Bleak House

Often considered Charles Dickensƒ??s masterpiece, Bleak House blends together several literary genresƒ??detective fiction, romance, melodrama, and satireƒ??to create an unforgettable portrait of the decay and corruption at the heart of English law and society in the Victorian era.

Opening in the swirling mists of London, the novel revolves around a court case that has dragged on for decadesƒ??the infamous Jarndyce and Jarndyce lawsuit, in which an inheritance is gradually devoured by legal costs. As Dickens takes us through the caseƒ??s history, he presents a cast of characters as idiosyncratic and memorable as any he ever created, including the beautiful Lady Dedlock, who hides a shocking secret about an illegitimate child and a long-lost love; Mr. Bucket, one of the first detectives to appear in English fiction; and the hilarious Mrs. Jellyby, whose endless philanthropy has left her utterly unconcerned about her own family.

As a question of inheritance becomes a question of murder, the novelƒ??s heroine, Esther Summerson, struggles to discover the truth about her birth and her unknown motherƒ??s tragic life. Can the resilience of her love transform a bleak house? Andƒ??more devastatinglyƒ??will justice prevail?