Made it through 10 hours of 39.
Not fun. Too many characters, don’t care about any of them.
The reader sounds stuffy and pompous.
There are better things out there to read while I’m fritting my life away on bleak writing.

Dickens is known for his unforgettable characters, and Bleak House is loaded with them: about 20 main characters and twice as many who make a memorable appearance. With a thousand pages and densely interwoven plot, you will not experience this book as easy reading like, for instance, "A Christmas Carol."

"Jarndyce and Jarndyce has passed into a joke. That is the only good that has ever come of it."
One of Dickens's longest (Maybe the longest?) novels, jam-packed with colorful characters and subplots. As with a number of other Dickens novels, his sentimental streak vies with his more satiric and cynical side (an oft overlooked quality). Of course it's too long but so is "The Bible." Originally serialized between 1852 and 1853. As far as I know, this is the only novel to involve spontaneous combustion as a plot point. Favorite Dickensian name: Lady Dedlock.

I think it worth mentioning that it incorporates a detective into the larger story. Perhaps this was the influence of Wilkie Collins?

A very long tragic epic.

A reflection on life, unabashed and well stated, but way too long.

My second reading. There are a few bleak things about Bleak House. The poor crossing sweeper boy, the horrible Tulkinghorn, the deaths...

I've read several Dickens works and Bleak House is on the top of my list, Jarndyce and Jarndyce notwithstanding.

The work is a classic. The story unfolds virtually seamlessly. The characters are introduced and then maintained throughout the narrative. They are all part of a cohesive whole. They all have a role to play, and are integral to the development of the story. I would have liked to read more about DC's European sojourn, but that is a minor complaint. DC is a great story, with great characters, well drawn, with each contributing his/her personalities to the overall picture of the book. If you haven't read it, read it. If you have, read it again.

I am reading all the Dickens (in order) this year and this is one of my favorites!

I have trouble believing that anyone has ever finished this ponderous pendulous pile of detritus. The title is practically a perfect review. It is a bleak novel that spends thousands of pages trying to convince us the lawyers are evil monstrous people. Wow, challenging- I can't imagine that was a surprise even in Dickens' day. Dickens wrote in the newspaper in serialized format- he was paid by the word and it shows. This doesn't belong in the canon, it should be fired from a cannon- preferably into a volcano.

The BEST adaptation of a Dickens book that I have seen among the BBC-produced works of Dickens. Captivating and well-acted. Masterfully written for the screen. Provides a scathing look into the labyrinthine world of the legal/justice system of the time. My daughter and I have already watched it twice and still, she begs me, "Can we watch it again?!!!" Highly recommended!!!!