Friend :)

[@jam-nc8ut]

I'm so close to the end now, and I am already preparing to miss it. I think it is going to be second only to Bleak House, in my own personal Dickens chart. All I have left now (in terms of novels, I know there is much to read as well as the novels, but still...) is Dombey and Son and Barnaby Rudge. I have read the first 50 pages of Dombey, and I already love it, but I fear Barnaby Rudge...I have a copy of it, but have barely opened it. It just seems...difficult. However, you can't read all but one of any author, so I will get to it before too long!

[@katiejlumsden]

Dombey and Son is a real treat, my second favourite after Our Mutual Friend! Barnaby Rudge is an interesting one and does have a lot of good points, though it's certainly not my favourite. Enjoy :)

[@pmarkhill519]

Based upon your passionate explanation, I plan to make the reading of this book a priority!

[@BTSarmy-ll6uy]

Did you read !! How was it?!

[@DrSchor]

I am 70 years old and have enjoyed dickens for decades, I like your intelligence and eloquence. What did you study in school, did you achieve a bachelors degree or a masters? Your enthusiasm has encouraged me to read mutual friend again . Since high school I have liked all the bbc shows on masterpiece theatre. I remember when they came on in the early 1970s you had to be home to watch them, the reception was not always clear, we had black and white tvs in our home, and there was no hope, at the time, of ever seeing an episode again. Try to realize how fortunate you are to have dvds, full cast radio plays, and audiobooks. I like the dickens stories so well I enjoy them in all mediums. And the other victorian novels. And I have all Sherlock holmes memorized. If you have not yet done so, try reading sherlock and watching Jeremy Brett. Conan Doyle is not as good a writer as dickens but you seem to be the sort of person who would like the sherlock stories. Conan has the skill of creating vivid, memorable, and unusual characters that were realistic. Dickens is credited with coming up with the first detectives to be a big part of the plot with Bucket and Naget.

[@katiejlumsden]

I did a BA in English Literature and History and then an MA in Creative Writing. And yes, I do love the Sherlock Holmes stories a lot.

[@suzipam1234]

I was so excited to read this as you said it was your favourite. I’m left wondering, as Great Expectations, Nickolas Nickelby etc etc why would this book be your favourite?

[@ellenkingsley]

I love the relationship between Lizzie and Eugene and how it develops slowly

[@katiejlumsden]

Me too!

[@raquelsenra3977]

I love your enthusiasm! It's impossible not to wish to read all of Dickens novels after watching these videos! The ones that caught my interest the most were Little Dorrit and Our Mutual Friend (of course!). Already got them on kindle and hope to read them soon!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Raquel Senra Brilliant :) I love both of them so much and hope you enjoy them too!

[@maryrush9518]

I don't know when you made these videos on Dickens (I'm not very KZbin literate) but I just watched them all. I'm a retired teacher in California who reads mostly classics, biographies and history in my leisure. I was so happy that your number one was Our Mutual Friends - I have read it (on my iPhone) four times, even though I have a paperback copy too, with illustrations. I loved it. I've also read Bleak House four times because of Esther and the sweet ending. But its dark theme about the legal system's dysfunction made it harder to relate to. I have not read Barnaby Rudge - didn't't even know it existed until your report! So I have downloaded it and will read it soon. I found your channel while looking online for info about a possible trip to London, seeking a tour about Dickens. There are several. Maybe I'll find you too. Now I will look for your other reviews!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thank you :) These are quite old videos, but my love of Dickens remains. I hope you enjoy Barnaby Rudge, and have a good Dickens tour in London!

[@y0utubeu5ername]

So glad I found your channel. I tend not to read books but rather I listen to the unabridged audiobook versions. Listening to this novel read by a great voice actor (David Timson) is a real treat. It's my favourite Dickens Novel and my favourite character is Silas Wegg. My second favourite Dickens Novel is Nicholas Nickleby, and I especially like Wackford Squeers.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks :) I really enjoy audiobooks too, and really need to reread Our Mutual Friend on audiobook in the future.

