Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book

Paul Weiss's Reviews > Bleak House

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Rate this book
Clear rating

by
51664350
's review

it was amazing
bookshelves: classic, door-stopper, top-ten-2022, favorites

A biting critique of the court system and the legal profession by the Victorian master of social commentary

Many of the characters of BLEAK HOUSE – including most notably but certainly not limited to John Jarndyce, and his wards Richard Carstone and Ada Clare – are legatees in some version of a will left by a previous scion of the wealthy Jarndyce family. The problem is that there was several versions of the will left behind at various times, in various places, and with varying degrees of approbation and legal authenticity. The interminable multi-generational dispute over which will holds sway and who will be the ultimate wealthy winner of the legal sweepstakes that is Jarndyce v Jarndyce is the core driver of the plot that sustains Dickens brilliant satire and social critique of the law, the legal system, and the legal profession.

But readers looking for themes and social commentary in other areas will find plenty of other cuts of meat to chew on in BLEAK HOUSE – a scathing criticism of the outrageous hypocrisy of organized religion and those who would claim to be organizers for so-called charitable causes; the desperate plight of the impoverished lower class in mid-city London; the struggle (nay, call it an embittered and hostile war) between progressive middle class entrepreneurs who welcomed the burgeoning Industrial Revolution and the traditionalist upper class who feared anything but the most rigid adherence to the status quo; and more.

Despite the presence of a catalogue of characters who clearly fall on the “bad guy” side of the virtue accounting ledger – Tulkinghorn, Krook, Skimpole, Mrs Pardiggle and Jellyby, Chadband, and more – most readers, on reflection will probably come to the conclusion that the main villains of the piece are more thematic in nature – the institution of Chancery court; the legal profession; hypocritical religion and institutional philanthropy’s gathering of charitable contributions; government insensitivity and the treatment of the poor, to note the most obvious examples.

Many readers may be unaware that Dickens’ brilliance broke new literary ground in two different ways.

First, his use of two different narrative styles – an omniscient, invisible narrator who spoke in the present tense, and Esther Summerson, a first person narrator speaking in the past tense who, as a matter of obvious necessity, was restricted to presenting her own view of events subject to her own emotions and opinions. This alternating style of narration was entirely unprecedented in Victorian literature and allowed for the interpretation of the same event from multiple perspectives.

The second (and I personally am eternally grateful for this) is the use of a detective as a front of stage leading character in the investigation of a murder mystery. Our enjoyment of Wilkie Collins, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie’s work is attributable to their standing on the proverbial shoulders of Charles Dickens, the giant.

Your personal opinion may vary, but I reckon BLEAK HOUSE ultimately to be a tragedy in which the personal affairs of many of the protagonists are, at least in the short term, resolved. But I think many of these resolutions are unsatisfactory and, well, (you guessed it!) bleak! And that death count, my goodness. BLEAK HOUSE, like Shakespeare’s HAMLET, leaves the proverbial stage fairly littered at the close of the curtain with the detritus of corpses who met their demise by an astonishing number of ways and in a bewildering variety of circumstances. (Our reading group reckoned the final tally to be, of course, lucky 13!!)

Whether you agree with my assessment and think of BLEAK HOUSE as tragedy or consider it to be a gritty example of a multi-generation family drama, I hope you’ll agree with me that BLEAK HOUSE is absolutely brilliant and one of the finest examples of classic English literature that you could ever hope to find. If you’re a potential newcomer to Dickens, take your time and don’t give up. Reading, understanding, absorbing, and enjoying Dickens is an acquired taste and a patiently acquired skill. The rewards are well worth the effort.

