Our Mutual Friend (Modern Library Classics)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Down by the river, up from the river
  • Great Book Club Read!
  • Dickens at his best
  • Not worth every effort to read unless you've read rest of Dickens first
  • Our Mutual Friend was the last completed novel by the mutual friend of all readers: the inimitable Charles Dickens!
Our Mutual Friend (Modern Library Classics)
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
PaperbackPaperback | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Fiction BooksLook Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Teen BooksLook Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Dombey and Son (Modern Library Classics) Dombey and Son (Modern Library Classics)
  2. Bleak House (Penguin Classics) Bleak House (Penguin Classics)
  3. Martin Chuzzlewit (Penguin Classics) Martin Chuzzlewit (Penguin Classics)
  4. The Old Curiosity Shop (Penguin Classics) The Old Curiosity Shop (Penguin Classics)
  5. The Pickwick Papers (Penguin Classics) The Pickwick Papers (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 0375761144
Release Date: 2002-09-10

Amazon.com

Our Mutual Friend was the last novel Charles Dickens completed and is, arguably, his darkest and most complex. The basic plot is vintage Dickens: an inheritance up for grabs, a murder, a rocky romance or two, plenty of skullduggery, and a host of unforgettable secondary characters. But in this final outing the author's heroes are more flawed, his villains more sympathetic, and the story as a whole more harrowing and less sentimental. The mood is set in the opening scene in which a riverman, Gaffer Hexam, and his daughter Lizzie troll the Thames searching for drowned men whose pockets Gaffer will rifle before turning the body over to the authorities. On this particular night Gaffer finds a corpse that is later identified as that of John Harmon, who was returning from abroad to claim a large fortune when he was apparently murdered and thrown into the river.

Harmon's death is the catalyst for everything else that happens in the novel. It seems the fortune was left to the young man on the condition that he marry a girl he'd never met, Bella Wilfer. His death, however, brings a new heir onto the scene, Nicodemus Boffin, the kind-hearted but low-born assistant to Harmon's father. Boffin and his wife adopt young Bella, who is determined to marry money, and also hire a mysterious young secretary, John Rokesmith, who takes an uncommon interest in their ward. Not content with just one plot, Dickens throws in a secondary love story featuring the riverman's daughter, Lizzie Hexam; a dissolute young upper-class lawyer, Eugene Wrayburn; and his rival, the headmaster Bradley Headstone. Dark as the novel is, Dickens is careful to leaven it with secondary characters who are as funny as they are menacing--blackmailing Silas Wegg and his accomplice Mr. Venus, the avaricious Lammles, and self-centered Charlie Hexam. Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens's most satisfying novels, and a fitting denouement to his prolific career. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

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.

Download Description

Charles Dickens's last completed novel tells the story of a young man who must marry a stranger in order to win his inheritance. Wanting to learn the lady's nature, John Harmon fakes his own death and takes on a new identity. As the complexities of the deceit are revealed, Dickens gives us his most profoundly cynical, yet brilliantly funny, insight into the corruption of wealth on human nature. 40 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Down by the river, up from the river.......2007-07-18

The last completed novel by Dickens is also one of the darkest and, in my opinion, one of the best. The plot, as usual, is too dense and complex to be treatd here in detail. The story centers around one John Harmon, back from abroad to claim the inheritance from his deceased, horrible, and miser of a father. For reasons that are never explained (one of the several loose ends of the book), Old Harmon had set the condition that, in order for his son to receive the inheritance, he must marry a young, poor girl called Bella Wilfer, whom young Harmon had never met. One night, a guy whose trade was to recover things -and bodies- from the fetid Thames, along with his daughter, finds a corpse, which is later identified as that of John Harmon. Mysterious characters appear to have an interest in the affair, but the fact is that, missing the first-choice heir, the fortune must go to the Boffins, long time employees of Old Harmon. By the way, Old Harmon's source of fortune is a very strange one: he was a Dustman, apparently someone who trades in garbage and other discarded objects. The Boffins are an old, childless, good, charming, and ignorant couple. Feeling sorry for the death of beloved Johnny, and owing to a sense of reparation, they practically adopt Bella Wilfer. They also hire as their secretary an old tenant of the Wilfers, the mysterious John Rokesmith, who falls in love with the arrogant and pretentious Bella.

