To Bleak or Not Too Bleak: Dickens’ Bleak House

Charles Dickens. If ever Charles Dickens was to be assigned to a season, it would be winter, Christmas, specifically. Tiny Tim, Ebenezer Scrooge, 3 ghosts… is there anyone in the world who doesn’t know this story? Perhaps I should have read A Christmas Carol but Bleak House was gifted to me so Bleak House, I read.

I finished Bleak House a few weeks ago but deliberately delayed posting my review, brief though my reviews invariably are. Why? Because the last Dickens I read annoyed me, was far too dragged out and frankly, I found it predictable and boring. I wanted to give Dickens a chance, to give it a fresh go and a second shot at winning me around. After taking a bit more time to ponder the book, its storyline, the writing, etc, this is what I thought.

The writing: Dickens’ writing – his style, his use of language and his descriptive abilities are wonderful and at times, truly awesome. The book alone is worth reading for the many moments that he just captures so accurately and eloquently. If you are a lawyer, his description of legal life in chambers and around the courts is particularly enjoyable and is a particular point of focus in the book.

The story: I’ve read better. I would still take Thomas Hardy over Dickens. I remain open to being converted on this preference but having now read two Dickens novels and 3 Hardy novels, my own opinion is that Hardy’s stories are just more interesting, more compelling and well, better.

As ever, I will refrain from synopsising the novel so as not to spoil it for anyone who has not yet read it but just to give you an idea of what the book is about… The protagonist in the story is Esther, whom we meet as a young girl, who doesn’t know her parents and is being raised by a hard woman. Esther’s upbringing is sad and she’s made to feel unimportant and is frequently reminded that she was “her mother’s shame.” When this lady dies, Esther mysteriously becomes the charge of a wealthy man, who initially sends her to a good school and then brings her to live in his salubrious home at Bleak House, her lot having improved substantially. The story follows Esther and her new companions in her new life and ultimately unravels the mystery of her origins.

There are, of course, lots of sub-plots going on in the novel, lots of characters and lots to keep up with here. You have to pay attention. It’s not quite Tolstoy in its complexity and numeracy of characters, but it’s not Mr Men either. Some of these periphery characters are interesting in their own rite, some are not.

The bottom line: It’s far too long. Biblically long and without need. The story is not that complex nor that interesting. He did this in A Tale of Two Cities too. I didn’t appreciate it then and I didn’t appreciate it this time either.

Dickens’ abilities as a writer are beyond doubt, but you do get the feeling, as I did in A Tale of Two Cities, that the actual story is simply a canvas for his descriptions, constantly playing second fiddle to lyricism, and being relegated to a status of lesser importance. Finishing the book, as I did A Tale, I felt that this was a pity, that he couldn’t make more out of the story given his talented way with words. At the end of the day, I’m reading to be entertained and if the story isn’t entertaining me, then I’m going to look for my entertainment elsewhere. For what it’s worth, I think all of the Bronte sister’s books are also far better. I’ll put it this way: If I had to choose, no competition.

To sum up, I thought BH was better than A Tale of Two Cities but still not great. I wouldn’t read it again and it won’t be going anywhere on my list of favourite books.

I am not a Dickens’ expert nor am I a literary scholar of any description. I am a reader and book lover, and these are my views.

Have you read Bleak House? What did you think?

What do you think of Charles Dickens?

 

Veering Off Script: All the Light We Cannot See

Coffee and a good book: peas and carrots.

I’ve been bold recently. At the beginning of the year, I had a script. That script involved a prescribed set list of books I was planning to read by the end of this year. As some of you might already know, I’ve set myself a challenge to read as many books as I can, taking in many of the classics and critically-acclaimed titles, as well as well as more contemporary novels, which frankly, I know I will enjoy, even if nobody else thinks much of them! It’s all about reading books that I ought to read, books that I want to read and books that I might otherwise never read. Greater perspective, a little education and a bit of fun. Simps.

Recently, however, I’ve been bold, as I said. I’ve been veering off my prescribed list quite a lot lately and have reverted to just reading what I want to read. Not a big deal but I am going to have to put a pin in this behaviour for a little while if I have any hope of getting to the end of such lofty titles as Bleak House and Under the Greenwood Tree…

The good news is that I have been reading and have a few more titles which are ready to be added to the collection of completed titles. Since my last blog post (shamefully too long ago…), I’ve read:

1. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

I absolutely loved Tess of the D’Ubervilles, so much so that it holds a place firmly in my top 10 novels of all time. This was what made me run around buying every Thomas Hardy title I could get my hands on ever since then and I was expecting great things. I was expecting enjoyment. I did not get it. In fact, I got none at all. In all honesty, it felt like a chore from the end of the first chapter to the finish. The plot was decent enough, with enough scandal and intrigue to theoretically keep the attention of the reader but after the first chapter, the story just seemed to drift about with no direction and while I did my best to wait patiently for the story to re-establish itself, by the time the novel got interesting again, I didn’t care. I just didn’t care about any of the characters nor was I particularly interested in what happened to them. Not anywhere close to Tess. Verdict: Read Tess instead. 2/10

2. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This book was recommended as one of the best books to read this year and has garnered itself bragging rights as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2015. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the story in this novel primarily takes place between 1939-45 and relates the stories of a young French girl, for whom war comes to invade her town and that of a German boy, who grows up in a world consumed with fascist ideals. Another sad World War II novel? Yes, it is. However, it is beautifully written, very easy to read and despite the absolute opposite nature of both characters and their worlds, each are instantly likeable and interesting characters. Doerr does a masterful job, in terms of knitting the storyline together and keeping the reader’s absolute attention from start to finish, building to a heart-stopping crescendo towards the end. This is one of those books you don’t want to put down. Verdict: a great book for the train, the bus, a nice big chair and a long afternoon, or anywhere else for that matter. 7/10

3. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

This is a completely different book. An incredibly honest, insightful and frank discussion about race, ethnicity and western notions of acceptance, this story is essentially about belonging and trying to find your place in the world. Based in Ohio, USA, the story opens in 1977 and alternating chapters cover the years leading up to this time, bringing with it a gradual reveal of the story. A girl’s body is found floating in a lake. Yep, that does make it seem like a run-of-the-mill crime novel but don’t be fooled. This is not a crime novel and that is not at all what this book is about. The story in these pages is about a mixed race American family, acceptance of people who are different to us, love, prejudice and hidden prejudices. It’s a sad story but what makes it an edgy novel is how brutally honest it is about American culture and prejudice. Moreover, despite this book being set in 1977, the novel could, in fact, just as easily find its place in the present day and that’s what makes it so intriguing – to the point that I frequently had to remind myself that this story was not based in the present time. Verdict: It’s a brilliant piece of writing and you will want to read this. 8/10

4. The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

I was given this book as a loan from my cousin, after having been promised a loan of this from numerous friends for months. Sitting atop the front tables of all good bookshops for the last 6 months, it is fair to say that this novel has benefitted from huge publicity. I’m always hesitant about such novels because oftentimes, these much-hyped, popular fiction titles with their catwalk covers have turned out to be serious disappointments. I say “serious” because when you build something up so high, the fall from all the way up there at the top is inevitably going to be flatliner. One such recent example: I Am Pilgrim. The girl, who travels on the train, obsessively watches a married couple through the window of her train carriage on her way to and from work everyday and one day sees something that concerns her. She takes it upon herself to investigate the situation more closely and inevitably ends up tangled up in the world to which she was once just a passing observer. It’s an average plotline with a very average story. It’s not badly written and it is easy to read so if you want mild amusement as you sit on the bus or train (dare I say it) to work, then this would do just fine. It’s not the worst book I’ve ever read and if I’m honest, I was a hell of a lot more interested in finding out the end of this book than I was in The Mayor of Casterbridge. It’s a mystery, whodunnit and will keep you guessing till the end. It’s not a masterpiece and it won’t win any awards but it’s an entertaining beach read or book for the train. Verdict: Not worthy of the prime spot in the bookshop. 5/10

5. How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy

Full disclosure: this is a tiny book, a mini-story if you will. It’s a very clever little book however and a brilliant little read. Miniature in words but colossal in story, this read stayed with me for weeks afterwards. In fact, I still think back on it often. For 20 pages, this is a book everyone should read. Costs virtually nothing, but pays exceptional dividends. Read it.

Next to come:

1. Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh
2. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
3. Shame The Devil by George Pelecanos
4. No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Happy Reading!!!

Dickens the First: A Tale of Two Cities

My first Dickensian novel and my last of all novels of 2014, A Tale of Two Cities aptly ended my first year of trying to read as many novels as I can possibly fit into 12 calendar months. Aware of his much famed and critically acclaimed skills and accomplishments as a writer, I approached this book with a high expectations that within its pages would be waiting a marriage of one marvellously crafted plot, told in elegant, flowing language by a highly skilled hand. Perhaps I set my expectations too high and perhaps I overshot with allowing A Tale of Two Cities to be the first of Charles Dickens’ novels to read but I was admittedly somewhat disappointed. I should also point out that having picked up this novel on the back of having just finished Tess of the D’Ubervilles, which I thoroughly enjoyed to the point of fast-tracking it into my top 10 books of all time, it is likely that whatever book came next was almost bound to be something of a comedown. Dickens’ Tale is set in the late 18th Century against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the plight of the French peasantry, the contrasting class situation among the aristocracy in England and in particular, it centres around the story of a man who has been imprisoned in the Bastille before he is found and returned to England by his daughter. It explores themes including justice, poverty, revolution, the role of women and love. Dickens’ novel relates an interesting story and while never boring, I found it more of a chore to read than Hardy’s Tess, though admittedly they involve rather different plots. There are some wonderful paragraphs in Tale and some very astute lines in this book that seem to perfectly capture certain moments, lines which I have marked for revisiting in the future. His skill as an observer, as well as a writer in terms of his ability to aptly capture and describe particular scenes and moments shine through in the pages of this book. However, as an enjoyable read as a whole, the book falls down somewhat and I found that, for me, at least, it did simply did not flow with the ease I had expected it to. Nevertheless, I will read more Dickens and without giving into the temptation to once again set my expectations at too high a level, I hope to have a better experience the next time.