Our Mutual Friend

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: David Timson

Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

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?

The man's death affects members of all levels of a society permeated with greed. Dickens presents an array of characters both touching and humorous, from Mr. Boffin, the "Golden" Dustman, to Jenny Wren, the lame doll-dressmaker. It is a story enriched by disguise and intrigue, while the River Thames, symbolising both polluted and renewed life, weaves through it all - in this, the last novel Dickens completed.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2008 Naxos Rights International

Critic reviews

"David Timson reads Dickens' last complete novel with a sense of fun.... [A] wonderful listen for Dickens fans and novices alike." (Publishers Weekly)

Great book, but this version is NOT unabridged

This is one of Dickens' best books. My reason for this review is to PROTEST the outrageous false representation of this as an unabridged version. After finishing the book (which I greatly enjoyed) I went online to read what others had to say about the characters. It was there that I learned that IMPORTANT CHARACTERS and all the chapters relating to them WERE COMPLETELY OMITTED from this so-called unabridged version. For example, I learned that in the full book there is a Mr. Riah, a Jew who is kind and gentle who worked with a Mr. Fledgeby a money lender, but neither of them appear in this audio book at all. Both had important roles in the un-butchered book but all chapters relating to them are gone. I further found that many other chapters were also dropped in their entirety. It is disappointing and annoying to have spent many hours listening to this book only to find I did not get the whole story. Audible should make it clear that this is a significantly ABRIDGED version. Even if some would want a cut version of this master's book, all should be told in advance that this is what this version is - perhaps making clear what characters are omitted and what other portions of the book are cut out so listeners can make an informed choice. This is why I do not give this 5 stars overall. The narrator is excellent as is the story.

Beautifully edited.

Dickens very much needed an editor for the full length version of his novel. This ia superbly done. Narration by David Timson is beyond excellent.

A Victorian Soap Opera!

Any additional comments?

Apparently, this is the last complete novel written by Charles Dickens. Certainly, it is not his best.The number of characters in this novel is astounding. The situation is worsened by the fact some of them change their name (more than once) ... and that some others change their personality, apparently for no reason.There are many convoluted plots that do often not intersect each other significantly. Any pretense of verisimilitude is abandoned.In this audio version, the narrator’s outstanding performance alleviates the burden.Still, this work cannot be seriously recommended to anyone.