[@kategoman2969]

y0utubeu5ername I'm also listening to David Timson read Our Mutual Friend. I'm enjoying so far. I'll let you know what I think of it after I finish the book, Katie. 😊Xx

[@kevinrussell1144]

Sell made; I have the book on order. I'll let you know how I get on with it.

[@mishelly]

I think I will love Our Mutual Friend as well! I think I particularly love the topics of wealth and class system so I get along very well with the themes Dickens tends to use in his books!

[@javiermorales5106]

I love your vigorous love for Dickens! You’ve inspired me to start with Great Expectations!! Then I shall read Our Mutual Friend!

[@katiejlumsden]

I really hope you like them both :)

[@tattoofthesun]

My friend and professor and lifelong mentor said Bleak House was his favorite, he was a Shakespeare scholar who recently passed away and so I'd never gotten to ask what he thought of Our Mutual Friend

[@Patsylang449]

I really enjoyed your review - your obvious enthusiasm for the book is contagious, and your observations are so interesting. Have you read “Against the Flow” by I A Annetts? It is a more positive interpretation of Dickens’ analysis of London, and of society, contemporary changes and the continuing need for reform. Many of your thoughts are echoed in that book, I’d love to know if you agree with the author’s conclusions?

[@steveforsyth7269]

I've very much enjoyed watching you videos as I complete each novel. On your recommendation I saved this one for last. It definitely is among his best. I have to say, though.. and maybe oddly, my favorite three were TALE OF TWO CITIES, OLD CURIOSITY SHOP, and MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. There was something to like in each novel, of course, and I don't know that I could really do an official ranking without re-reading them each several times. I can say, however, that my absolute LEAST favorite had to be BARNABY RUDGE. Probably the only one I doubt I'd read again.. followed closely by NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. All the rest were very good.

[@sarahhall4107]

Fantastic series! I'm sad that it is finished. Thank you for doing these videos, I am now hopeing that the daunting feeling that I have always had with Dickins books will be replaced with excitement! You have certainly ignited a spark of reading willingness! :)

[@katiejlumsden]

+Sarah Hall Thank you very much! I think the size of his books can make them feel a bit daunting, but they really are brilliant :)

[@joshbryant6366]

just finished this masterpiece! i love jenny wren so much i could cry😭

[@elisabethbuckley5725]

I too love "Our Mutual Friend " and came to it via a TV adaptation done in the 1970s with Lesley Dunlop as Lizzie Hexam. Loved your enthusiasm.

[@katiejlumsden]

I must watch that version sometime :)

[@mosreads9535]

It's going to be weird not watching this every day anymore. I'm currently re-watching Little Dorrit (my roommate hadn't seen it yet), and enjoying reading Our Mutual Friend. I will probably have to re-watch that adaptation as well when I finish. :)

[@katiejlumsden]

+Mo's Reads. Both such brilliant adaptations! And it's always interesting rewatching them after you've read the books and noticing the changes. I adore the Our Mutual Friend adaptation (although it does always annoy me that they changed Jenny Wren's age!)

[@sudeeptapradhan8427]

you inspired me to read Dickens. I started by reading A CHRISTMAS Carol and ever since I have been hooked to Dickens. thanks 😊😊

[@katiejlumsden]

Hooray! I hope you enjoy all the Dickens :)

[@TheLightofAniu]

I adore Dickens and all his novels, but Bleak House is my top favourite - but I desperately desperately want to read Our Mutual Friend, because of your enthusiasm for it, and for the fact I’ve heard that it’s actually very darkly comic and that it’s wonderfully full of flavour and brilliant characters. I intend to get a copy of Our Mutual Friend and I intend to read his Journalism 1850 - 1870 and Selected Short Fiction. Thank you for the encouragement through enthusiasm to read this book. I love our channel and when you talk all things Dickens

[@katiejlumsden]

I really highly recommend Our Mutual Friend - if you like Bleak House, I think you'll like it too.

