bleak house*

several books i've read in the past year referenced bleak house, so i figured it was the universe's way of telling me it was time to tackle it.

for the most part i enjoyed the story. you can definitely tell that dickens was writing this book for serialization because there are chapters that do nothing to move the plot forward and characters who really don't serve any purpose - like the caddy jellyby and everything about her.

i'm in the process of watching the masterpiece theater mini-series of the book, which is excellent, and the producers have done an excellent job of whittling the story without losing any major plot points.

i do have a love-hate relationship with dickens, though. i had to read several of his books in college and grad school, and i was always bothered by how he treated women in the novels. bleak house is no different. without giving anything away, i really don't like what dickens did with esther summerson and lady dedlock at the end.

but it was still worth the read, and i may revisit some others of his, like our mutual friend and a tale of two cities.

*i'm writing in lowercase because my keyboard is fried and my shift key doesn't work.