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A review by knkoch
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a tale. This is a sprawling story with dozens of characters, 2 narrators, and a timeline spanning many years. It’s set in 1850s (or 40s?) Britain, yet felt so relevant to me. Dickens has such a sharp, incisive way of bringing your entire attention to poverty and the willful blindness of the privileged that allows it. It’s also a mystery, and a tragedy, and deeply funny, warm, and hopeful in human nature. I really needed it this past month.
I read David Copperfield this spring (quarantine book), and I was surprised at how engaged and moved I was. I tried to read Bleak House last winter, but didn’t get very far. The Wordsworth edition I have provided a lot of really helpful historical context, as well as clarified the 2 narratives. I’m so encouraged to read other Dickens books now, as I’d previously only read a Christmas Carol and Tale of Two Cities (but ages ago).
I read David Copperfield this spring (quarantine book), and I was surprised at how engaged and moved I was. I tried to read Bleak House last winter, but didn’t get very far. The Wordsworth edition I have provided a lot of really helpful historical context, as well as clarified the 2 narratives. I’m so encouraged to read other Dickens books now, as I’d previously only read a Christmas Carol and Tale of Two Cities (but ages ago).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death