[@AustinWohlwend12]

Now that this series is over I don't know what I'll do. Haha, this was wonderful, thank you for exposing us to all of the Dickens!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Austin K. Ha thank you very much - I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

I have just finished "The Old Curiosity Shop" and was wondering which Dickens novel to tackle next, your enthusiasm for "Our Mutual Friend" has sold it on me...

[@katiejlumsden]

I hope you enjoy it!

[@donpjen515]

I love your enthusiasm for Dickens. Did you know of his admiration for Fielding? He named one of his sons Henry Fielding Dickens. From David Copperfield: "My father had left a small collection of books in a little room upstairs, to which I had access (for it adjoined my own) and which nobody else in our house ever troubled. From that blessed little room, Roderick Random, Peregrine Pickle, Humphrey Clinker, Tom Jones, the Vicar of Wakefield, Don Quixote, Gil Blas, and Robinson Crusoe, came out, a glorious host, to keep me company. They kept alive my fancy, and my hope of something beyond that place and time, - they, and the Arabian Nights, and the Tales of the Genii, - and did me no harm; for whatever harm was in some of them was not there for me; I knew nothing of it. It is astonishing to me now, how I found time, in the midst of my porings and blunderings over heavier themes, to read those books as I did. It is curious to me how I could ever have consoled myself under my small troubles (which were great troubles to me), by impersonating my favourite characters in them - as I did - and by putting Mr. and Miss Murdstone into all the bad ones - which I did too. I have been Tom Jones (a child's Tom Jones, a harmless creature) for a week together. I have sustained my own idea of Roderick Random for a month at a stretch, I verily believe." I'd love your take on Tom Jones when you get around to it.

[@katiejlumsden]

One day I'll get to it!

[@sharynmontclair]

Thanks for giving me my next book to read.

[@Daventis]

Our Mutual Friend is my favourite Dickens book too, I was about eighteen when I first read it back in the eighties, and it's still my favourite now. I love the multitude of plots, so many, all intertwined. And all the humour sitting under the narrative was wonderful. It was so uncommon in those times to show women in poverty, make them relatable and yet NOT rescue them from that squalor, but instead show them as succeeding in their sphere. Dickens - like another favourite author of mine, Emile Zola - went where most Victorian authors were afraid to go. And the Lammles! A brilliant subplot.

[@katiejlumsden]

Our Mutual Friend is amazing! I love it so much. I must read some Zola soon.

[@ve6753]

Wow. Had I gone on for 19 minutes about my favorite novel my orientation would have been entirely different from yours, but that I enjoyed (and very much appreciated) your presentation is, I suppose, a testament to Dickens' depth. I will definitely check out the video. You know what? Though perhaps in the minority here, I really enjoyed the one season of Dickensian, the liberties taken with the pasts and futures of our favorite characters, the indoor atmospherics, the *whole* *idea*, and was sad when it was discontinued. Any opinion there? Just curious. My favorite French novel btw is Charterhouse. Happy future reading!

[@BeDutch21]

I agree, it is my favorite book also. So brilliant. I've read it many times.

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm glad - what a great book :)

[@analuizatorres6210]

Hi, this is my first book in inglish that i read. I am brazilian, and i stay with an question who killed the two first bodys? I loved the book but when i finished i was a little confused. Can somebody help me?

[@curiousworld7912]

I believe Rogue Riderhood is who you're referring to. :)

[@teaspoones]

You made me add so many Dickens novels to my to buy list. Our Mutual Friend sounds so brilliant! I need to get a copy of it!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Jackie teaspoons Thank you, that was the plan :P Our Mutual Friend is such a brilliant, brilliant book :)

[@markbendig555]

I'm halfway through it right now. Nice to hear your enthusiasm for it!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks :)

[@s0dafizz50]

I found this video through the 1976? Version of it on the bbc! I’m definitely going to read this book

[@pinker9111]

Have you seen lost? I love the whole plot that revolves around Desmond and our mutual friend! I absolutely loved it and what it represented. Desmond became my favorite character just because of that reason. I didn't know if you mentioned it or if you seen lost.

