Bleak House

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Sean Barrett, Teresa Gallagher

Length: 35 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A complex plot of love and inheritance is set against the English legal system of the mid-19th century. As the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce drags on, it becomes an obsession to everyone involved. And the issue on an inheritance ultimately becomes a question of murder.

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Radiant Bleak House

Beyond description. Dickens magic! Wonderful readers, a male and a female voice working together in harmony, creating atmosphere by capturing and being able to voice the essence of the characters.

Ordinary Lives; Extraordinary Circumstances

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This book was first written as a monthly serial over 20 months. Twenty episodes for 20 days perhaps. Or, if you are like me, you'll forgo sleep and listen to all. Then listen again, several times over, to catch the parts missed whilst dozing the first few times. Dickens writing is meant to be spoken. Hilarious characters beautifully exaggerated - or are they - abound here. The most decent of characters. And the most vile. My greatest reason for recommending this book is that the two readers really demonstrate Dickens intent when he gave Bleak House two narrators, the unknown onlooker telling in the present tense; and Esther, around whom all of the stories are woven. Poverty, wealth, class systems, skullduggery, robbery and murder are all given centre stage. Personalities galore.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lady Dedlock is perhaps the most intriguing to me. I don't understand her loyalty to her awful husband, Sir Leicester Dedlock. Perhaps it's gratitude that he married her despite her past, though he knows nothing of it. She's awful. She's snooty. She's breakable. She's smart. She's discerning. She's drawn to beauty. She's conceited. Her husband is quite a bit older and very wealthy. Her deceit is so complete that she believes it herself. Most of the time. An occasional sensitivity is revealed.

Which character – as performed by Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallagher – was your favorite?

Narrator Sean Barrett is witness to the events that run almost parallel to Esther's own memoir. Both readers were called upon to animate, and maintain, the voices of a huge variety of characters. Sometimes the voices are whining and irritating. Sometimes, seductive and warm. As are the characters. I particularly enjoyed Teresa Gallagher's interactions between Esther and Charley, the thirteen year old orphan girl who leaves her six year old brother Tom to take care of their baby sister while she goes to work as a laundress and is later employed by Mr Jarndyce to be Esther's maid. Her portrayal of Esther's voice throughout is easy and confident, warm and chatty at times. Formal at other times. Thoroughly enjoyable. Sean Barrett's dialogues between Lady Dedlock and Mr Tulkinghorn, given the opposing attitudes of the adversaries and the undercurrent of intent, are excellent spoken civilly in a respectably soft volume. But it is Sean Barrett's own voice as the narrator that is most commanding.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Take your chances in the Court of Chancery

Any additional comments?

Many hours of thoroughly enjoyable listening.

Fantastic reading of an amazing classic!

What did you love best about Bleak House?

Bleak House is a wonderful book, full of some of the most vibrant characters and subplots anywhere. These readers bring it to life and make it easy to follow and fun to listen to. A joy from beginning to end!

Superb novel superby read

If you could sum up Bleak House in three words, what would they be?

Massive, complex and heartrending, Bleak House is one of the greatest novels every written.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Too hard a question! I love Esther's narrative for the way she both undervalues herself in her humility but at the same time always follows her instincts, which are always sound. So she is both very modest and very strong. I also love the character of Tulkinghorn, as evil and secretive and meddlesome and smarmy a lawyer as the world has ever seen. Then too, Mr Jarndyce and his Growlery is a wonderful thing. And poor Joe, certainly the most heartrending character in the novel. Mr Bucket is pretty fabulous too, with his relentless detectiving joined to a kind and gentle heart. Who can choose???

What about Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallagher ’s performance did you like?

They are both very gifted readers. They are not showy nor do they draw attention to themselves. but they manage to capture each voice and each dialect perfectly, a pretty amazing feat given Dickens' penchant for creating a huge cast of characters from across the entire spectrum of English society.

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

Both, on almost every page.

Any additional comments?

I am two thirds through (27 hours and counting) and I dread finishing the novel. Maybe I'll just start all over again.

Excellent production, but yes, it is long

Bleak House is considered one of Dickens’ best, and I can understand why. The story is truly epic, the characterization is, as it always is with Dickens, delightful, and his language is at its most eloquent, which is saying a lot. That said, it is long. I’m glad I listened to it, but I admit there were times were I had to discipline myself to stay with it. The serial nature of his writing can be a bit overwhelming for us, who aren’t reading it in periodicals. Originally, reading Dickens was like watching a weekly or monthly television show over the course of a year. For us, it’s like binge watching a really long series.

The production was very good. Sean Barrett does an outstanding job with voices. However, when it isn’t dialogue and he’s reading the descriptive narrative, his reading voice is very low, and because the prose can be pretty dense, it had the effect of making me sleepy. I would have preferred a livelier reading voice at these times, but he more than makes up for it with his character voices. Teresa Gallagher is the opposite. She had less dialogue and shines with the descriptive prose. She’s excellent. Her voices aren’t as good as Barrett’s, but not bad.

This is a very good audible book, but my favorite Audible book of the 25 or so that I’ve listened to is the Richard Armitage version of David Copperfield.

Great entertainment.

Narrators were wonderful. The story was riveting and al the characters were so well developed. I enjoyed every word.

Rich, fascinating story with strong narrators

I am so glad I finally listened to "Bleak House." I loved every minute of the story. While so complicated, like all Dickens, the pay-off at the end makes it worth it.

Esther Summersen is such a complex, interesting character (although I'd expect some people don't like her as she's too perfect or good, I'd disagree with that assessment though). I loved Teresa Gallagher's voice for Esther!

Sean Barrett is also a great choice, although his voice and narration took me some time to appreciate and be able to enjoy. Once I did, I was glad I stuck with it.

I was worried I'd be listening to this for a long time, but I whipped through it as I loved the story and this adaptation of it. Highly suggest!!!

My Favorite Dickens

Thoroughly enjoyable book and narration. One of Dickens’ best. Will definitely read/listen again and again.

Dear Dickens, I love you

This audiobook put me to sleep every single night for an entire month. If you want to get some serious bang for your buck (or your free credit) this is the way to do it. It's like being read to by a 30-person cast. The readers are first-rate and I love Bleak House. This has to be one of the top best-done books on audible.

Great way to complement reading.

Would you try another book from Charles Dickens and/or Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallagher ?

Since Dickens can be difficult to read because the books are very 'wordy', having the audio to listen to and reading the book at the same time was a joy. Hearing the different voices of the characters, accents and all, and listening to the flow of Dickens' beautiful writing was wonderful.

What could Charles Dickens have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

nothing

How did the narrator detract from the book?

no detractions

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Bleak House?

none

Any additional comments?

I will definitely do this again, especially for more difficult texts. And the price was right. If these were priced any higher, it would limit my ability to but both the book and the audio.