 | Bleak House by Charles Dickens |
A seemingly innocuous inquiry sets in motion the wheels of curiosity and investigations that uncover a long buried secret. A secret that in the 18th century could lead to a scandal of the utmost proportions for those involved and could easily result in murder as an attempt to send the secret to the grave with anyone who manages to uncover it.
An orphan comes to realize her long lost and unknown mother, never to be able to converse with her. A mother find out her daughter did not die at birth as she had been informed but due to circumstances they can never publicly acknowledge each other.
A case before the Chancelor drags on for years deciding the fate of an inheritance that ruins many a benefactor's hopes, dreams, and lives. The lives of young Richard and Ada hang in the balance as they wait for a decision that many have long given up on receiving a ruling. Richard becomes obsessed with the court proceedings and is positive that a ruling must come soon. He believes he needs no occupation as he stands to inherit a great deal of money, yet lives in constant debt while awaiting a decision that is forever overdue.
Bleak House is very slow to come out of the starting gate but eventually quickens its pace and races to the finish in this very heavy and dark tragedy. This book is not for the casual reader and can be very hard to wade through the archaic British verbiage, but I found it well worth the effort as it is quite a wonderful, if sad, story.
No comments:
Post a Comment