Other editions of book Our Mutual Friend

Our Mutual Friend opens with a grim scene: the discovery of a dead body in the river Thames. Documents indicate that the man is John Harmon, heir to a vast fortune amassed from dust heaps (mounds of discarded rubbish and coal dust, which could be both scavenged for valuables and resold to be recycled into new materials). His father, Old Mr. Harmon, was notoriously cold and greedy, and had alienated his son, leading to John Harmon living abroad for years. When he died, old Mr. Harmon's will had stipulated that his son could only inherit the fortune if he married a woman of his father's choosing. If John Harmon refused to do so, the fortune passed to Noddy Boffin, an employee who had faithfully served the Harmon family for decades.With the ruling of John Harmon's death, Boffin and his wife are suddenly elevated to vast wealth and high social standing. The death also seriously impacts another family: the woman old Mr. Harmon had selected as a bride for his son is Bella Wilfer, the daughter of a modest clerk. Her prospects of becoming very wealthy upon her marriage are now destroyed, and Mr. and Mrs. Boffin show sympathy for her situation by having her come and live with them. The discovery of the body and the surprising transfer of the fortune also sends ripples of impact through a wide-ranging cast of characters of very different backgrounds. The body is discovered by a man named Gaffer Hexam who makes a living retrieving bodies from the river, but this particular discovery casts suspicions on whether he might have had something to do with the death, and those suspicions are publicized and promoted by another riverman, Rogue Riderhood. Two lawyers, Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn, are involved in the recovery of the body and the confirmation of the identity; as a result of this process, Wrayburn observes Gaffer's young daughter Lizzie, and is struck by her beauty. The rise of the Boffins creates a social stir among a circle of new money London families who cluster around the wealthy and socially ambitious Veneerings; it also impacts a street peddler named Silas Wegg, who is hired by Boffin to come and read to him. Last but not least, shortly after the discovery of the body, a secretive man named John Rokesmith first takes lodgings at the Wilfer house, and then is later hired by Mr. Boffin to act as his private secretary

A satiric magnum opus about the appeal and hazard of cash, Our Mutual Friend spins around the legacy of a residue pile where the rich toss their waste. At the point when the assemblage of John Harmon, the residue stack's normal beneficiary, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands shockingly, raising higher than ever "Noddy" Boffin, a low-brought into the world yet compassionately representative who turns into "the Golden Dustman." Charles Dickens' last finished novel, Our Mutual Friend envelops the incredible topics of his previous works: the demands of the nouveaux wealth, the openness of the trying poor, and the unfailing influence of riches to degenerate all who pine for it. With its delightful cast of characters and various subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens' generally unpredictable—and fulfilling—books.

Our Mutual Friend opens with a grim scene: the discovery of a dead body in the river Thames. Documents indicate that the man is John Harmon, heir to a vast fortune amassed from dust heaps (mounds of discarded rubbish and coal dust, which could be both scavenged for valuables and resold to be recycled into new materials). His father, Old Mr. Harmon, was notoriously cold and greedy, and had alienated his son, leading to John Harmon living abroad for years. When he died, old Mr. Harmon's will had stipulated that his son could only inherit the fortune if he married a woman of his father's choosing. If John Harmon refused to do so, the fortune passed to Noddy Boffin, an employee who had faithfully served the Harmon family for decades.With the ruling of John Harmon's death, Boffin and his wife are suddenly elevated to vast wealth and high social standing. The death also seriously impacts another family: the woman old Mr. Harmon had selected as a bride for his son is Bella Wilfer, the daughter of a modest clerk. Her prospects of becoming very wealthy upon her marriage are now destroyed, and Mr. and Mrs. Boffin show sympathy for her situation by having her come and live with them. The discovery of the body and the surprising transfer of the fortune also sends ripples of impact through a wide-ranging cast of characters of very different backgrounds. The body is discovered by a man named Gaffer Hexam who makes a living retrieving bodies from the river, but this particular discovery casts suspicions on whether he might have had something to do with the death, and those suspicions are publicized and promoted by another riverman, Rogue Riderhood. Two lawyers, Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn, are involved in the recovery of the body and the confirmation of the identity; as a result of this process, Wrayburn observes Gaffer's young daughter Lizzie, and is struck by her beauty. The rise of the Boffins creates a social stir among a circle of new money London families who cluster around the wealthy and socially ambitious Veneerings; it also impacts a street peddler named Silas Wegg, who is hired by Boffin to come and read to him. Last but not least, shortly after the discovery of the body, a secretive man named John Rokesmith first takes lodgings at the Wilfer house, and then is later hired by Mr. Boffin to act as his private secretary

A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap’s expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights “Noddy” Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes “the Golden Dustman.” Charles Dickens’s last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens’s most complex—and satisfying—novels.

