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Bleak House cover art

Bleak House

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Sean Barrett,Teresa Gallagher
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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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2006 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2006 Naxos Audiobooks

What listeners say about Bleak House

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the finest versions of any Dickens novels

This version of Bleak House is undoubtedly one of the best Dickens or for that matter any audio books I have listened to, the two narrators pace the book and give the characters a depth that is so often missed in lesser adaptions, if you have wondered what all the fuss is about Dickens then this is the place to start,

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Now I know what the reviews were talking about....

I was looking for reviews of dickens's work to help me to decide what to listen to. The reviews spoke of how good the narrators are, which was the selling point for me. I could not be more delighted. Seriously, I thought it was going to be hard-going, but Teresa Gallagher in particular has drawn me right in. If you are thinking about this, just don't hesitate. Seriously, I can't recommend it enough.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very fine readings

Sean Barrett is never less than brilliant but Teresa Gallagher's performance here needs real praise too. Esther's character and her part of the narrative can seem precious to some, but the way in which Gallagher matches Barret's vigour as a caricaturist and yet keeps us anchored in Esther's world view is a challenge that is much harder to achieve or sustain; Gallagher manages to do both, and you end up realising just how rich and subversive Dickens use of this narrator is.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply amazing

This is the first time I have "read" Dickens, having seen oh so many adaptations, and it was a revelation. I was so surprised by how funny his writing is and all the little touches that truly bring the story and charaters to life. As for this adaptation, it is, quite simply, spellbinding. The use of two narrators really brought the story to life and both were exceptional. I have eulogised about this to my wife who now wants to listen and I would be very happy to listen to this time and again. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Into the Desert

Dickens' ”Bleak House” is perhaps his most celebrated novel, a pioneering work that, if there is talk of the literary canon, usually has a rather prominent place reserved for it. It's full of remarkable writing, among that writing the classic descriptions of London and the fog; it's commended for its structure, and complex array of characters and their interactions. In short, it's a classic, Dickens at his most Dickens.

And I'm so glad it's over. This was supposed to be right up my alley: I had read ”David Copperfield” and was completely immersed, as I loved the language, the style, the atmosphere. The narrative is broken into two parts, that of an apparently omniscient narrator and that of Esther, and these two narrative threads ricochet, swerve and intermingle. The first fifty pages are utterly exhilarating in their beauty and poetry, but I wasn't expecting the book ironically to turn into a big, never-ending Jarndyce and Jarndyce with no end in sight: I think the idea, generally, is a very good one, the mystery works, and the social aspect adds a realistic dimension to it all, especially since Dickens had first-hand experience of the legal system. But the main flaw of the book, for me, was that it just dragged too long for its own sake so that what pulse there was had, halfway through, become a mere memory.

I wasn't too enthralled by any of the characters, either. I had difficulty with Esther's narrative, especially, where everything happens during the golden hour or the rosy-fingered dawn, or is, in other ways, full of sweetness and dearness, and little else. Since I've only read ”David Copperfield” I'm not really in the position to say, but so far it seems that it's the main character who has the misfortune to be the channel through which all things happen, but who seems to have little to contribute on one's own. I'm surprised that I'd yearn for the classic device of change in the character so much, but I think Esther, and many of the other characters, exist primarily in a stasis, or vacuum, without much gravitational force to pull them either way.

The narration has its pros and cons. On one hand, both Barrett and Gallagher do a good job with the material, often emphasizing the caricatures, but on the other, the text itself is so long that it's difficult to carry it through, even with two narrators. It doesn't help that Gallagher has to deal with Esther's narrative, which, as to my complaint, isn't all that interesting and offers very little.

I'm trying to make sense of my feelings to myself as much as to you, who might have unhappily stumbled upon this review. One thing that didn't help was that while I listened to ”Bleak House” had another reading project going on, that being Thomas Pynchon's incomparable ”Mason & Dixon”, a work of an equally gifted, or even more gifted, master of the language. In many ways my experience with Pynchon mirrored with ”Bleak House”: when Pynchon was wild fun, Dickens offered surprisingly few moments of glee; while Pynchon was able to weave a complex narrative that moved unpredictably, Dickens' narrative, with its many ”surprises”, felt like it just wandered off into the desert unprepared, stalling and hoping to get out alive. Whether it did, I'm not quite sure. I'm certain, however, to re-evaluate whether I'll have to guts to try ”The Pickwick Papers” anytime soon, as I already have it in my library. I think I'll go somewhere else first.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A literary delight.

What did you like most about Bleak House?

It is a brilliant expose of Victorian social life which touches raw human emotions.

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

The death of Jo.

Have you listened to any of Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallagher ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

A masterpiece of narration. Sean and Teresa complement each other and give added depth to the story. They both excel themselves. The range of voices used by both is amazing, bringing the characters to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The death of Jo. Sean's reading combined with Dickens's empathetic narration was a very emotional experience which moved me to tears.

Any additional comments?

An outstanding rendition of this monumental drama. High praise to Sean and Teresa!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Completely draws you in.

I love Dickens however with Bleak House I had struggled to get into it.... but with the amazing voices of Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallaghher I found I was right there...in the foggy streets of London feeling angry with the court system. As usual the Dicken's characters are diverse and vivid. They make you laugh, move you, anger you or inspire you alternately.

(One warning though...if you don't like 'too good' characters and get annoyed by that then you may find Esther, the heroine, hard to swallow. If you have read ' Little Dorrit' and found Amy irritating then it may be a similar scenario for you here. Personally I really like Esther and, if she is too good to be true, I don't mind...it is a story after all. )

I enjoyed this audiobook so much I'm listening to it again even though I only just finished it....there is so much detail, so much sly humour that I keep finding things I missed the first time around.

A very good buy.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

Any additional comments?

Sean Barrett's reading of little Joe's demise had me weeping so much I couldn't listen again until 24 hours had passed!
Sean was incredible, Teresa was fine, and Dicken's prose was incomparable!
Can't recommend it more highly.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable

I'm a fan of classics and, in most cases, know what I'm in for when I begin a book. Nevertheless, I almost always enjoy them, and this was the case with Bleak House. Among other things it's always interesting to compare TV versions of the stories with the books, and in this case the TV version is pretty true to the book. When buying a book I consider listening to the samples important because the narrators can make a huge difference to the listening experience. In this case, they were excellent. I always listen to the classics in their unabridged form even though some authors, particulary Dickens, can be a bit long-winded - this is something anyone considering this book should take into account.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 27-11-12

Well worth listening to

This was my first purchase from audible and it was certainly value for money. Brilliantly read and thoroughly compelling. For any Dickens fan this is well worth a listen.

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