...and I will say that while this book took me nearly three months to complete, I am glad I spent the time and really took it all in. I love the ending of this novel, events seem to have all worked out and while not everyone ends the book on contented, those who were pure of heart certainly do. I appreciate the formula of literature of this time: the ending of a book nearly always brings a marriage, a death, and some sort of twist. With Bleak House, I indeed received all three.
Dickens is certainly a master. His ability to paint a picture in ones mind is, while not unmatched, striking. I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who has the time and the inclination to take it on. As I have indicated in previous posts, it's a heavy and dense read. Oftentimes I found myself having to go back and reread to be sure I was grasping what Dickens' was alluding to, and there is a lot of allusion.
Not to put to fine a point on it, as Mr. Snagsby would inevitably say, I will close the Bleak House chapter with what I believe to be a wonderful example of Dickens' ability with words alone to be both painter and poet, scribe and illustrator.... "Upon this wintry night it is so still, that listening to the intense silence is like looking at intense darkness. If any distant sound be audible in this case, it departs through the gloom like a feeble light in that, and all is heavier than before."
Thank you Mr. Dickens.
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