| Following _Martin Chuzzlewit_ and followed by _Hard Times_, this is one of Dickens's early great novels of social analysis and protest. The suit of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce has been a joke in the courts because it had dragged on for decades. John Jarndyce, kind-hearted owner of the ironically-titled Bleak House, takes care of his two young cousins Richard Carstone and Ada Clare, and a ward named Esther Summerson. The complicated plot with dozens of characters involves adultery, blackmail, murder, and plenty of fog and mud to characterize the turgid moral atmosphere. Individuals and small acts of goodness shine out like rays of light in this murky world. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 1600-1899 Family, struggle with Yes Struggle with: - inheritance Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Misc setting Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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