Paul Weiss
228 likes · flag

Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read Bleak House.
Sign In »

Reading Progress

February 8, 2020 – Shelved
February 8, 2020 – Shelved as: classic
February 22, 2022 – Started Reading
February 23, 2022 – Shelved as: door-stopper
February 28, 2022 –
page 94
9.74%
March 3, 2022 –
page 131
13.58%
March 5, 2022 –
page 162
16.79%
March 10, 2022 –
page 203
21.04%
March 10, 2022 –
page 203
21.04%
March 14, 2022 –
page 255
26.42%
March 19, 2022 –
page 312
32.33%
March 22, 2022 –
page 341
35.34%
March 24, 2022 –
page 371
38.45%
March 27, 2022 –
page 408
42.28%
March 29, 2022 – Shelved as: top-ten-2022
March 31, 2022 –
page 445
46.11%
April 4, 2022 –
page 482
49.95%
April 6, 2022 –
page 512
53.06%
April 10, 2022 –
page 557
57.72%
April 14, 2022 –
page 602
62.38%
April 22, 2022 –
page 647
67.05%
April 29, 2022 –
page 705
73.06%
May 3, 2022 –
page 745
77.2%
May 3, 2022 – Shelved as: favorites
May 9, 2022 –
page 800
82.9%
May 13, 2022 –
page 856
88.7%
May 19, 2022 –
page 901
93.37%
May 23, 2022 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-44 of 44 (44 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

message 1: by Dmitri (new)

Dmitri Excellent review Colin! I’m looking forward to reading the book.


Paul Weiss Dmitri wrote: "Excellent review Colin! I’m looking forward to reading the book."

That would be "Paul", but that's OK. Thanks for the comments and I sure hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


message 3: by Bionic Jean (last edited Jun 06, 2022 11:23AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Bionic Jean What a lovely review! Thanks Paul; I enjoyed reading this, and thanks too for all your comments in the group :)


Mona Thanks for reviewing Bleak House, a favorite Dickens novel.


Paul Weiss Bionic Jean wrote: "What a lovely review! Thanks Paul; I enjoyed reading this, and thanks too for all your comments in the group :)"

Thanks for the comment, Jean. And know once again that my enjoyment was enhanced in enormous measure by your brilliant guidance and moderation of the reading group. Thanks again and I hope to join you for other works in the near future.


Paul Weiss Mona wrote: "Thanks for reviewing Bleak House, a favorite Dickens novel."

Thanks, Mona. You're welcome, of course.


Sara Nice review, Paul. It was lovely to read with the group and have the benefit of your thoughts throughout the process.


message 8: by [deleted user] (new)

A thoroughly enjoyable review! As a mystery lover, I agree with you - thank goodness Dickens got the ball rolling with Inspector Bucket.


Paul Weiss Sara wrote: "Nice review, Paul. It was lovely to read with the group and have the benefit of your thoughts throughout the process."

Thanks for the comments, Sara, and the feeling is mutual as far as the enjoyment of the group read was concerned.


message 10: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Cozy_Pug wrote: "A thoroughly enjoyable review! As a mystery lover, I agree with you - thank goodness Dickens got the ball rolling with Inspector Bucket."

Thanks, Cozy_Pug. I'm so glad you enjoyed the review! Hope to share another read with you in the near future.


message 11: by Dmitri (new)

Dmitri Paul wrote: “That would be "Paul", but that's OK. Thanks for the comments and I sure hope you enjoy it as much as I did."

Sorry Paul! I confused myself which is not that uncommon. Thanks!


message 12: by Paul (last edited Jun 06, 2022 11:57AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Dmitri wrote: "Paul wrote: “That would be "Paul", but that's OK. Thanks for the comments and I sure hope you enjoy it as much as I did."

Sorry Paul! I confused myself which is not that uncommon. Thanks!"


No problem, Jim. ;-)


message 13: by Dmitri (new)

Dmitri Paul wrote: "No problem, Jim."

Sounds good, Peter!


message 14: by Anthony (new)

Anthony I love this book.


NILTON TEIXEIRA Terrific review!
You sold it!
This one and Hard Times are my top 2 favourite books by Dickens.


message 16: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Anthony wrote: "I love this book."

