Bleak House

Rating:
Summary: One of his best
Review: I found this the best written prose that I have read so far by Dickens, and it ranks amongst the best written books that I've read by anyone. His assassination of the British establishment sometimes almost made me wince, yet I always found it entertaining and not preachy. I didn't find the plot as good, or the characters as sympathetic as A Tale of Two Cities (my favourite), but it beats the melodrama of Great Expectations by a long shot. I actually found this a far more damning indictment of society than Hard Times, contrary to what I'd been led to believe. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Yawning in North Carolina
Review: I have read Great Expectations and David Copperfield and enjoyed them immensely. These books offer a wonderful, colorful cast of characters. So, I thought I would try Bleak House. I slogged through 150 pages and finally gave up! Tedious is the operative word here! The characters were dessicated and one-dimensional and I felt as if the plot was not moving forward at all. Overall, a major disappointment.