Monday, April 10, 2023

Book Review ~ Bleak House by Charles Dickens


Yes, I do read rather an eclectic range of books.  I love reading.  And I am enjoying reading the 300 Books Everyone Should Read at Least Once.  I general read favoured books over and over.  I've only read Bleak House once so far but I'm sure I will pick it up again.

Charles Dickens is my kind of comedian.  Jokes and satire and downright meanness are hidden in the beautiful language he uses.  Apparently Dickens was a law clerk at one time and also spent a lot of time in the courts trying to enforce copyright on some of his earlier books.  As a result this novel is a harsh but humourous critique of the court system of his time.

The central theme of the  novel is the long-running litigation of Jarndyce v Jarndyce in which the testator apparently left several different wills.  The court case is finally resolved by the end of the novel but the court costs are so high there is no money or property left to award.


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