Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Chapters 8-13
I think what I am most enjoying about this novel is the variety of characters. There are so many of them that it reads like a complex web of interconnected lives and situations. Esther remains one of my favorites, though Mr. Jarndyce and the oddball Jellybys (as a set) with their mad house and philanthropic matron are a close second.
Several seemingly unrelated events have taken place in this section, but I know better than to truly believe that they are unrelated. Lady Dedlock’s eternal boredom must surely signify something and her sudden interest in an unknown copy writer’s hand can only lead one to question why this one detail was capable of drawing her out of her general ennui. That the copy writer is eventually found by Mr. Tulkinghorn in a rather unfortunate state only adds to the mystery of the case and that Lady’s interest.
Esther continues to remind me of Marian from The Woman in White, particularly her noble-hearted feelings for Mr. Jarndyce, Ada, and Richard. Ada and Richard remain… well… rather useless if optimistic about their state. Though these two are the wards in Jarndyce, I find that I have little interest in their relationship. Ada seems the perfect, prim young miss, and Richard a decent, mediocre sort of fellow without ambition. They almost blend into the background amid the demanding presence of the other characters. Esther is the sort of self-deprecating, plain Jane that deserves more credit than she is willing to admit, but her voice is one of the liveliest ones and her accounts the most enjoyable (or so I find).
The Bleak House Read-Along is hosted by Amanda at The Zen Leaf.
I like Esther’s part the best too. My post is going to go up in a few minutes. Sadly, by this point in the story, I wasn’t liking anything. Next week’s post should be better though!
I definitely enjoyed this more than part I but I don’t think I like Esther as much as you do. She does seem a good person unlike some of the other characters.
I’m also really anxious to see how everything ties together but since it’s such a long book, we probably won’t find out anything until the last 50-75 pages.
I think I just prefer her narrative over the others. I wish she would be a bit less submissive as a character, but I find her voice to be the most enjoyable.
Esther was irritating me at first, but I’m starting to like her now. I agree that Ada and Richard aren’t very interesting.
I can’t wait to see how all the seemingly unrelated characters and storylines are going to be woven together!
I lose patience with Ada and Richard, to me they seem like background characters with little involvement in the actual plot.