Yep, BLEAK HOUSE is definitely the latest member of my personal all-time favourites list.


message 17: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss NILTON wrote: "Terrific review!
You sold it!
This one and Hard Times are my top 2 favourite books by Dickens."


I'm always terrified to write a review about an author who is so highly revered as Charles Dickens. And the feeling is just that much more intense when you know that the book in question is one of his best and most-liked titles. I always hope (with my fingers very tightly crossed ) that I can offer my own opinion in a way that does such a famous classic justice without looking like a boob in the process.

I'll admit I'm tickled pink that you think I've managed to do that. Thanks for the good words.


message 18: by Bionic Jean (last edited Jun 06, 2022 12:51PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Bionic Jean Mona wrote: "Thanks for reviewing Bleak House, a favorite Dickens novel."

We missed you in the group, Mona! Still not too late to have a read of some of the discussions and add your comments though - you are guaranteed to get a reaction.

(Please excuse me Paul, and delete my post if you prefer :) )


message 19: by Mona (new) - rated it 5 stars

Mona Hi, Jean, thanks. But I’ve realized I prefer to read alone. P.S. Are you reading Bleak House in the group? I read it many years ago, but it’s stayed with me.


Bionic Jean Oh yes, I remember now that you said that, Mona.

We finished yesterday, and were reading a chapter a day for three months, like we did before. It would be lovely if you came and added a few thoughts at the end of one or two threads though - especially since it's a favourite! https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

And you might find some of the information interesting. I know Paul really enjoyed this read, and he has written such a great review :)


message 21: by Mona (new) - rated it 5 stars

Mona Thanks for inviting me Jean, but I read Bleak House too long ago for me to remember enough specifics to comment on it. I do remember that I really enjoyed it.


Bionic Jean OK, the offer's always there :)


message 23: by Tom (new)

Tom Stewart I somehow haven't read any of Dickens' work. I'll correct that soon enough given, "BH is absolutely brilliant and one of the finest examples of classic English literature that you could ever hope to find". Nice post.


message 24: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Tom wrote: "I somehow haven't read any of Dickens' work. I'll correct that soon enough given, "BH is absolutely brilliant and one of the finest examples of classic English literature that you could ever hope t..."
Thanks for the kind words, Tom. Best of luck and lots of joy on your journey through Dickens. Let me know how you make out!


message 25: by Baba (new) - rated it 4 stars

Baba Such a fine review Paul, thanks for composing :)


message 26: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Baba wrote: "Such a fine review Paul, thanks for composing :)"

Thanks very much, Baba. Much appreciated.


message 27: by Pat (new)

Pat I admire anyone who has read this! I started and tried….but I nearly died of boredom before I got very far. Unfortunately I don’t do well with the classics.


message 28: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Pat wrote: "I admire anyone who has read this! I started and tried….but I nearly died of boredom before I got very far. Unfortunately I don’t do well with the classics."

I wasn't kidding when I said it was "an acquired taste and a patiently acquired skill". May I make the suggestion that you try again in a slow-paced ACTIVE group read with a good moderator. The degree to which the group-think synergy and the leadership of the moderator contributes to the understanding and enjoyment of such a novel cannot be overstated.

Consider, for example, https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... Try re-reading the first chapter of BLEAK HOUSE and then check out the discussion pages for that first chapter to see if it might work for you. Here's the link to that opening discussion. Have a look in particular at the work that the moderator did in providing a summary and background information:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 29: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Pat wrote: "I admire anyone who has read this! I started and tried….but I nearly died of boredom before I got very far. Unfortunately I don’t do well with the classics."

