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Bleak House
- The Audible Dickens Collection
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 43 hrs and 12 mins
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Bleak House
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Publisher's Summary
Audie Award, 2019: Literary Fiction and Classics
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2018
This Audible Exclusive performance of Bleak House features a unique introduction written and narrated by Miriam Margolyes.
Recognised as one of Dickens' most accomplished titles, Bleak House has impressed critics and audiences alike since it was first published in 1852. The novel boasts one of the most intelligent and engaging plots in all of English literature and is sure to engage the listener's imagination as it transports us back in time to the seedy, grimy and hazardous streets of Victorian London.
This release is part of the Dickens Collection, an exclusive series of unmissable performances available throughout 2018.
About the audiobook:
At the heart of Bleak House is the longstanding case of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce - a damning portrayal of the 19th century legal system. Dickens shines a light on the impact that overdrawn court proceedings could have on the lives of those involved, specifically through two of his protagonists, Richard Carstone and his beloved Ada Clare.
Dickens' unassuming heroine, Esther Summerson, along with the equally benevolent owner of Bleak House, John Jarndyce, attempts to guide the young lovers, Richard and Ada, to live their lives unaffected by the court proceedings. But with the introduction of some typically Dickensian characters such as Grandfather Smallweed and Mr Tulkinghorn, trouble soon ensues for all who cross their paths.
About the author:
Having experienced the incarceration of his father, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies at a young age and set to work in a factory so as to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels, various articles, novellas and short stories. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man. Bleak House offers unique insight into the mind-set of a middle-aged Charles Dickens and the exceptional way in which his artistic skill had grown and developed by then.
About the narrator:
Miriam Margolyes is an award-winning stage and screen actress, best known for her roles in The Age of Innocence, Little Dorrit, Sunshine, Cold Comfort Farm and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Her stage credits include The Vagina Monologues, Romeo & Juliet, The Threepenny Opera, The Canterbury Tales and her own one-woman show, Dickens' Woman. Miriam has always been a keen admirer of Charles Dickens and demonstrates a profound understanding of his themes and writing style through her skilful narration of Bleak House.
What the critics say
"Such a miraculously good new audio version of this great novel is cause for hats in the air.... Margolyes clearly loves this material and brilliantly displays Dickens's genius for plotting, nailing human foibles, and shining light on social cruelties. It's a gobsmacking performance, on a par with Jim Dale's protean work on the Harry Potter novels. Ms. Margolyes contains multitudes." (AudioFile)
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What listeners say about Bleak House
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- David M. Sullivan
- 2019-02-21
Likeable if not lovable
A long and complex story told by a saint. Her many tears become a bit wearying at times, but that was the age. A rather darker, less comic novel, compared to other Dickens stories, and perhaps that absence is what makes the piece seem to drag on, especially at the end, where Dickens spends a lot of time rewarding saints and punishing sinners. Critics seem to prefer "Bleak House" overall, but to my mind what is impressive in the book comes at the expense of what is loveable. To each his own. Ms. Margoyles is an excellent reader and "do the voices" as any good Dickens reader should, though perhaps understandably, better with female than male voices.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura
- 2018-10-22
amazing.
absolutely incredible. she does such an amazing job giving each character a voice. loved it!
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-08-10
Wth is going on
I can’t for the life of me follow what the hell is going on in this story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Emad Talisman
- 2023-03-21
Masterpiece by Dickens and inspirational performance by Margolyes
This book is a commitment. Every reader will agree that Dickens’ decision to fully develop his 50+ characters in Bleak House would be a deal breaker for any modern publisher, but the historical value of this novel is indisputable. Dickens captures the period in vivid detail, turning the most mundane and bureaucratic elements into clever prose. He weaves his commentaries and personal reflections into dialogue, the careful choreography of interlocutors, or settings that amplify his intended themes.
As someone who struggles with following the simplest of plots, I cannot imagine reading this book cover-to-cover without getting completely lost, like in some Brazilian favela. That is why I am so grateful to Miriam Margolyes for being my sherpa. From start to finish, all 45+ hours was delivered with theatrical vigour.
Bravo.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth Barter
- 2023-03-11
Miriam Margoyles Brings Esther to Earth
I ' ve often had a hard time reading ' Bleak House.'
This is mostly because I have a difficulty getting through "Esther's Narrative". The first time I read this classic the novel ended at Krook imploding .
