I have to give full marks to David Case for the excellent job he does as narrator of Bleak House. He manages to create believable distinctive voices for many characters of all classes and both sexes, and this made the novel an excellent listen. My only reservation is with Dickens himself, who is at his best when writing satire but who really lays it on thick when he delves into sentimentality. Dickens' characters tend to be one-dimensional, which works fine when he is satirizing their quirks and bad habits, such as the ludicrous Mr. Chadband, whose manner of delivering sermons is to ask absurd rhetorical questions over and over and then refute them. Yet Dickens' sentimentality doesn't really spoil how entertaining the book is in the final analysis, and I suspect the fact that Dickens is a little obvious and heavy-handed in his moralizing is also why he remains a very popular writer to this day.

Bleak House contains some of the most sentimental melodrama ever written by Dickens. However, unlike most modern novels, Dickens' storytelling and prose, combined with great narration, drew me into the world of the novel and left me wanting more at the end, no matter how incredible the plot coincidences or how larger than life the heroes and villains. I enjoyed every minute of the listen, even the most overly sentimental, drawn-out death scene of one of Dickens' most pathetic characters. I can't explain the power of Dickens (especially Dickens read aloud) to do this; I can only give him and the narrator five stars for it.

I am delighted with the narration in my recently purchased "Bleak House" ( David Case). I am amazed how clearly he is able to define the many characters and how perfect is his gentle edge of irony when Dickens makes those telling side comments along the way. Wonderful. A great novel, well presented . Works well along with the BBC video series, which we are re-watching at the same time.

I ordered this audio book on the basis of the reviews about the wonderful narration. I couldn't disagree more. Perhaps this story lends itself to a dramatization. Even so, for me the narrator's tired, pinched, snobby voice made Bleak House impossible to listen to.

What a great story and wonderful adventure to read. This novel is truly Dickens at his best (and his most "Dickens like" if you know what I mean). The book won't let go of you, and at times you actually wonder why it's so fascinating. I'd listen for hours non-stop and be amazed that I'm I so into the story. The reason is that it's simply Dickens as only he can be. It's the equivalent of a modern day soap opera (in a good way... it was originally published in 20 monthly sections, and was written as to keep the reader begging for the next installment.) There are twist and turns and love and death. Each section ends with some twist that leaves you unable not to continue on to the next right away.
The narration is superb. I have listened to numerous Dickens novels, and David Case seems to bring the characters alive better than any other. And that is the most amazing and memorable aspect of Bleak House.... the characters. LOTS of characters, and each developed so fully, with there own history and story lines and mysteries. I was worried going into this book that the vast number of characters would clutter up the novel and confuse the reader, but that was not the case at all. In fact, it does just the opposite, with each character and story line coming alive individually, but working together so well. This is the true genius of Dickens.
I highly recommend this novel and this audio production of it.