Bleak House

by Charles Dickens
List(s):"Carp 500"
"Racine Library List"
Category: "Fiction - General"
Pages:818
Year of Publication:1853
Date Read:02/13/1993
Notes:The book is constructed around three great themes: the High Court of Chancery, whose endless litigation of Jarndyce and Jarndyce symbolizes the murky institutional fog surrounding all England; the theme of misplaced children, setting whimsical, carefree Harold Skimpole in poignant contrast with sad, young, nameless Jo; and the mystery theme, a romantic tangle of trails followed by the three unforgettable sleuths, Guppy, Tulkinghorn and Bucket.

COMMENTS — This is considered by many critics to be Dickens’ best novel. It certainly has one of the best descriptions of spontaneous combustion in literature.
My Rating: 10

Reviews for Bleak House

Review - Bleak House

I loved it. The writing and imagery were excellent. The characters were fascinating. At times it was incredibly funny. The fact that every character becomes intertwined with every other character, and that they all keep meeting under impossibly-contrived circumstances did not detract and, in fact, became part of the charm for me. The scene in which one of the characters spontaneously combusts is so well written, I could smell it.
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