Hearing Ms Margoyles perform this novel , Esther began to look less like a Stepford Wife,and I was able to actually appreciate her better qualities. I confess I could never get through her narrative without snorting. Having said this , as I listened to Ms Margoyles , I caught more of this story . I'm happy to say I can appreciate Dickens's creation, and now understand why it was such an important novel. My favourite Dickens novels often featured his older characters and historic events like the Gordon Riots, the French Revolution and the opening of the American West. Listening to ' Bleak House ', I was touched by the compassion of the characters and thoroughly enjoyed Ms Margoyles 's performance. I will be seeking out more Dickens .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-07-03
Miriam Margoyles brings Bleak House to life
This is a wonderfully complex and engaging story to which Miriam Margoyles brings an array of astonishing performances to indelibly inscribe the principle characters in mind and memory. The unmasking of the crime by a beguiling detective near the end is riveting. Thoroughly enjoyable throughout
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GDokk
- 2020-07-01
Monumental
A monumental story. The story is tied together well. The intensity continues throughout. The overall true basic lesson being taught is that the legal system, lawyers, and all their business paraphernalia are false, and have nothing to do with laws and crime, and everything to do with “making money” and the accumulation of “power”. The story is a true treatise on the system that leads to, and becomes, our governance as well.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- patti
- 2019-12-22
Bleak House a better read
This is a great novel which I read a number of years ago. Very well performed. But I think due to the complexity of the story lines, it's a better read than listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard Strout
- 2019-11-28
Most Worthwhile!
Will long be remembered as a most moving tale full of emotion. Long live Dickens!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- G
- 2019-10-04
Spectacular!
You will find yourself laughing and crying by turns! Masterfully written and beautifully performed. Minute by minute and hour by hour you are drawn into the lives of all of Dickens’ superb characters.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MattB
- 2019-01-17
The Best Audiobook Ever?
I've been listening to audiobooks most of my 62 years, and I have to say this is quite possibly the best one I've ever heard. I'm a Dickens fan, and Bleak House is one of my favorites. But that's not why this recording is so sensational. It's all Miriam Margolyes. Her reading, performance, whatever you'd call it is absolutely perfect, combining her talents in acting, voices, accents with her passion for Dickens and her emotional response to the characters. It all just works together to make the ideal reading, yet somehow also manages to seem like an incredibly talented friend sitting in the room, not just reading, but sharing the book with you.
And about the length: when you listen to an audiobook this good, you don't ever want it to end. The hours flew by and, as I got closer to the end, found I was allowing myself only so much per day, to stretch it out so it wouldn't be over. Alas, it did finally end, but I plan to listen to it all over again -- once I have listened to everything else Ms. Margolyes has read for Audible, including several books I would never have thought to read but for her recording them.
Miriam -- if you ever read this, I've got your readings of Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist too. But please consider doing more (maybe all?) of the Dickens novels, unabridged, of course, like these three. No one, but no one, does them as well as you.
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103 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- zolivia
- 2018-07-04
3.8 stars
I'm having trouble finishing this audiobook. Ms. Margolyes approaches the text with great reverence, as she is evidently a Dickens aficionado. I think that reverence detracts from her narration, as each sentence is delivered in the deliberate cadence of the Archbishop of Canterbury eulogizing a dead monarch. I don't mean that she doesn't use a different voice for each character. She does do that, fairly well. I mean that every. Single. Phrase. Is treated as. Equally deserving. Of careful. Enunciation. And emphasis.
This would not be a bad narrative style for a fast-paced, crisply-written book. For "Bleak House," with its dry subject matter (Chancery Court! Law writing! Debt collection!) and convoluted plot? Ms. Margolyes's style is not ideal. Each scene drags and feels disconnected from the next, making it difficult to pick up narrative threads, such as the attempts of various characters to discovery the law writer's identity. What's worse, much of Dickens's sly humor is lost.
You will note as well that this audiobook is several hours longer than the average Dickens narration. I suspect this is also down to Ms. Margolyes's narration.
