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testaroscia's review against another edition
5.0
First Dickens in a very long time and I loved it. Loved the characters/caricatures, pacing was fine, descriptive passages rich and satisfying. Yes Esther is a saint but how can you not relish aMrs Jelleby, or old Smallweed, Inspector Bucket and old Turveydrop.
dunnadam's review against another edition
4.0
I have finished Bleak House, which I consider an accomplishment. I allowed about a month to finish it and it took two weeks, which I'm happy with. The pace was slow as after every chapter, especially in the beginning, I had to read a chapter summary and occasionally refer to a character list to keep track of who was who. I recommend SparkNotes, they have chapter by chapter summaries and an analysis after every five chapters. I had started to read an annotated edition of the book but there was footnotes every three lines which was ridiculous. One thing with SparkNotes though, they waited until chapter 47 or so to say that certain charters were named for their traits, I feel this could have helped me earlier! For example, Tulkinghorn is like skulking and horn is because he tells everyone's secrets, Bucket collects the information, etc.
I enjoyed the book. I'm not that used to working for my enjoyment but I think it adds to the overall experience by doing the work behind it. I don't think anyone could keep the story and characters straight here without reference and there were times I was reading and not really knowing what was happening, sometimes falling asleep. Dickens introduces so many characters and so quickly that I don't think it's possible to keep up. Even at the end of the book, with the character list and the analysis I still had questions. Where did Richard and Ada come from and who were they in relation to everyone else? Did they have parents?
So many characters and they come and go so quickly, sometimes in melodramatic fashion, like spontaneous combustion. Still what I really liked about this book was that it wasn't a romance like other Dickens I've read, the heroine wasn't perfect, she was physically flawed, and it didn't all focus on the upper class sipping tea and looking through their monocles. There was real people. One element I disliked though was that this is the third Dickens I've read, after Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend and this is the third in a row that features a mysterious benefactor. Speaking of which who was paying Skimpole's bills? The guardian guy seemed to have some strange friends.
Things I liked about the book, there were times when the setting was so real I could touch it. The opening chapter on the courthouse is brilliant. When he's not over-reaching on characters and plot Dickens can really transport you. I also liked the humorous elements, the woman with five kids who made them give all their money to charity and the old man who throws pillows at his wife and has to be carried on a chair everywhere, very imaginative and descriptive.
Overall a great read, a great trip through time for us now, and a wonderful work by the master.
I enjoyed the book. I'm not that used to working for my enjoyment but I think it adds to the overall experience by doing the work behind it. I don't think anyone could keep the story and characters straight here without reference and there were times I was reading and not really knowing what was happening, sometimes falling asleep. Dickens introduces so many characters and so quickly that I don't think it's possible to keep up. Even at the end of the book, with the character list and the analysis I still had questions. Where did Richard and Ada come from and who were they in relation to everyone else? Did they have parents?
So many characters and they come and go so quickly, sometimes in melodramatic fashion, like spontaneous combustion. Still what I really liked about this book was that it wasn't a romance like other Dickens I've read, the heroine wasn't perfect, she was physically flawed, and it didn't all focus on the upper class sipping tea and looking through their monocles. There was real people. One element I disliked though was that this is the third Dickens I've read, after Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend and this is the third in a row that features a mysterious benefactor. Speaking of which who was paying Skimpole's bills? The guardian guy seemed to have some strange friends.
Things I liked about the book, there were times when the setting was so real I could touch it. The opening chapter on the courthouse is brilliant. When he's not over-reaching on characters and plot Dickens can really transport you. I also liked the humorous elements, the woman with five kids who made them give all their money to charity and the old man who throws pillows at his wife and has to be carried on a chair everywhere, very imaginative and descriptive.
Overall a great read, a great trip through time for us now, and a wonderful work by the master.
paola_mobileread's review against another edition
3.0
It took me very long to finish this book - one reason is that after the first half I started finding it really tedious - true as it is that Dcikens' characthers are stereotyped vignettes, after all of them have been introduced, indulging on them felt very repetitive, and eventually wearisome. As for those few characters whose personality changes as the novel develops, it felt to me more of a mask falling off and revealing a different persona rather than the character being developed - most notably in the case of Lady Deadlock.
As for the women, they are indeed rather flat, and already midway through I could not stand Esther's properness and compassion, which to me were sickeningly sweet - she is probably the character that stirred the most violent reactions in me, though for the wrong reasons - and the passiveness with which she is so easily transferred from John Jarndice to Allan Woodcourt is one more aspect of her supineness.
In terms of the narrative tension, I wonder whether it suffered from the original serialization - if the various groups of chapters were released in monthly installments, I presume Dickens somehow had to "remind" the readers of the plot, so that many "surprises" had been announced quite a bit earlier (e.g. the first eyeing between Esther and Lady Deadlock has more than a hint to the relationship between the two).
As for the positives, I quite enjoyed the descriptions of London, and indeed I found a cinematic aspect to some of them. For instance, I can imagine a camera zooming away from Mr. Snagsby to fly with the crow into Mr. Tokinghorn's chambers in this description:
I also liked the vividness with wich lowlifers were described - in this respect I particularly liked Jo and Phil, who does not speak much and yet is very well characterised. And Mr. Tulkinghorn is also an interesting character to me - appearing out of nowhere, evil but in a principled way, with his little indulgences and shortcomings, like his overconfidence in his knowledge of human nature, that eventually leads him to a fatal misjudging of Hortense's reactions.