[@katiejlumsden]

I have not! Perhaps I should watch Lost, if only for the Dickens references.

[@richardkennedy5620]

Our Mutual Friend is my favorite book...after The Pickwick Papers

[@katiejlumsden]

Both are brilliant!

[@AmandaQuotidianBooks]

This series has been so much fun! I absolutely love author spotlights, and you extending those to a sennight and fortnight were just fabulous! I'm so excited to buddy read Our Mutual Friend later in the year! I'm not sure I'll be able to wait that long to pick Dickens up, though....

[@katiejlumsden]

+Amanda Center (IntrovertX) You'll just have to find another Dickens book to read before then :P And yep, I have no idea how I'd manage to do a Dickens author spotlight in a mere one video, so it was great to have a lot of time to talk through all his books :)

[@danlucking8718]

I am very near finishing The Old Curiosity Shop and Our Mutual Friend is next on my list. I am looking forward to it.

[@OliviaReadinglikeamadwomanPope]

This sounds like such an amazing book! And thank you very much for What the Dickens - it's been a roller coaster!! :D

[@katiejlumsden]

+Olivia Pope (Reading like a mad woman) Thank you :) I'm glad you enjoyed it, and yes, Our Mutual Friend is such a brilliant book!

[@johnreese7590]

Hello again my young friend ! i have now completed the 14 novels. Barnaby Rudge was my last about one year ago; the few scenes with Barnaby and his mother are perhaps the most moving of all his books. ( Jenny Wren notwithstanding of course !) also, loved Dombey ( thanks!) and Little Dorrit has an extreme soft spot for me. It takes some time away to reflect and get a true ranking in one's heart. HOPING YOU ARE WELL

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! :)

[@lw3646]

It's interesting how different people can have totally different things they take away from a story and how they rank a book. For me it's not one his very best ones. I just didn't really believe the dual identity under cover mission story, it just didn't ring true for me. A lot of the book's setting is very grim, London is described as being like a prison, there isn't the same affection for many of his characters we had in Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol or the Old Curosity Shop. The characters are more mature and less larger than life than his earlier books. The different plot strands don't weave together as well as other novels though I did like the Lizzie Hexam plot.

[@jaredburdett2110]

Love the video! I'd like to read this book. I heard people talking about it on some Netflix movie. It's not the kind of book I usually read, but it sounded really good. My problem is the internet has several abridged and unabridged versions for sale. How do I know which one is best?

[@katiejlumsden]

I recommend unabridged, and the Penguin Classics blackspine edition is good.

[@stevep327]

This was a fantastic series, I very much enjoyed it. What a shame it has to end! I have never seen anyone speak so enthusiastically about Dickens before, it was quite funny (in a good way) watching your excitement build as the weeks went by. At one point during this video I thought you were going to implode! I will definintely be revisiting your videos as I make my way through his novels, I think I will start with Our Mutual Friend (possibly followed by Bleak House). It will be quite strange watching you speak non-Dickens from now on :) I'm looking forward to any future series' you have in store.

[@katiejlumsden]

+parsnip 1 Thank you so much :) And yes, I find it hard to talk about Dickens for too long without getting too excited :P I do hope you enjoy Our Mutual Friend and Bleak House - let me know what you think!

[@nedmerrill5705]

Ok, I just finished Our Mutual Friend, and I enjoyed it very much. There are some great characters in there. I want to tell you my most favorite part and and my least favorite part (an aspect of one of the characters I don't really understand...). My favorite part can be localized to Book 2, Chapter 6. This is the chapter where Mr. Wrayburn and Mr. Headstone dispute head to head, and Mr Wrayburn keeps his cool and Mr. Headstone is burning hot. The dialog is tremendous here; I was cheering for Wrayburn, he's my kind of man. The sequence is a foretelling; it tips Headstone completely over to the Dark Side of his character, tormenting him to give Wrayburn what he deserves. My least favorite aspect is ... how can Bella stand to stay in the same household where everyone in it (at the end where she is supposed to live happily ever after) has played her for such a fool throughout the entire novel? They all kept the most important secret from her! A minor quibble for such a superb entertainment! Again - thanks for suggesting the novel.