I have enjoyed Ms. Margolyes's skilled portrayal of several characters, in particular Grandfather Smallweed, whom she imbues with the perfect mix of querulousness and venom. So I am gritting my teeth and forcing myself to finish the audiobook. Hopefully I will have a greater appreciation for Ms. Margolyes's performance once I've listened to all 45 hours of it. :)
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65 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jon
- 2018-08-16
What A Journey
Bleak House has been a wonderful journey. Prior to listening to this I thought Dickens was somewhat dark and I was reluctant to purchase it. For the first few chapters the story confirmed my previously held opinion. It also seemed excessively descriptive and I wasn't sure I could persist with 40+ hours of it. I'm glad I persisted because it turns out the story has incredible light and I came to love the creative skill in the descriptive passages. This isn't a book for people who don't like stories with multiple threads. For those who do, it is a rich tapestry. The narration in this rendition of Bleak House is superb. Miriam Margolyes' interpretation of the characters adds to the enjoyment of the story. She changes voice as characters interact at an impressive speed. Thank you for such enjoyable narration.
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18 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- AK
- 2018-06-03
Not know the story is a disadvantage
Enjoyed other novels of this era--Dickens-Dostoesky-Tolstoy--but found Bleak House challenging-to-follow. Learn about story before listening.
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul F. Dubois
- 2018-09-05
An immortal performance of an immortal work.
You know how many characters there are in this novel? I counted nine new ones introduced in two chapters about a third of the way through. Ms. Margolyes, one of our greatest character actresses, does every single one in an appropriate voice. She even has a different narration voice for the chapters narrated by one of the characters as opposed to the author's voice. She is clear and enunciates wonderfully. And of course, this is one of the greatest novels in literature.
Dickens' books were popular entertainments in serial form, frequently read aloud in family settings, so they perfectly fit this format. Knowing he is writing for someone who will need to recall the prior characters and events, Dickens takes care to provide idiosyncrasies and reminders for the reader -- so it perfectly suits listening periodically.
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nancy A Young
- 2018-06-26
An Old Friend, Revisited
"Bleak House" has long been a favorite friend, but Miriam Margolyes' masterful narrative voices bring to life this epic story and beautiful prose in an elegant and friendly telling. Well worth owning and relistening again and again!
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- rab
- 2021-02-07
Fantastic reading
If you love Dickens, this recording will be an absolute delight and a reminder of all the things you love about his writings. If you’re impartial to his work, Margolyes’ performance may just make you fall in love. And if you could never get into his work, or Bleak House in particular, she does all the hard lifting for you. Often when readers give different characters voices it’s annoying and distracting, but Margolyes skills bring them all to life in their fullest and highlights the delightful mannerisms and particularities that makes Dickens’ characters so memorable. The only reason the book ending isn’t upsetting is because I’ve found Richard Armitage’s reading of David Copperfield - a novel which I’m not sure I would have thought to look for if Margolyes hadn’t reminded me of how delightful Dickens can be on long winter evenings.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David S.
- 2018-07-18
Thank You, Ms. Margolyes
Ms. Margolyes' performance was phenomenal. I was slightly concerned by her introduction, when describing the narrator, she states, "I don't really warm to Esther," but Ms. Margolyes' masterful reading did not reveal any misgivings on her part. Her range of vocal tone and style is amazing, from warm and comforting (Lady Dedlock) to "fingernails-on-chalkboard" (Grandfather Smallweed). I was truly sorry when the when the performance had finished. Bravo!
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amber
- 2021-01-19
Listened to this reading about 5 or 6 times
This is one of my all time favorite books and when paired with Miriam Margoyles art for voices, it has proved to be timeless, for me at least. The pull and love I have for this book is very deep, and the number of times I've listened to Margoyle's voice, makes me sound like a compulsive, but she truly is a master. I don't write reviews, on anything really, but my sheer adoration for both Dickens and the talent that this voice gave this classic has provoked and shook me. Thank you for producing this and thank you, Miriam, for your skill. It has truly been a pleasure to hear. I wish I could give a higher rating than just 5 stars.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily
- 2021-01-23
Five stars are not enough for this performance!!
One of the greatest novels of English literature, Bleak House seems almost as if Dickens might have written it intending that Miriam Margolyes read it aloud. Her vocal shape-shifting is so remarkable that one gasps now and then upon recalling that this is not a “full cast” performance. Loved every minute of every hour of this epic, and epically convoluted, tale.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CK
- 2020-04-14
Incredible read
I've always wanted to read the work that is Dickens' masterpiece and it's clear that it deserves to the title - it's long, yes, but stick with it - it's a brilliant story on so many levels - a love story, a lesson in social justice, a detective story, a comedy ... the list is endless - in the end, you'll feel sad when it's over and it's time to say goodbye to all these wonderful characters.
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1 person found this helpful