What I really found touching is the deep, passionate, desperate love of Sir Leicester, this most upright of man who is ready to forget all he stands for his fallen woman, and the description of the vigil was probably the most moving part of the novel for me.
Although I did not enjoy it very much while reading it, I have to recognise that the rather "flat" characters after all put together form quite a picture that did stay with me for a while.
(edited version of my own post in the Mobile Read Literary Book Club discussion)
As for the women, they are indeed rather flat, and already midway through I could not stand Esther's properness and compassion, which to me were sickeningly sweet - she is probably the character that stirred the most violent reactions in me, though for the wrong reasons - and the passiveness with which she is so easily transferred from John Jarndice to Allan Woodcourt is one more aspect of her supineness.
In terms of the narrative tension, I wonder whether it suffered from the original serialization - if the various groups of chapters were released in monthly installments, I presume Dickens somehow had to "remind" the readers of the plot, so that many "surprises" had been announced quite a bit earlier (e.g. the first eyeing between Esther and Lady Deadlock has more than a hint to the relationship between the two).
As for the positives, I quite enjoyed the descriptions of London, and indeed I found a cinematic aspect to some of them. For instance, I can imagine a camera zooming away from Mr. Snagsby to fly with the crow into Mr. Tokinghorn's chambers in this description:
The day is closing in and the gas is lighted, but is not yet fully effective, for it is not quite dark. Mr. Snagsby standing at his shop-door looking up at the clouds, sees a crow, who is out late, skim westward over the slice of sky belonging to Cook's Court. The crow flies straight across Chancery Lane and Lincoln's Inn Garden, into Lincoln's Inn Fields.
Here, in a large house, formerly a house of state, lives Mr. Tulkinghorn.
I also liked the vividness with wich lowlifers were described - in this respect I particularly liked Jo and Phil, who does not speak much and yet is very well characterised. And Mr. Tulkinghorn is also an interesting character to me - appearing out of nowhere, evil but in a principled way, with his little indulgences and shortcomings, like his overconfidence in his knowledge of human nature, that eventually leads him to a fatal misjudging of Hortense's reactions.
What I really found touching is the deep, passionate, desperate love of Sir Leicester, this most upright of man who is ready to forget all he stands for his fallen woman, and the description of the vigil was probably the most moving part of the novel for me.
Although I did not enjoy it very much while reading it, I have to recognise that the rather "flat" characters after all put together form quite a picture that did stay with me for a while.
(edited version of my own post in the Mobile Read Literary Book Club discussion)
dmfw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
elizkacz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
alexandre_rl's review against another edition
3.0
Un gros morceau en moins sur ma liste de livres à lire, mais aussi une grosse déception. Les personnages principaux m’ont tous semblé plus inintéressants les uns que les autres et l’intrigue m’a laissé complètement indifférent.
C’est long aussi, interminable même. Je sais que c’est un peu l’idée derrière, puisque c’est une critique du système de justice et des dossiers qui s’éternisent pendant des années jusqu’à l’absurdité, mais ça ne rend pas l’expérience agréable pour autant.
Dickens aurait sans doute pu couper dans le gras sans rien sacrifier de son message et sans perdre son effet. Un roman de 1400 pages, c’est déjà du sport, mais quand tous les personnages sont insupportables, c’est un supplice. Le roman est super bien construit et sa forme a même quelque chose de moderne, mais en définitive quand ni l’histoire, ni la psychologie des personnages, ni les dialogues ne captivent, il ne reste pas grand-chose. Je suis déçu, mais je vais survivre!
C’est long aussi, interminable même. Je sais que c’est un peu l’idée derrière, puisque c’est une critique du système de justice et des dossiers qui s’éternisent pendant des années jusqu’à l’absurdité, mais ça ne rend pas l’expérience agréable pour autant.
Dickens aurait sans doute pu couper dans le gras sans rien sacrifier de son message et sans perdre son effet. Un roman de 1400 pages, c’est déjà du sport, mais quand tous les personnages sont insupportables, c’est un supplice. Le roman est super bien construit et sa forme a même quelque chose de moderne, mais en définitive quand ni l’histoire, ni la psychologie des personnages, ni les dialogues ne captivent, il ne reste pas grand-chose. Je suis déçu, mais je vais survivre!
ameliawatt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
mjhj888's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I feel like the book is so long, the first half and second half deserve different star ratings. The first half was a real slog. I struggled to keep up with the characters and any sort of overarching plot. But it definitely picked up in the back half, and I think my overall reading experience was positive. I wasn't a huge fan as Esther as a narrator. She was a little too goody goody for me. But I definitely enjoyed the murder mystery element with Mr. Bucket and Lady Dedlock, and I thought Dickens wrapped up things up well...except for that ending...
phantomwise's review against another edition
5.0
I was a little suspicious at first when looking through the reviews for this book I found nothing lower than three stars at first glance, but I can now with confidence say that holy shit this is a Good Book, probably Dickens' best and one of the best I've ever read, certainly. 10/10, would read again.
ethanawang's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0