previous pages of undirected rambling. For this book to appeal to the average reader, it needs to be revised or abridged, so that
the reader does not get bogged down in so much trivial detail. Yes, I knowthis is Dickens, the great Dickens, but a reader
cannot love a book based on the author's name. Yes, Dickens is important in a historical sense and the details are important
to: 1)understanding the society of the time, 2peeing the metaphors created by well described scenes, 3)illuminating the
pretensions that are satirised, etc. and there are parts that do have an important meaning for the book - the long description
in the opening chapter of the Eondon fog (as representative of the "fog" in the legal system of the day, is valuable and well-
written and even keeps the reader interested), but others are superfluous and tedious - detailed descriptions of the horses in the
stables on a rainy day at Chesney Wold. If one thinks to read this book to better understand the historical times, one would
be more informed and entertained with a histoy text. You have to be patient if you want to read this book, and you have to
have a large block of time set aside to read it. I do not wish to disparage Dickens, but I cannot agree that it is a fascinating
book for the average reader (and I do not refer to the "average" reader as a primitive, thrill seeker looking only for sex and
violence, I refer to readers as intelligent persons who enjoy reading and appreciate good literature). "Bleak House" has great
literary value but as an enjoyable read, it just does not make the grade. -This text refers to the Paperback edition
Onderaan 20'n bespreking volgt dan altijd de vraag:
Was this review helpful to you?
Er waren tien readies waarvan er drie dit verhaal inderdaad "helpful" vonden. Die zullen het boek vast
niet hebben gekocht.
Als we de kritiek van de schrijfster in één woord proberen samen te vatten lijkt me saai, geen slechte keus.
Hierna volgt een reactie van iemand die het totaal niet met de eerste recensent eens is:
Deep, dark, delicious Dickens!, June 4, 2003
Reviewer: shoonzyfrom Blaine, WA United States
There is little to be satisfied in reading this book"?? I coiddn't disagree more. Bleak House left a profound impression on
me, and was so utterly satisfying a reading experience that I wanted it never to end. I've read it twice over the years and look
forward to reading it again. Definitely my favorite novel.
I don't know what the previous reviewer's demands are when reading a novel, but mine are these: the story must create its
world - whatever and wherever that world might be - and make me BELJE HE it. If the novelist cannot create that world in
my mind, and convince me of its truths, they've wasted my time (style doesn't matter - it can be clean and spare like Orwell or
verbose like Dickens, because any style can work in the hands of someone who knows how to use it). Many novels fail this
test, but Bleak House is not one of them.
Bleak House succeeds in creating a wonderfully dark and complex spider web of a world. On the surface it's unfamiliar.
Victorian Eondon and the court of Chancey - obviously no one alive today knows that worldfirst hand. Andyet as you
read it you know it to be real: the deviousness, the longing the secrets, the bureaucracy, the overblown egos, the unfairness of it
all. Wait a minute... could that be because all those things still exist today?
But it's not all doom and gloom. It also has Dickens's many shades of humor, silliness, word play, comic dialogue,
preposterous characters with mocking names, and of course a constant satirical edge. It also has anger and passion and
tenderness.
I will grant one thing, if you don't love reading enough to get into the flow of Dickens's sentences, you'11probablyfeel like the
previous reviewer that "...it goes on and on, in interminable detail and description...It's a different dance rhythm folks, but
well worth getting used to. If you have to, work your way up to it. Don't start with a biggie like Bleak House, start with one
of his wonderful short pieces such as A Christmas Carol.
Dickens was a gifted storyteller and Bleak House is his masterpiece. If you love to dive into a book, read and enjoy this gem!
-This text refers to the Taperback edition
Wel dat is heel wat positiever dan het eerste stuk. Bovendien waren hier zeven van de zeven reacties het
er mee eens. Deze zeven zullen het boek wel hebben gekocht. Op het eerste gezicht dus een overwinning
voor Dickens van 7 -3. En misschien heeft het advies voor hen die zich nog niet zo thuis voelen in 19de
eeuwse literatuur don't start with a biggie' uiteindelijk ook nog wel een extra lezer op geleverd. Dit zou het
commentaar van een sport verslaggever kunnen zijn, maar ik wilde het toch eens anders proberen.
Laten we de opmerkingen uit beide stukjes eens in een tabelletje naast elkaar zetten om ze beter te kunnen
vergelijken.
1De verhaallijn is die van een soap opera die
eindeloos door gaat.
1. Het boek kon mij niet lang genoeg zijn.
