Our Mutual Friend
by Charles Dickens
When the body of an unknown man is dragged from the river Thames, a series of complications involving the will of a wealthy man entangle the lives of several Londoners.
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About This Book
Our Mutual Friend is the last of Charles Dickens’ novels, published serially between 1864 and 1865. Like many of Dickens’ works, it addresses social concerns like how the poor and destitute are treated, but tempers these more serious themes with humor and satire.
The novel opens with the retrieval of the body of a drowned man from the Thames river—a body which is identified as that of John Harmon, heir to his father’s huge fortune. What happens to this fortune and to the other people named in the will make up a large part of the complex plot.
Though Our Mutual Friend wasn’t especially well regarded at the time of publication, its critical reputation has improved in later years. It has been adapted into several silent films, but its length and the complexity of its plot make it more suitable for long-form television, with several successful adaptations having been made.
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Public domain in the United States. Users located outside of the United States must check their local laws before using this ebook. Original content released to the public domain via the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.