Book Review: Bleak House by, Charles Dickens
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2022
- In today's video I'll be sharing my thoughts on the novel Bleak House by, Charles Dickens.
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IG: / alana_estelle
Blog: www.alanaestelle.com
Thank you! I am just starting Bleak house and I appreciate your thoughts. I started with David copper field and loved it. Then great expectations. I’m 79 so I only hope I live long enough to read all of dickens. I have been a fan of John Irving and he was a fan of dickens and that gave me the courage to try So glad I did. The passage on the fog just blew me away. I also think that the court case was not explained because it just didn’t even matter after all the years in court. Just rich getting richer and so on. ❤Ruth
I'm glad I gave Dickens another chances as well - the first time I tried to read him, I wasn't convinced, but I just had to warm up to him. He does write some gorgeous passages. Haha good point - just the rich getting richer!
As far as the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce is concerned, the great irony of _Bleak House_ is that the details of the case, in the end, don't matter.
Your review is great!
Yes, So true and thank you!!
Really lovely breakdown, Alana. My favorite Dickens is Nicholas Nickleby. I also love Oliver & the Old Curiosity Shoppe. All for different reasons. Happy reading!
Thank you!! Ooo I haven’t read any of these Dickens yet!! Excited to read Curiosity Shop this year.
😂♥️ I’m sick & tired being sick and tired, too! I loooved Bleak House. My only full length Dickens I’ve finished. 😂”My boy Chuck” 😂😂😂
Loool! As I’ve gotten older, I now understand why my parents always said this! 😂 Yes! Bleak House is so good!! I love My Boy Chuck 🤣🙌🏼
You are really well spoken and broke this novel down really well. Have you seen the BBC version of Bleak House with Gillian Anderson as Lady Deadlock? I loved that mini-series and would really recommend it if you haven't seen it yet. Finished David Copperfield recently and decided I wanted to read all of Dickens novels. So I'm going to start Martin Chuzzlewait next.
Thank you!! And no, I haven’t watch the mini series yet. I wanted to read the book first - but you just reminded me that I wanted to watch it. Loved David Copperfield and I haven’t read Chuzzlewit yet. Hope you enjoy it!
Loving your breakdowns!! It helps me not be so intimidated when I get around to reading.
Thank you!! These massive books are always a little nerve wracking to start!
I haven't read Bleak House yet but I loved this! I've only read Great Expectations by Dickens so far but have several including this one on my shelf to be read. I appreciate your insight and reflections on Dickens and the story.
Thank you!! I hope you get to read it soon! It was such a joy to read!
Ayyye moving over to youtubing! Awesome 🙌🏾
Thank you!!! 🙌🏼
Time for a re-read for me! You pointed out bits and pieces I'd forgotten. What I'll never forget: the opening descriptive passage that goes for pages and pages and is riveting. Just like you, it was the opposite of a heavy, slow read. One of the funniest books I've ever read: Great Expectations. I should re-read that one too. Now, finally, on to Little Dorrit.
Oh yes, the opening of this book I fantastic! I need to reread Great Expectations because when I first read it I wasn’t riveted by it, though it did make me laugh out loud a few times. I think my next Dickens will be The Old Curiosity Shop.
@@alanaestelle2076 Are you familiar with Little Nell?
(spoilers alert for those who have not read Great Expectations and Bleak House)I hope that I could someday appreciate one of dickens' longer works, for I adore The Christmas Carol. I tried to like Great Expectations because I loved the first third part of the novel, but I was slowly underwhelmed afterwards, particularly the whole "unexpected" discovery of Estella's parentage, it just fell flat for me. Then I tried Bleak House, the meandering prose and keep-on-coming characters puzzled me more and more. I put it down at C17 and checked out the synopsis of the following plots, and it's again about parentage, even a love relationship between Esther and her guardian...I do love Dickens' writings of atmospheres and character portrayals, but the way he arranges the plot just seems bizarre to mestill, I decide to try David Copperfield and A Tale of the Two Cites, I hope I'll enjoy them
Hahah I get this! Dickens can be a challenge and it took me a while to get into him. I get why some readers can’t get into him. My boy Chuck be all over the place 🤣
@@alanaestelle2076 I'll try movies and tv adaptations as well. Reading is teaching me how to be patient 🤣
@@ryanwoo4347 😂😂😂
I have this on my TBR cart and am hoping to get to it this year!
It's a chonker but it's so entertaining!
Off topic I picked up Jane eyre because if you
Aw 😍
Thanks for this. Only just started my first Dickens..."Dombey & Son." But the title's misleading...it's really about Florence, the 1st child of Mr. Dombey, who "doesn't count." And, it turns out to be about mothers & daughters, and the vicious cycle of gender dynamics in Victorian society. Good stuff. But "Bleak House" comes next!
One thing I've noticed is that, like you say, Dickens does character growth in kinda his own way. But, I'd mind more if the characters weren't so deeply sketched. It's like "Now in 3D & in Living Technicolor!" on every page.
Recommending "Dombey & Son" to you. Seems a little underrated with Dickens fans!
You're welcome! I haven't read Dombey yet, but I've has it on my shelf for a while now. Haha Dickens was getting paid per word, so he was probably milking those descriptions for all he could.
@@alanaestelle2076 Untrue, actually! Common misconception: but Dickens was NOT paid by the word!
In that era: writers were paid per installment.
In Dickens' case: unlike some others, he often knew in advance exactly how many installments he'd write per novel. (Except 5 novels, all were 20 installments. But "Oliver Twist" was 10, e.g.) So he mathed out a consistent income this way. He was also highly methodical about his plot outlines, and only missed a deadline once (when a sister-in-law died).
Still, in *every* case: his contracts paid out based on how well each installment sold, & not to the length, or the words.
But it's a misconception...yep, all those words & lengthy sentences? are just on purpose!
Alana, have you read Great Expectations? It is one of the most laconic and exciting Dickens novels, without sub-plots that abound in many of his longer novels.
I have read it, but that was a few years ago and of some of the other Dickens I’ve read, that one actually isn’t on of my favorites haha. I do plan to reread it at some point, because it’ll be interesting to see how I’ll feel about it after reading more and more of his novels.
Still have yet to read any Dickens. Do you have any suggestions on a good book oh his to start?
I would start with his Christmas Stories!
You’re likable.
Thank you!