What follows is a mad, symphonic, convoluted tale of ambition, corruption, passion, crime, and revenge, as well as of confused identities. All in a tone of farce and black -but very funny- humor. Dickens paints his very own London, dark, wet, fetid, inhuman. The characters travel up and down the Thames, through St. James, the Temple, the City, etc., crossing time and again the dangerous river. They come and go all the time. The two young ladies, Bella and Lizzie Hexam, the daughter of the man who first recovered the body, are subject to mad passions, especially the latter. There are dozens of subplots, all worth reading. Dickens mocks just about every kind of people in London: business, politics, social habits. Most characters are mean and ridiculous. The vividness of the situations is witness to the enormous creative powers of this great writer.

Thre are too many characters to sketch them all here, but some memorable ones are: Miss Jenny Wren ("I know your tricks and your manners"), the dolls' dressmaker, smart, cynical, penetrating, beautiful and handicapped, as well as her pathetic drunkard of a father. Silas Wegg, "a man of letters and with a wooden leg", a sinister rascal who tries to dispossess the Boffins through blackmail, and his associate, Mr. Venus, embalmer and taxidermist, always sitting in his dark parlour, surrounded by phaetuses in bottles. Bradley Headstone, who literally gets crazy about Lizzie. Rogue Riderhood, the common criminal of the Thames. The most outrageous one is an usurer, a petulant and despicable pseudo-dandy called Fascination Fledgeby.

It's true: in contrast with most great writers of the XIX Century, Dickens does not create human beings. He creates cartoons. In fact, at least for me, some passages of the novel are more easily imagined as cartoons than as people. But, as Anthony Burgess put it, "Language and morality add dimensions to his cartoons and turn them into literature". This is an enormously funny book, well worth your dedication through its many pages. Some people criticize him for leaving subplots open and for not tying it all up close circle. Who cares, his power with words is extraordinary and his landscape of characters unforgettable.

5 out of 5 stars Great Book Club Read!.......2007-07-17

Great book club pick! Many plots to follow and tons of discussion. For people who typically read Oprah books, this is not an easy read. If you enjoy classics and can get through the period type of writing, this is a great book. I would read reviews first so you can get the general feel. Also good to note: Gets much easier after the first 250 pages. Hang in there and it is soooo worth it.
This should be a book taught in high school. Lots of issues of that time to discuss and learn from.

5 out of 5 stars Dickens at his best.......2007-05-02

This is by far my favorite novel by Dickens. I couldn't put it down. Dickens draws you in to his world like nobody else is able to do. I am still trying to find that feeling of satisfaction that Our Mutual friend gave me after I completed it. Amazing novel.

3 out of 5 stars Not worth every effort to read unless you've read rest of Dickens first.......2007-01-02

Difficult to get your head round and finish unless you really love Dickens - which I do. This is not one of his best and so by Dickens' standards a failure. It was the last novel he finished and it lacks the optimism and wit of many of his other works. If you have to read this for study purposes, good luck to you. If for leisure, I personally would read another Dickens, say David Copperfield, Hard Times, Great Expectations, Pickwick Papers, Bleak House or Little Dorrit.

5 out of 5 stars Our Mutual Friend was the last completed novel by the mutual friend of all readers: the inimitable Charles Dickens!.......2006-11-21

A dark and dangerous night along the foggy Thames. Lizzie Hexam and her father Gaffer retrive a dead man from the icy waters. During the next 900 pages the name of the victim will be explained. Along the way we will meet such characters as:
the nouveau riche family of the Veneerings. He becomes a Member of Parliament entertaining the fatuous Miss Tippins, the timorous Twemlow and an assorted miscellany of rogues (such as the greedy Mr. and Mrs. Alfred
Lammle) in high Victorian satire worthy of Thackery in Vanity Fair.
The Golden Dustman Mr. Boffin who inherits the estate of the rich John Harmon is a slow-witted old man who gets the infamous Silas Wegg and the antiquarian Mr. Venus to sit with him on long evenings. Wegg reads Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire to the old man while seeking ways to discovered hidden treasure in the dust heaps contained on the Boffin property.
Love stories abound. Bella Wilfer who falls in love with John Rokesmith (we learn his identity as the novel concludes) was affianced to the "late"
heir of the Harmon estated who is missing and presumed murdered.
Lizzie Hexam is courted by lawyer Eugene Wrayburn and the odious schoolmaster Bradley Headstone who has murder in his heart and lust on his mind.
The novel is dark with fine illustrations by Marcus Stone adding to the pleasures of this three decker.
One lacks the exuberance and joy of the earlier Dickens but in this late work one still marvels at the mastery of the genius of Dickens. Like a black widow spider he has the ability to tie all the plots together in a web of murder, intrigue, mystery and romance.
This 1865 novel will hold your interest; exciting your imagination and keep you up nights in quest of answers to this "novel noire" of long ago.
Our Mutual Friend
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Our Mutual Friend
    Charles Dickens
    Manufacturer: Bounty Books
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    HardcoverHardcover | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Teen BooksLook Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    ASIN: 051725705X
    Our Mutual Friend
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Our Mutual Friend

