Bleak House

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 32 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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)

Simon Vance is the best Narrator

Where does Bleak House rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Bleak House is the best audiobook I have listened to so far. Simon Vance brings the book to life with the many characters that his voice protrays.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bleak House?

The pursuit of finding Lady Dedlock, wife of to Sir Leicester , by Inspector Bucket and Esther Summerson.

Which scene was your favorite?

When John Jarndyce

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I chuckled and I cried a little.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to Simon Vance's many narrations. The Stieg Larsson books were enhanced by Simon's narrations. I copied the Wikipedia page on Bleak House to a Word document which helped me to keep the many characters apart.

A great story and amazing performance

I didn’t know anything about this novel before starting and that made it all the more wonderful. I mainly read a paper edition but also listened to some of this audio version narrated by Simon Vance who did an amazing job. His character voices are super and I also appreciated his British cadence which brought sentences to life in ways my 21st century reading brain could not.

This is a good book, but my least favorite Dickens

Excellent job by Simon Vance, as always. However, this was my first time reading/hearing this story, and it is definitely the most melancholy and slow of Dickens' books.

engaging to be sure

This book provided me with many hours of entertainment and many more hours of contemplation. I love the language used. "magpie properties" in particular.

So Many in the Bleak House

Bleak House was my first Dickens since I read A Tale of Two Cities probably two decades ago. I listened to an Audible version and double-dipped with the wonderfully illustrated Barnes and Noble facsimile edition of the 1938 The Nonesuch Press book. Simon Vance did an incredible job differentiating the voices of the massive cast of characters. The book is told from two points of view - an unnamed narrator, and first person from main character Esther. The audio would've worked much better for me had their been a female voice for Esther. I found it hard to keep all the characters straight and even after finishing I still don't know how some fit in to the dense narratives. I sometimes got confused on who was talking. I was thinking of printing out a cast of characters to keep them straight but the lists I found contained spoilers so I left it up to my old man memory, with mixed results.

Overall I really enjoyed this chunky classic. Esther's journey was the highlight for me. I loved the classic London setting - foggy, grimey, and cold. There was always mention of a fire in the buildings visited and lived in. I visited some of the spots where the novel was set which was neat. I thought the multiple plots involving the multitudes of characters and the mystery than deepened as the novel progressed both came together in a satisfactory way in the end.

This was my annual December monster-sized classic read and I finished it up just in time. Looking forward to reading more Dickens.

Great

An excellent narrator, meticulously maintains individual form for a huge cast of characters. Great job!

Satire and Sentiment

Fabulous Dickens tale. So many memorable characters. Three cheers for Dame Durden and Mr. Jarndyce- such fabulous central characters.

Sad for it too end!

What a magnificent book so many plots, so many emotions, so many characters!
As always a wonderful, wonderful book !

It's Dickens, well read.

What can anyone say about the book that hasn't been said? I'm still chuckling over people complaining about the book's length and complexity.

I'm assuming anyone considering this book already knows who Dickens is, so there's no reason to review the book in detail. It is one of Dickens's most famous works, it is complex and beautiful and heartbreaking, and most of all, like everything Dickens writes, it is told with a rich, humorous prose that is amongst the most moving ever written.

The narrator is what sets this apart. He reads easily and confidently, never tripping over the language, always in control of his narrative, and he creates a wide range of accents and characters that feel very true to the time.

Whether you are a Dickens aficionado or a newcomer interested in seeing why we still read him a century and half later, this is just a great book well read.

Another triumph by Dickens

Terrific book. Dickens is my favorite author and this book was wonderful. Robert Whitfield did an excellent job of narrating this classic work. Time well spent.