[@georgerodriguez7699]

Loved it ! Agree...our mutual friend ❤️

[@christophergould8715]

What do you think about Henry James and do you think he is influenced by and reacting against Dickens?

[@annep8803]

Hello, apologies for coming so late to the party, but like you my two favourite Dickens novels are OMF and D&S. Just re-read D&S and watched your video on that novel so had to watch this one and I agree with what you say that it seems to sum up all the characterisations and themes from earlier novel. Haven't read it for a while but will definitely go back to it now. Find myself quoting Jenny Wren a lot - "I know your tricks and your manners" and I fell in love with Eugene Wrayburn when I first read this novel and was utterly drawn into the world of the book. Possibly it's the best of his novels for giving you the characteristic sweep through all of society from top to bottom. You haven't mentioned the fault that is generally mentioned re Mr Boffin's descent into miserhood (plot spoiler, say no more), but maybe that's something that just makes you/me love it more. Interested to know where you stand on Wilkie Collins - generally much better with women characters than his pal CD.

[@katiejlumsden]

Yes! I love Jenny Wren so much, and it's such a great novel. Yes, I do agree about the fault to do with Mr Boffin, as it were - it is a weird bit, and I feel it's not perfect, but I still absolutely adore the book! I like Wilkie Collins; I've read I think five of his books, liked most, hated one (The Two Destinies, which a weird novel). Interesting that you find him better with female characters than Dickens as that hasn't really been my experience. However, maybe I'd feel differently if I excluded The Two Destinies from that. Poor Miss Finch is my favourite, and she's a great character.

[@annep8803]

@@katiejlumsden Ha ha I am now completey (re-)obsessed with OMF. I have just received a copy of the DVD (sorry, not the 1990s one but the 1976 one which is the one I remember from my youth and obviously made a great impression on me) and I can't wait to start the book again! I think the "supporting cast" of Dickens' women are great - goes without saying - but I've tended to find some of the leading women a bit wet. However, I take on board what you say which is persuading me that whilst Wilkie's women tend to do more exciting and controversial things (thinking e.g. of Lydia Gwilt the wonderful anti-heroine of Armadale, Magdalene in No Name, or Marion in Woman in White), characters like e.g. Florence Dombey/Amy Dorrit/Lizzie Hexam/Little Nell remain on the surface the submissive young, angelic women that Victorian society expects, but do have complex inner lives - not to mention a sense of purpose and thread of steel which drives them through the story. Happy reading!

[@csquared4538]

You speak with Hermione-like energy and floatiness. I'm certain that's not a word, but for some reason that's what came to my mind. I'm also aware I'm referencing Harry Potter, and even worse, the movies, on a video that's about Dickens... But there it is. I'm definitely going to check out some Dickens. I know this book only from Desmond from Lost tv show here in America. But you've piqued my curiosity.

[@johnreese7590]

Love that you are doing this stuff. Great insights you have, all. The "reveal " about the Boffins was also brilliant. Love Bella's family dynamic., etc etc... Wow what a book Little Dorrit and Nick Nickleby are my second and third faves. Just ordered Dombey and Sons on your recommendation !

[@katiejlumsden]

+John Reese Thank you :) I hope you enjoy Dombey and Son - I love it so much!

[@sewind6613]

Such an amazing, enthusiastic, and informative video. I found this at the right time for me---although I had to change your speed to 75% in order to keep up with you, and so I did not miss anything. :)

[@katiejlumsden]

A wise move! My more recent videos are slowed to 85% before I even put them up!

[@1977ajax]

Never read it, but just started watching the old British TV version with Leo McKern as Boffin. What do you think of that series, please?