      Manufacturer: Books, Inc.
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      HardcoverHardcover | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      Look Inside Teen BooksLook Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
      ASIN: B000ARGZCK
      Our mutual friend. By Charles Dickens.
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Our mutual friend. By Charles Dickens.
        Michigan Historical Reprint Series
        Manufacturer: Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
        United StatesUnited States | History | Historical Reproductions | Formats | Books
        ASIN: 1425534880
        Release Date: 2005-12-20

        Book Description

        This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program.
        Our Mutual Friend: Book 1
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Our Mutual Friend: Book 1
          Charles Dickens
          Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          PaperbackPaperback | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 0543857905
          Release Date: 2000-11-16
          Our Mutual Friend Volume II [EasyRead Comfort Edition]
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Our Mutual Friend Volume II [EasyRead Comfort Edition]
            Charles Dickens
            Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            PaperbackPaperback | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            Look Inside Teen BooksLook Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
            Font Size 13Font Size 13 | Alternative Formats | Formats | Books
            ASIN: 1425050794
            Release Date: 2006-12-01

            Book Description

            A novel with diverse sub-plots that are intricately and ingeniously linked together. Like all other fine works of Dickens, this novel also has a brooding atmosphere and the characters are put to severe moral tests. Centring on the theme of money and how the power of money can change and shape lives, it is an intricate mystery that unravels revealing the true characters.
            Our Mutual Friend (BBC)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Our Mutual Friend (BBC)
              Charles Dickens
              Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
              GeneralGeneral | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              PaperbackPaperback | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              ASIN: 0140270841
              Our mutual friend. By Charles Dickens (Boz.) With fortyone illustrations. From designs by Marcus Stone.
              Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
              • Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Comedy, + Terror.
              Our mutual friend. By Charles Dickens (Boz.) With fortyone illustrations. From designs by Marcus Stone.
              Michigan Historical Reprint Series
              Manufacturer: Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              GeneralGeneral | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
              United StatesUnited States | History | Historical Reproductions | Formats | Books
              ASIN: 1425557600
              Release Date: 2005-12-22

              Book Description

              This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program.

              Customer Reviews:

              4 out of 5 stars Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Comedy, + Terror. .......2006-07-28

