This version of the book has been reviewed in English(213) by readers.
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What are readers saying about Penguin Classics Bleak House?
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Tom posted a review at 2009-11-25 17:29:21.
(Language: English)
 
Rather special and better than David Copperfield.
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A reader posted a review at 2009-11-20 15:37:06.
(Language: English)
As good as the series!
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A reader posted a review at 2009-11-19 13:48:56.
(Language: English)
The BEST book.
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chana posted a review at 2009-11-17 11:51:29.
(Language: English)
Huge cast of characters. Very intricate story with the suit of Jarndyce vs Jarndyce at its center. Loved the book.
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Janet posted a review at 2009-11-14 14:09:56.
(Language: English)
So typical of Charles Dickens to have this set in a dreary & poor British setting. There were unexpected turns and it was a good read.
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Ryan posted a review at 2009-10-11 02:25:18.
(Language: English)
What can you say about a book like this? Attempts at decent summary will always look incomplete to some extent. One has to pick and choose what to remember, cherish, and criticize if one doesn't want to read this a few times to make sure one has picked up on all of the major things. And for myself, life is too short for that. So just a few thoughts: First, if you have anything like the kind of heart that Dickens constantly extolls, you have to love the "good" characters like Mr. Jarndyce, Esther, and a host of others. And yes, there are some fine specimens of "bad" characters that Dickens paints especially well. Mr. Tulkinghorn gave me the creeps. Next, it occurred to me throughout all of the novel how little the legal world has changed from what Dickens describes for Chancery Lane. Endless lawsuits that hurt people emotionally and financially, not to mention greedy lawyers, largely define our justice system as it did Dickens'. I enjoyed the way Dickens heaped scorn on selfish and prideful people who get too caught up in it all. People have often called this novel Dickens' masterpiece. This being only the third Dickens novel I have read entirely, I might not be the best person to respond to such a sentiment. But based upon the three that I have now read, I don't agree. I think that "Great Expectations" was better. With "Bleak House", I often lost patience with Dickens' interminable word-spinning. Sentences run on, and following one clause after another in an already-long book got tedious. To a degree greater than I have seen in two of his other serial-based novels, Dickens can never seem to describe a person, scene, or event without indulging in the most distracting tangents. Like the "Jarndyce and Jarndyce" case, Dickens' scene-setting went on seemingly forever. When done well, Dickens' clever eloquence, personification, and wit add much to the story (again, I point to "Great Expectations"). But here I got the impression that the author was trying to "flesh out" different serials in the interest of padding the installments enough to give his 1850s readers decent amounts to digest with every offering. In other words, I thought Dickens was "filling pages" needlessly. This shows, I believe, a weakness of the serial format and it made a story that could have been told in about 550 pages far too long at over 800. In sum: the twisting plots, memorable characters, amusing wit, and rich descriptions were all here. It was great, but it sometimes tripped over itself.
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Alan posted a review at 2009-09-09 19:08:21.
(Language: English)
So far, I view this novel like a warm lake. You have to wade through it before you get to deep waters, but about halfway, it begins to take you in...
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A reader posted a review at 2009-08-25 16:34:09.
(Language: English)
Dickens at his best. A must read!
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Sarah posted a review at 2009-08-16 08:48:11.
(Language: English)
At times a little long winded but still a good read.
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Camellia ......... posted a review at 2009-06-18 22:56:23.
(Language: English)
Nothing like a good 19th century tale of orphans with mysterious pasts, gentry from Lincolnshire, odd and peculiar people, satire about lawyers and their suits, and an old mansion called Bleak House.
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