[@katiejlumsden]

I haven't seen that one!

[@jakobtanner2523]

Such an amazing series Katie! I’m in awe of your ability to produce so many videos haha. I’ve also been waiting you to talk about Our Mutual Friend because I wanted to ask you (and I can’t remember if I ever asked you) - what did you make of the ending? I remember some of the twists (one in particular) being a bit “mehhhh”, like infamously mehhh. That opening on the Thames is dope tho!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Jakob Tanner Thank you :) I don't think I'll be producing videos is quite so great a quantity for a while thought, it was fun but exhausting XD *big spoilers for Our Mutual Friend below* As for the ending, I do love it, because I love all of it. But yes, the reveal relating to the Boffins is very silly and very unbelievable, and I have a hunch that Dickens wrote himself into the kind of narrative hole that surely can only come with serialised novels where you can't go back and change stuff, and then he wrote himself out in a somewhat ridiculous manner. Or you can read it that the Boffins start out trying to pretend and then it goes a bit wrong - like Mr Boffins thinks he's pretending when actually he has got carried away with the money and it's just seeing how people like the Lammles behave that shocks him out of it. I don't know. It's a bit silly but I'm sort of very fond of it anyway. And for all that the twist doesn't quite work, I'm glad that bit of the plot is there - the scene where Mr Boffin dismisses Rokesmith is like one of my favourites in the whole book!

[@1qwasz12]

"Ah!" said Jenny. "But it's so high. And you see the clouds rushing on above the narrow streets, not minding them, and you see the golden arrows pointing at the mountains in the sky from which the wind comes, and you feel as if you were dead." The little creature looked above her, holding up her slight transparent hand. "How do you feel when you are dead?" asked Fledgeby, much perplexed. "Oh, so tranquil!" cried the little creature, smiling. "Oh, so peaceful and so thankful! And you hear the people who are alive, crying, and working, and calling to one another down in the close dark streets, and you seem to pity them so! And such a chain has fallen from you, and such a strange good sorrowful happiness comes upon you!" Her eyes fell on the old man, who, with his hands folded, quietly looked on. "Why it was only just now," said the little creature, pointing at him, "that I fancied I saw him come out of his grave! He toiled out at that low door so bent and worn, and then he took his breath and stood upright, and looked all round him at the sky, and the wind blew upon him, and his life down in the dark was over!-Till he was called back to life," she added, looking round at Fledgeby with that lower look of sharpness. "Why did you call him back?" "He was long enough coming, anyhow," grumbled Fledgeby. "But you are not dead, you know," said Jenny Wren. "Get down to life!" Mr Fledgeby seemed to think it rather a good suggestion, and with a nod turned round. As Riah followed to attend him down the stairs, the little creature called out to the Jew in a silvery tone, "Don't be long gone. Come back, and be dead!" And still as they went down they heard the little sweet voice, more and more faintly, half calling and half singing, "Come back and be dead, Come back and be dead!”

[@curiousworld7912]

What a lovely passage. I've always loved this bit of the book. :)

[@christophergould8715]

What do you think about Gradvrind and Sissy Jupe and Bounderby and Mrs Sparsit in Hard Times

[@KnowledgelostOrgOnline]

Such a wonderful two weeks of Dickens, you might need a rest but a Bronte week would be awesome. No one was surprised this was going to be the last book in this series.

[@katiejlumsden]

+Knowledge Lost Yep, I think I do talk about Our Mutual Friend enough! I'll certainly be back to a more relaxed two videos a week from now on (well, potentially until Bronte week, but we'll see). I swear my weekends for the last month have been entirely filled with talking about Dickens to a camera. This weekend maybe I'll do some reading instead :P

[@radiantchristina]

i just finished Our Mutual Friend. I have to admit, i dnf'd it twice in the last few months and then one day, i felt like picking it up again and this time i couldn't put it down. While I'm still trying to get used to Dickens' writing style, I absolutely adored it.