              To be sure, Charles Dickens lived on for 5 more years after he finished this book, but he was very ill when he wrote it. Nevertheless, "Our Mutual Friend" shows some of Dickens's strongest writing. (Fortunately, this book unlike "Edwin Drood" was finished.) This book consists of several plots that actually come together very well. We are introduced to Graffer Hexham and Riderhood. They take part in criminal activity together, but Mr. Hexham is starting to get cold feet and wants out. Riderhood is guilty of murder, and the victim is supposedly the wealthy John Harmon. Well, someone did die. But it wasn't John Harmon. He uses the alias of "Rokesmith" and becomes a clerk in Mr. Boffins's employ. Moving on, Alfred Lammle and Sophronia marry under the impression that the marriage is financially beneficial. It isn't, and they decide to get revenge by making everyone miserable. They want to put Georgiana Podsnap in a bad marriage. The Lammles are intimate in public, but cold in private. People claim that Dickens did not like lawyers, but quite a few like Mr. Perker, Mr. Snubbins, Mr. Stryver, Mr. Jaggers, and Mr. Grewgious come off quite well. (I myself don't share the opinion. There are some bad lawyers, but as I pointed out, some come off very well.) Mortimer Lightwood is yet another lawyer that seems to come off well. Along with Eugene Wrayburn he is investigating the murder. Riderhood says the dead Graffer Hexham confessed to the murder. But we can hardly believe this. We later meet the school master Bradley Headstone. He is full of impressive knowledge and musical talent. When Bradley and Eugene meet, Eugene makes some uncalled for comments, and Bradley keeps his words civil, but his fists clench. (Indication of the horror to come.) Interestingly, Eugene's friend Lightwood thinks Eugene's persuit of Lizzie Hexham (the object of Bradley Headstone's desire) is inappropriate. We later meet Riderhood's daughter who does not approve of her father's criminal actions. About half way through the book, Rokesmith reveals to us (and no other character) that he is the presumed dead John Harmon, but he is not sure if he should reveal to the world he is alive. (Dickens seemed to like the technique of people being presumed dead, when in fact they were not.) Well, Boffin must know because Harmon changed his will in Boffin's favor. By some miracle, the miserable Lammles make it to their 1st anniversary, though Sophronia is starting to feel guilty about the plot against Georgiana. Then comes the romance plot. "Rokesmith" likes Bella (who has a position in the Boffins' house), but Bella is more concerned about marrying into money. (Though she never stops loving her poor father.) If "Rokesmith" tells all, he could probably have her, but how does he know she really loves him? We might speculate that this reflects Dickens's relationship with the much younger Ellen. Did she love him just because he was Charles Dickens? Well, Silas Wegg and Mr. Venus discover the altered will of John Harmon and blackmail Boffin with it. One flaw is that Boffin doesn't confront them with the truth. (The reason is obvious. If he tells what he knows, the story is ruined.) Bradley Headstone is still sad that Lizzie seems to prefer Eugene, and Headstone degenerates to the point of forming an alliance with the dark Riderhood. Well, in a stage where Mr. Boffin and "Rokesmith" bluff very well, they argue to the point where "Rokesmith" is terminated and Bella is in despair. (The motive is obvious, but Bella doesn't know it.) Well, Bella and "Rokesmith" fall in love and agree to marry. (Though we may wonder if Harmon/Rokesmith is enjoying this too much.) Moving on, Georgiana Podsnap comes into some money and like an angel is willing to help the Lammles. In a moment of insanity and rage, Bradley Headstone (disguised as Riderhood) assaults Eugene and almost kills him. Though, unlike Bill Sikes (from "Oliver Twist") Bradley Headstone does regret and suffer for his actions. Lizzie and Eugene marry and of course Eugene gets better. It may be that Charles Dickens himself knew John Harmon went too far with his joke when he almost gets arrested for his own murder! But he gets off and he brings Bella into the typical romantic happy ending. Sadly, Bradley Headstone is not part of the story's happy end. But he goes out with such style. He has a dramatic confrontation with Riderhood and Charles Dickens writes his arguably most frightening line ever for Bradley Headstone to speak: "I'll hold you living, and I'll hold you dead!" Overall, this is a great book that has romance, suspense, mystery, comedy, and terror. We should be thankful that despite his failing health, Charles Dickens lived to finish it.
              Our Mutual Friend
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Our Mutual Friend
                Charles Dickens
                Manufacturer: J M Dent & Sons
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover

                Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                HardcoverHardcover | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: B000IG44DK
                Charles Dickens's Works: Illustrated: Our Mutual Friend Volume II (Volume 2)
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Charles Dickens's Works: Illustrated: Our Mutual Friend Volume II (Volume 2)
                  Charles Dickens
                  Manufacturer: Fields, Osgood, and Co.
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Hardcover

                  Dickens, CharlesDickens, Charles | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                  GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
                  GeneralGeneral | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                  HardcoverHardcover | Dickens, Charles | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                  ASIN: B000NCIMRI

                  Flash for Freedom! (Flashman)
                  Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                  • Flashman And the Peculiar Institution
                  • Jolly Good Read
                  • One of the best of the series
                  • Layering dark satire onto the diciest of subjects
                  • Flashman comes to America
                  Flash for Freedom! (Flashman)
                  George MacDonald Fraser
                  Manufacturer: Plume
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

                  ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                  LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                  Similar Items:
                  1. Flashman at the Charge (Flashman) Flashman at the Charge (Flashman)
                  2. Royal Flash (Flashman) Royal Flash (Flashman)
                  3. Flashman's Lady (Flashman) Flashman's Lady (Flashman)
                  4. Flashman and the Redskins (Flashman) Flashman and the Redskins (Flashman)
                  5. Flashman in the Great Game: A Novel (Flashman) Flashman in the Great Game: A Novel (Flashman)

                  ASIN: 0452260892

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars Flashman And the Peculiar Institution.......2007-06-14

                  One of the finest in what is likely the greatest series of historial comic novels ever. Harry Flashman is one of Victorian England's most decorated heros and its most craven coward and in this book finds himself unwillingly thrust headlong by his own Scottish merchant father-in-law into the slave trade. During this book, Flashy poses as slave raider, government anti-slave agent, overseer and slave stealer. As always, Flashy's quest to entrench himself in the Garden of Earthly Delights along with his unrivaled ability to create enemies propells him from a quiet card game with Disraeli and friends inexoribly along a twisted and tortuous road that will continue on to Africa, Cuba and New Orleans and in other novels will find him accompanying John Brown on the Harper's Valley raid (Flashman and the Angel of the Lord) and eventually to the Battle of the Little Big Horn (Flashman and the Indians) which he survives to his own great astonishment. Among the cast of unforgettable characters he meets is the mad cashiered Oxford Don and slave ship captain, John Charity Spring, who lashes his crew with the cat and numerous classic Latin quotations. Abraham Lincoln makes several unforgettable appearances as well. Not for the prudish or the PC crowd, but there's scarcely any equal to it for both enlightenment and entertainment.