Our Mutual Friend opens with a grim scene: the discovery of a dead body in the river Thames. Documents indicate that the man is John Harmon, heir to a vast fortune amassed from dust heaps (mounds of discarded rubbish and coal dust, which could be both scavenged for valuables and resold to be recycled into new materials). His father, Old Mr. Harmon, was notoriously cold and greedy, and had alienated his son, leading to John Harmon living abroad for years. When he died, old Mr. Harmon's will had stipulated that his son could only inherit the fortune if he married a woman of his father's choosing. If John Harmon refused to do so, the fortune passed to Noddy Boffin, an employee who had faithfully served the Harmon family for decades.With the ruling of John Harmon's death, Boffin and his wife are suddenly elevated to vast wealth and high social standing. The death also seriously impacts another family: the woman old Mr. Harmon had selected as a bride for his son is Bella Wilfer, the daughter of a modest clerk. Her prospects of becoming very wealthy upon her marriage are now destroyed, and Mr. and Mrs. Boffin show sympathy for her situation by having her come and live with them. The discovery of the body and the surprising transfer of the fortune also sends ripples of impact through a wide-ranging cast of characters of very different backgrounds. The body is discovered by a man named Gaffer Hexam who makes a living retrieving bodies from the river, but this particular discovery casts suspicions on whether he might have had something to do with the death, and those suspicions are publicized and promoted by another riverman, Rogue Riderhood. Two lawyers, Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn, are involved in the recovery of the body and the confirmation of the identity; as a result of this process, Wrayburn observes Gaffer's young daughter Lizzie, and is struck by her beauty. The rise of the Boffins creates a social stir among a circle of new money London families who cluster around the wealthy and socially ambitious Veneerings; it also impacts a street peddler named Silas Wegg, who is hired by Boffin to come and read to him. Last but not least, shortly after the discovery of the body, a secretive man named John Rokesmith first takes lodgings at the Wilfer house, and then is later hired by Mr. Boffin to act as his private secretary

A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap’s expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights “Noddy” Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes “the Golden Dustman.” Charles Dickens’s last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens’s most complex—and satisfying—novels.

A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap’s expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights “Noddy” Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes “the Golden Dustman.” Charles Dickens’s last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens’s most complex—and satisfying—novels.

Our Mutual Friend opens with a grim scene: the discovery of a dead body in the river Thames. Documents indicate that the man is John Harmon, heir to a vast fortune amassed from dust heaps (mounds of discarded rubbish and coal dust, which could be both scavenged for valuables and resold to be recycled into new materials). His father, Old Mr. Harmon, was notoriously cold and greedy, and had alienated his son, leading to John Harmon living abroad for years. When he died, old Mr. Harmon's will had stipulated that his son could only inherit the fortune if he married a woman of his father's choosing. If John Harmon refused to do so, the fortune passed to Noddy Boffin, an employee who had faithfully served the Harmon family for decades.With the ruling of John Harmon's death, Boffin and his wife are suddenly elevated to vast wealth and high social standing. The death also seriously impacts another family: the woman old Mr. Harmon had selected as a bride for his son is Bella Wilfer, the daughter of a modest clerk. Her prospects of becoming very wealthy upon her marriage are now destroyed, and Mr. and Mrs. Boffin show sympathy for her situation by having her come and live with them. The discovery of the body and the surprising transfer of the fortune also sends ripples of impact through a wide-ranging cast of characters of very different backgrounds. The body is discovered by a man named Gaffer Hexam who makes a living retrieving bodies from the river, but this particular discovery casts suspicions on whether he might have had something to do with the death, and those suspicions are publicized and promoted by another riverman, Rogue Riderhood. Two lawyers, Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn, are involved in the recovery of the body and the confirmation of the identity; as a result of this process, Wrayburn observes Gaffer's young daughter Lizzie, and is struck by her beauty. The rise of the Boffins creates a social stir among a circle of new money London families who cluster around the wealthy and socially ambitious Veneerings; it also impacts a street peddler named Silas Wegg, who is hired by Boffin to come and read to him. Last but not least, shortly after the discovery of the body, a secretive man named John Rokesmith first takes lodgings at the Wilfer house, and then is later hired by Mr. Boffin to act as his private secretary

A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap’s expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights “Noddy” Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes “the Golden Dustman.” Charles Dickens’s last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens’s most complex—and satisfying—novels.

A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap’s expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights “Noddy” Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes “the Golden Dustman.” Charles Dickens’s last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens’s most complex—and satisfying—novels.

Our Mutual Friend opens with a grim scene: the discovery of a dead body in the river Thames. Documents indicate that the man is John Harmon, heir to a vast fortune amassed from dust heaps (mounds of discarded rubbish and coal dust, which could be both scavenged for valuables and resold to be recycled into new materials). His father, Old Mr. Harmon, was notoriously cold and greedy, and had alienated his son, leading to John Harmon living abroad for years. When he died, old Mr. Harmon's will had stipulated that his son could only inherit the fortune if he married a woman of his father's choosing. If John Harmon refused to do so, the fortune passed to Noddy Boffin, an employee who had faithfully served the Harmon family for decades.With the ruling of John Harmon's death, Boffin and his wife are suddenly elevated to vast wealth and high social standing. The death also seriously impacts another family: the woman old Mr. Harmon had selected as a bride for his son is Bella Wilfer, the daughter of a modest clerk. Her prospects of becoming very wealthy upon her marriage are now destroyed, and Mr. and Mrs. Boffin show sympathy for her situation by having her come and live with them. The discovery of the body and the surprising transfer of the fortune also sends ripples of impact through a wide-ranging cast of characters of very different backgrounds. The body is discovered by a man named Gaffer Hexam who makes a living retrieving bodies from the river, but this particular discovery casts suspicions on whether he might have had something to do with the death, and those suspicions are publicized and promoted by another riverman, Rogue Riderhood. Two lawyers, Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn, are involved in the recovery of the body and the confirmation of the identity; as a result of this process, Wrayburn observes Gaffer's young daughter Lizzie, and is struck by her beauty. The rise of the Boffins creates a social stir among a circle of new money London families who cluster around the wealthy and socially ambitious Veneerings; it also impacts a street peddler named Silas Wegg, who is hired by Boffin to come and read to him. Last but not least, shortly after the discovery of the body, a secretive man named John Rokesmith first takes lodgings at the Wilfer house, and then is later hired by Mr. Boffin to act as his private secretary

A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap’s expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights “Noddy” Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes “the Golden Dustman.” Charles Dickens’s last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens’s most complex—and satisfying—novels.