The Mutual Friend
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- Synopsis
- This is an extremely intimate portrait of the last years of Charles Dickens' life, with flashbacks to his earlier years, told through the perspective of several people who were close to him including his personal tour assistant, his wife, his mistress, and a housemaid. Though Dickens cared for these people, their wellbeing was subordinate to the demands of his art and career. He met his responsibilities as a husband, father, friend, and employer, but though he was always perceptive, he was kind one moment and cruel the next, devoted to them one month and repulsed by them the next. In turn, they admired and loved him even through their outrage. The author describes the body and mind, their sexual needs, their addictions, and the horrific manifestations of their decline and death in chilling detail. The novel covers Dickens public readings of his works, the rigors of travel while he was on tour, his life with his family and friends at his country house, his creative process, and his grappling with the knowledge he is dying. The description of his former servant's suffering as a homeless alcoholic, and his death in a pauper's hospital is nightmarish, profound and moving. This is a challenging novel, rich in historic and biographical detail, with multiple personal and universal themes to ponder. This rare book is a literary work of art. There are graphic descriptions of sex, sex organs, violence, physical illness, and death.
- Copyright:
- 1978
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Book Size:
- 228 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9780060105273
- Publisher:
- N/A
- Date of Addition:
- 04/11/07
- Copyrighted By:
- Frederick Busch
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Biographies and Memoirs, Literature and Fiction
- Submitted By:
- Amber W
- Proofread By:
- Lissi
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.