Bleak House Audiobook By Charles Dickens cover art

Bleak House

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Bleak House

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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First published in monthly parts from March 1852 to September 1853, this novel follows the fortunes of three pedestrian characters; Esther Summerson, Ada Clare, and Richard Carstone. The story they tell embondies Dickens' merciless indictment of the Court of Chancery and its bungling, morally corrupt handling of the endless case of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, giving the novel its scope and meaning.

Starting with Esther's account of her lonely, unhappy childhood, her role as protégée of the worthy John Jarndyce, Richard and Ada's guardian, the tale develops the relations between the three young people in the Jarndyce household. Numerous other characters contribute to the complex portrait of society which emerges from the novel. They include the romantic, effusive, and unworldly Harold Skimpole (based on Leigh Hunt, poet, journalist, and critic, who published The Examiner in which he introduced the public to Keats and Shelley); the boisterous, short-tempered Boythorn (based on Walter Savage Landor, poet and essayist, mentor to Robert Browning); Krook, the rag-and-bottle shopkeeper who dies a hideous death by 'spontaneous combustion'; Gridley and the crazed Miss Flite, both ruined by Chancery; Mrs. Jellyby, neglectful of domestic responsibilities in favor of 'telescope philanthropy'; the greasy Mr. Chadband, a parson 'of no particular denomination'; and Conversation Kenge and Mr. Vholes, lawyers both.

Of particular importance to the moral design of the novel is Jo, the crossing-sweeper whose brutish life and death are the instruments for one of Dickens' most savage judgments on an indifferent society.

(P)1998 Blackstone Audiobooks Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Witty Funny British History

Critic reviews

"Dickens could not have performed better than Robert Whitfield does here....His brilliant dramatizations range from a homeless street urchin to an arrogant barrister, from a canny old windbag to a high-minded heroine who deserves the happy ending Dickens affords her....This may be one of the most Dickensian novels Dickens ever wrote." (Library Journal)
Intricate Plot • Vivid Characters • Masterful Storytelling • Compelling Mystery • Social Commentary • Distinct Accents
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Robert Whitfield's reading is the finest I have heard in any audiobook (and I've listened to a good few!). Dickens' world and superb characters are vividly, and atmospherically brought to life. This is better than watching a movie...it's more like being IN one.

A Triumph!

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There are no words that could even come close in any way how good, complete and full this book is, was and will be forever ~ I say this in the most heartfelt way... What an amazing man and author Charles Dickens was!

My heart is sad that this book ended...

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I've always felt that this is dickens finest book. I own all of his novels both in book and audio formats, and have read them all multiple times. His mature genius for balancing humor with serious social commentary and brilliant characterization is in full bloom here. Yet it is largely free of the darkness and impatience that descends upon others of his great novels. The humor is more kind and less caustic. Also, the reader does a fine job. In addition to reading this book three times, across many years, I've listened to this version twice. The reader makes it very easy listening. And though John Jarndyce may seem too good a fellow ever to have lived, I find it quite comforting that I live in a world that allows me to believe in him within the confines of the covers of this masterpiece. I hope anyone persuaded to read this book by this little review will feel as rewarded by the reading as I have.

A truly wonderful book!

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The genius of Charles Dickens is fully on display in every chapter of this book. His endless insights into the human condition still stand up to the test of time.

Equally superb is the performance of the reader Simon Vance. The listener is absorbed into Dickens’ world and enchanted.

Worth every minute.

Unparalleled Work

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If you are at all a fan of Charles Dickens, this is a must! Don’t let 33 hours of listening time dissuade you. Believe me you will not want it to end! Add to the mastery of Dickens the tour de force performance of Simon Vance—you simply can’t do any better!

A must listen!

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Dickens at his finest: full of romance, comedy, mystery and tragedy. Simon Vance is superb as always, and brings all the glorious characters alive in a beautiful way.

Just wonderful

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It has been a while since I read Charles Dickinson but the first time I read Bleak House. It was more enjoyable listening and reading the book at the same time. Hearing the pronunciation as well as the characters voice made it easier for me to be in this world. Ester was my favorite to read about but being in this world and seeing the interaction between the characters especially those who were rich and those who were poor was eye opening. This book with it is many twist and turns was a good book to read.

Bleak House

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It’s a good story with Dickens best prose and a great performance. However, it is very long and sprawling, even rambling at times. Unlike, say Great Expectations where I always knew what was going on; I found myself having to reorient myself with a plot outline a few times. Just stick with it and you’ll get enjoyment out of it.

Good story, some of his best prose

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Bleak house surprised me with an unexpected TWIST at the end when the true murderer is revealed. I never saw it coming. The rest is delightfully classic Dickens. Unsurpassed word-smithing and story-telling. The man was a genius!

Happy ending

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I have long had an abiding love for Dickens’ works, and have re-read most of them three or more times. However, for years I never got past the first two chapters of Bleak House, which comprised easily the most depressing and dense introduction to any of his masterpieces. When I eventually did, I enjoyed the book, but still found it hard to shake off the pall cast by the initial atmosphere of foggy legal morass. This is a tribute to the sheer power Dickens’ writing, which is here meant to take a heavy toll on the reader. For these reasons, it’s the only one of his works I’ve never re-read. I found that listening to the introduction to Bleak House was a little easier than reading it, partially because the narrative flows as I drive, being a captive audience, and partially because of the skill of the narrator, Robert Whitfield. As the chapters progress, the book introduces more variety, and becomes easier to bear. It develops into a truly great book, in the manner of (and definitely the equal of) Crime and Punishment. Like that work, it deserves your attention, but if you’re new to Dickens, it would be wiser to start with another of his works.

Fog and law

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