I should also add that I read BLEAK HOUSE as I was listening to the Librivox audiobook version which was quite well acted. I found THAT was very useful at adding considerable understanding and meaning to Dickens' flowery and admittedly ofttimes excessive verbiage. My personal plan is to go back and adopt this approach with a number of re-reads of classic books which I've read over the years.


message 30: by Pat (new)

Pat All useful suggestions Paul. Thanks.


message 31: by Chantel (new)

Chantel This review has made me even more eager to get around to reading this book :)


message 32: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Chantel wrote: "This review has made me even more eager to get around to reading this book :)"

What a nice thing to say. Thank you. Just call me "enabler"!


Bionic Jean Thank you for your lovely comments about "Dickensians!" Paul *blush* - you're such a great group member and contribute so much :)


message 34: by Paul (new) - added it

Paul Haspel Thank you for this thoughtful and incisive review! It seems to have become conventional to think of Bleak House only in terms of its critique of the British legal system; but I like how you emphasized Dickens's narratorial innovations, and his denunciation of religious hypocrisy (something that comes up in other Dickens works, like A Christmas Carol, as well. Many thanks once again!


message 35: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Paul wrote: "Thank you for this thoughtful and incisive review! It seems to have become conventional to think of Bleak House only in terms of its critique of the British legal system; but I like how you emphasi..."

And thank YOU very much for your thoughtful comments on the review.

I'll admit that when I review a classic like BLEAK HOUSE, it scares the pants off me to think that I might sound like a pretentious boob who has no idea what I'm talking about. So I work hard at trying to make a review like this informative and interesting in its own right. In other words, to try to do justice to the fame and quality of the novel. When I read a compliment like yours, I flatter myself that, to a certain extent, I might have achieved what I set out to do.

Thanks again, Paul


message 36: by Razvan (new)

Razvan Banciu An excellent review. Maybe it's time for me to go for the classics...


message 37: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Razvan wrote: "An excellent review. Maybe it's time for me to go for the classics..."

If you want to try swimming in the classics pond with a doorstopper challenge like BLEAK HOUSE, be sure to pour yourself a nice cold beer, take a deep breath, and school yourself in patience. You might re-read my last paragraph. Dickens is worth the effort but it's a learned and patiently acquired skill and like.


~☆~Autumn NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) Paul wrote: "Razvan wrote: "An excellent review. Maybe it's time for me to go for the classics..."

If you want to try swimming in the classics pond with a doorstopper challenge like BLEAK HOUSE, be sure to pou..."


Fantastic review! The only Dickens I could read was Oliver Twist and I would never attempt Bleak House. Good luck Razvan!


message 39: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss ~☆~Autumn♥♥☔ wrote: "Fantastic review! The only Dickens I could read was Oliver Twist and I would never attempt Bleak House. Good luck Razvan! "

Thanks for the kind words, Autumn. Obviously Charles Dickens' novels have an appeal that is definitely widespread but far from universal.


message 40: by Razvan (new)

Razvan Banciu Paul wrote: "Razvan wrote: "An excellent review. Maybe it's time for me to go for the classics..."

If you want to try swimming in the classics pond with a doorstopper challenge like BLEAK HOUSE, be sure to pou..."


In recent times I've got schooled in Swedish contemporary writers, who are BORN UNHAPPY, so I presume there will no so many problems...


message 41: by Nora (new) - rated it 5 stars

Nora Currie Great review of one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Paul!


message 42: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Nora wrote: "Great review of one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Paul!"

Thanks for the kind words, Nora.


message 43: by Peacejanz (new)

Peacejanz I agree - it is a tragedy - and one of his best. The ending -- what a kick in the teeth. And to think he wrote this almost 200 years ago. This is one of my favorite Dickens novels. Thanks for the review and reminding me how really completly totally good he was. peace, janz


message 44: by Paul (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paul Weiss Peacejanz wrote: "I agree - it is a tragedy - and one of his best. The ending -- what a kick in the teeth. And to think he wrote this almost 200 years ago. This is one of my favorite Dickens novels. Thanks for the r..."

So glad you enjoyed both the book and the review. Thanks so much for the kind words, Pj.


back to top