                  4 out of 5 stars Jolly Good Read.......2007-04-20

                  Time to write a Flashman review. Historically astute as I am, I've found the Flashman papers an easy and enjoyable method with which to buff up on history in the 19th century. This is my third encounter with Flashy. Had a blast with each one, but the subject matter in Freedom was somewhat more familiar than the first (Flashman) and second (Royal Flash) offerings. Fine with me, I learned much in the first two. Not for the squeamish or prudish, Flash finds his way to America aboard a slave ship and works his way North on the underground railroad. Coward that he is, Flashy let me down in the final packages. What a cur! Regardless, I'll continue with his exploits and let you know how he's doing. All for now... ta-ta.

                  5 out of 5 stars One of the best of the series.......2006-07-10

                  Unbelievably funny. From the first brilliant sentence, we have the pleasure of being witness to a series of non-stop, hilariously horrendous mishaps visited upon poor, despicable Harry Flashman. The plot is as tight and the writing as crisp and witty as any book in the series.

                  In "Flash for Freedom", MacDonald Fraser puts old Flashie through a wringer as incredible as it is unbelievably harsh. From a high-powered political house party, during which he puts the moves on Fanny Duberly and makes mildly anti-Semitic comments to future PM Disraeli, Flashman is politically ruined when he almost murders a man, is then forced by his malicious Scotch father-in-law to lay low on what Flash later discovers is a slave ship, goes on a slaving expedition in Africa, fights the American Navy, is coerced by the Underground Railroad into running a supercilious slave to freedom up the Mississipi, then becomes a slave driver on a Southern plantation, eventually being forced into slavery himself, subsequently escaping to freedom with an attractive octoroon, inspiring "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and running into Abe Lincoln along the way. MacDonald Fraser somehow makes it all seem plausible. Phew! As usual, we learn a good deal about history. Although Flashman couldn't give two pence about slavery, GMF paints a vivid picture of the brutality and corruption of the institution, while pointing out the necessary complicity of the Africans themselves and the naive romanticsm of the Abolitionists towards the slaves. John Charity Spring, one of the best characters in the Flashman series, is introduced in this novel. As with all of these books, you'll learn something through your laughter.

                  5 out of 5 stars Layering dark satire onto the diciest of subjects.......2005-12-11

                  Flashman is shown at his vile best in this installment of his saga. Signed unknowingly onto a slave ship by his malicious father-in-law to get him out of the country following a scandal, Flashman plunges up to his whiskers into that century's nastiest business. Sailing under an insane, Latin-quoting captain, who brings his tea-serving, equally insane wife along for the voyage, Flashy's misadventures take him from the Slave Coast of Africa to the whorehouses of New Orleans, from the back roads of Mississippi to the frozen Ohio River. Fraser's research into the slave trade is compelling; this is one of the more detailed fictionalizations of the slave trade in most of its horrors that I've ever read. The author gets credit for layering his dark satire onto this diciest of subjects, not something every author would have dared, and not sparing it in the least. It is, of course, almost the perfect vehicle for Flashman's unPC sensibilities, if the reader will forgive the anachronism. His encounter with Abraham Lincoln is absorbing even while satirical; Fraser presents a Lincoln with a frontier-tuned wit that penetrates further than can the capital's shallower sophisticates .

                  4 out of 5 stars Flashman comes to America.......2004-05-21

                  Fraser has created another excellent Flashman adventure. The first half (or so) of the book concerns how Flashman ends up serving unwillingly in the crew of a slaving ship (after running afoul of his despicable father-in-law). The second half of the book - a bit weaker than the strong first half, I think - involves Flashman's exploits in the American South after he gets dragooned into helping the Underground Railroad. Flashman encounters a soon-to-be retiring Congressman Lincoln a couple of times during the course of the novel, and these scenes should be fun for fans of Abe.

