Our Mutual Friend

Of all the Dickens I've read ... Our Mutual Friend remains my favorite. -- Jane Smiley.
A young man returns from abroad to claim his inheritance -- but he never arrives and is presumed to have drowned in the Thames. Mr. and Mrs. Boffin, a warmhearted, working-class couple, are the next heirs in line, and their generosity is tested when their windfall opens the door to a vast gallery of scoundrels, strivers, and social climbers.
Charles Dickens's genius for observing and characterizing people from every walk of life sparkles in this, his final complete novel. The great storyteller's cast of extraordinary personalities ranges from grasping Mr. Podsnap and greedy Silas Wegg to selfless Lizzie Hexam, insanely jealous Bradley Headstone, and spoiled Bella Wilfer, whose initial disappointment paves the way for a change of heart. Blending elements of mystery, horror, romance, and farce, Dickens paints a brooding portrait of the minds and motives of desperate people as well as a delightful satire of middle-class snobbery.