Bleak House

Book Description

7 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Many consider this to be Dickens best, and though I definitely haven't read enough of his works to put a superlative on this book, it was quite good. The book presents an excellent cross-section of societal Victorian characters, from the high to the low to the middle. These caricatures are what ma ... (continue)

  Many consider this to be Dickens best, and though I definitely haven't read enough of his works to put a superlative on this book, it was quite good. The book presents an excellent cross-section of societal Victorian characters, from the high to the low to the middle. These caricatures are what makes the work great more so than the story itself. Though I would never recommend Bleak House as a first Dickens book for anyone to read, it is excellent for anyone who has previously tasted, and enjoyed, his style.

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  Bossdog said on Aug 1, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  My favourite Dickens book, I could read this over and over. It has so much depth, and fantastic memorable characters. It's both fun and dark all at the same time. Pure genius.

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  Jackie P said on Jul 24, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  How can you review Dickens? To do so would be an injustice.

  Charles Dickens, our very famous 19th century author, who has been read and re-read over such a long period of time. I read my first Dickens at school, David Copperfield followed by Nicholas Nickleby, and boy did I find him boring! Afte ... (continue)

  How can you review Dickens? To do so would be an injustice.

  Charles Dickens, our very famous 19th century author, who has been read and re-read over such a long period of time. I read my first Dickens at school, David Copperfield followed by Nicholas Nickleby, and boy did I find him boring! After all, I was not long in high school and the old fashioned writing was not the easiest to decipher. That is the complaint about Dickens, the detail, the intricacy of plot and the language in terms of which character he is writing. It has taken me into my adulthood just to realise how clever Charles Dickens was as an author. His own upbringing was a difficult one, he was sent to work at the age of 12 years, while his father served time in the debtors prison, he was not exactly privileged. It is with this knowledge that Dickens is able to write so clearly and descriptively about poor London.

  I watched Bleak House on television and had a little advantage before reading the book of understanding the story. Bleak House the book is quite a tome! This is my third Dickens in recent years and I have to say I found Great Expectations easier to read. It was quite difficult to get into Bleak House with all the different characters, especially in the first half of the book. Where do they fit in? What have they got in common? However, it all knits together very nicely in the end. The names Dickens gives to his characters are absolutely brilliant and this is where you find his humour. Who else would name his parliamentary candidates Coodle and Doodle, even though they are not particularly relevant to the plot. Mr Turveydrop and his son Prince and their characterisations, Mr Guppy, Peepy Jellyby etc. The names are particularly well suited and I found I could picture these characters quite clearly. It took me a good three weeks to finish this novel but I was reading other books at the same time. However, I don't think I could have read it from cover to cover without other lighter fayre to keep me going.

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  Booketta said on Apr 18, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  Amazed by Dickens.

  I spent a week reading in the bath, in bed, at playtimes, at university. It was a total revelation to me. I hadn't realised you could use language in such a rich and elegant way.

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  Middlemarch said on Feb 20, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Even though it is not a kind of delighted story, I do like the novel written by Charles Dickens.

  This story is related to Jarndyce and Jarndyce. An enormous number of people held on their hope on the inconclusive case. They hoped the money would change their lives, but in the end all had paid for l ... (continue)

  Even though it is not a kind of delighted story, I do like the novel written by Charles Dickens.

  This story is related to Jarndyce and Jarndyce. An enormous number of people held on their hope on the inconclusive case. They hoped the money would change their lives, but in the end all had paid for lawyers.

  Although some criticised Mr Jarndyce for the proposal and the new bleak house. However, all he done were based upon his kindness and it was the best decision in the 19th century.

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  Philosophiae said on Aug 7, 2010 | Add your feedback

• wiki says it's somewhat different fm his big hits in terms of style and mood. hope it was fine.

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  Tszhok said on Jun 11, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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Book Details

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• English Books
• Others
• ISBN-10: 0395051045
• ISBN-13: 9780395051047
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin College Div
• Pub date: Jan 01, 1956
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Library Binding and eBook
• In other languages: other languages Libros en Español, Libri Italiani

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Groups with this in collection

• The Novel 100 (106)
• England England (1200)

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