                  The plot is strong, the pacing very fast, as we've come to expect from Flashman, and the dialogue is lots of fun. Fraser's historical accuracy is as good as ever. This is the third Flashman book I've read, and it's almost as good as the first book in the series ("Flashman"), which I liked quite a lot, and it's considerably better than "Royal Flash," the second book in the series. I'd recommend "Flash for Freedom" to anyone who's enjoyed the series so far. As with other Flashman books, if you're easily offended by bawdy - though not obscene by any stretch - language or activities, you should take a pass on this one.
                  Amistad Wahala - Freedom's Lightning Flash: The White House Under Fire
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    Amistad Wahala - Freedom's Lightning Flash: The White House Under Fire
                    Joseph B. Lambert
                    Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    HistoricalHistorical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    ASIN: 0759622671
                    Flash for Freedom
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      Flash for Freedom
                      George MacDonald Fraser
                      Manufacturer: Signet
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Mass Market Paperback
                      ASIN: B000NLTOOY
                      Flash Frames: Twelve Years Reporting Belfast (Politics from Blackstaff)
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        Flash Frames: Twelve Years Reporting Belfast (Politics from Blackstaff)
                        Mark Devenport
                        Manufacturer: Blackstaff Press
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Paperback

                        IrishIrish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                        GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                        HistoricalHistorical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books | British | Canadian | General | Holocaust | United States
                        GeneralGeneral | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                        JournalismJournalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
                        GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
                        20th Century20th Century | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
                        GeneralGeneral | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
                        TroublesTroubles | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
                        TerrorismTerrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
                        GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
                        ASIN: 0856406740
                        Freedom Songs: A Tale of the Underground Railroad (Graphic Flash)
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          Freedom Songs: A Tale of the Underground Railroad (Graphic Flash)
                          Trina Robbins
                          Manufacturer: Stone Arch Books
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Paperback

                          1800s1800s | Fiction | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
                          Action & AdventureAction & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
                          Comics & Graphic NovelsComics & Graphic Novels | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
                          GeneralGeneral | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
                          GeneralGeneral | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
                          ASIN: 1434204952
                          Flash For Freedom
                          Average customer rating: Not rated
                            Flash For Freedom
                            George Macdonald Fraser
                            Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
                            ProductGroup: Book
                            Binding: Paperback
                            ASIN: B000O8KOM2
                            Flash For Freedom
                            Average customer rating: Not rated
                              Flash For Freedom
                              George MacDonald Fraser
                              Manufacturer: Knopf
                              ProductGroup: Book
                              Binding: Hardcover
                              ASIN: B000MVTI4Q
                              Flash for Freedom
                              Average customer rating: Not rated
                                Flash for Freedom
                                George MacDonald Fraser
                                Manufacturer: Pan
                                ProductGroup: Book
                                Binding: Paperback
                                ASIN: B000NQC5BI
                                Flash for Freedom
                                Average customer rating: Not rated
                                  Flash for Freedom
                                  George M Fraser
                                  Manufacturer: SIGNET BOOKS
                                  ProductGroup: Book
                                  Binding: Paperback
                                  ASIN: B000VURDWC
                                  Flash for Freedom
                                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                                    Flash for Freedom
                                    George MacDonald Fraser
                                    Manufacturer: Pan Books
                                    ProductGroup: Book
                                    Binding: Mass Market Paperback
                                    ASIN: B000OWANV0

                                    Books:

                                    1. Our Town: A Play in Three Acts (Perennial Classics)
                                    2. Praise of Folly (Penguin Classics)
                                    3. Praise of Folly (Penguin Classics)
                                    4. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction
                                    5. Self-Reliance and Other Essays (Dover Thrift Editions)
                                    6. She Stoops to Conquer (Dover Thrift Editions)
                                    7. Sister Carrie (Signet Classics)
                                    8. Small Wonder: Essays
                                    9. Steppenwolf: A Novel
                                    10. Super Flat Times: Stories

                                    Books Index

                                    Books Home

                                    Recommended Books

                                    1. Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs, and Applications
                                    2. Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become
                                    3. Surfactants and Polymers in Drug Delivery
                                    4. The Virgin Suicides
                                    5. Watercolor for the Absolute Beginner: A Clear and Easy Guide to Successful Painting
                                    6. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
                                    7. Absolute Beginner's Guide to Home Schooling
                                    8. Cinderella's Revenge
                                    9. The Molecular Gaze: Art in the Genetic Age
                                    10. The Molecular biology of the yeast saccharomyces, life cycle and inheritance