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it in the end :)

[@Nibelungenherr1876]

My favorite Dickens novel. :) Thank you for this video, your enthusiasm is admirable!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks - and glad to hear you love it too!

[@johnreese7590]

I will be finished in a day or two. I'm 53 yrs old, read my first three Dickens......, Great Expectations, Tale of Two Cities, and Hard Times, in my early 30's...... moved onto the longer ones some time ago. This is def. my favorite. All are great.

[@katiejlumsden]

+John Reese I'm glad you're loving it too :)

[@johnreese7590]

+Books and Things hahaha, i thought Eugene was a a goner ! glad he pulled through. My favorite lines were ......" My name, is Lizzie Hexam" ( when she found Ms Higdon ) and........Mis Ter Roke Smith ( when Bella was telling the cherub about her potential suitors ) But my fave character, is of course.....Jenny Wren ! ( i know your tricks and manners ) Thanks for sharing your stuff !

[@katiejlumsden]

Yes, I am so glad your favourite character is Jenny Wren! She is brilliant!

[@WinaPuangco]

I have a feeling I will end up buying a lot of the later Dickens books that you've mentioned; in particular, Our Mutual Friend, Little Dorrit & Great Expectations. :)

[@katiejlumsden]

+Wina Wonders Ah thank you so much :) I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And I do hope you enjoy reading some Dickens this year!

[@krogspy332]

Dickens est depuis toujours mon auteur préféré et j'ai la même reproduction que vous (Dicken's Dream).

[@nowvoyaging8881]

Very much enjoyed this series and I would love to see a Bronte series too!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Liz L Thank you :) I'd certainly love to make a Bronte series - although I have no idea how I'd order them :/ and I'd probably better actually read Shirley first. I'd better add that to my TBR for March!

[@tattoofthesun]

Just thrilling to have a personal opinion well-researched, personal, life-long in its testing and weathering, from a humble and seasoned reader! Wonderful work, my friend! Right on and read on! Poetry? Favorite poets might we see in a future video?? :) make it all just as you've done - I hope your career is filled with your passing on this love to future generations of readers

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! I don't talk much about poetry here as, while I enjoy it, I don't read it nearly so much. However, I do have a few poetry videos coming up soon :) My favourite poets are probably Thomas Hardy, Christina Rossetti and Tony Harrison.

[@ClaireQuigleyQuip]

Katie, you are a machine! I'm so impressed by this series, it's amazing. I've never read "Our Mutual Friend", but you have made me really want to check it out. And may I add - bring on the Brontes! xx

[@katiejlumsden]

+Claire Quigley (ClaireQuip Reads) Thank you :) It was great fun to make, though a lot of work. Our Mutual Friend is so good and I so highly recommend it. I'd certainly like to make a Bronte series, though I'd better hurry up and read Shirley first. (And possibly reread Agnes Grey. It's been a while...)

[@kestrelmuse]

You are so correct in using the word 'brilliant' many times. In this book , a marvelous work of great genius there are so many people of high nobility and integrity. To name the ones that come to mind: the Boffins, Lizzie H., Mortiner L., Mr. Riah, Mr. Venus., John Harmon. Then there was the lowest in nobility: the scoundrel Wegg.

[@katiejlumsden]

Agreed! So many brilliant characters.

[@signore1043]

I think your remarks inadvertently point out the weaknesses of many "modern" novels. Modern characters usually lack nobility and integrity and are rarely so interestingly described.

[@ingeborgalbrecht296]

kestrelmuse don't forget the awfuk Fledgby

[@thedesperaterun5980]

oh my goodness. I'm on page 300 of Our Mutual Friend right now. I got excited when you drew the connection between Eugene Wrayburn and Sydney Carton. I, too, noticed this and hope (I've got 500 pages to go) this stays the case, as Sydney Carton is one of my favorite characters of all time.

[@katiejlumsden]

I really hope you carry on enjoying Our Mutual Friend :) Eugene and Sydney always remind me of each other.

[@paulgaunt9481]

Preciate what you do. Big fan.