'The universe makes rather an indifferent parent, I'm afraid.' First published as a twenty-episode serial between 1852-53, Bleak House remains one of Dickens's most beloved and studied masterpieces. A scathing social critique which skilfully explores class, corruption and moral decay, Bleak House is centred around a long-running legal case - Jarndyce v. Jarndyce - and its devastating consequences on the people involved. From financial ruin to relentless personal suffering, the case has wreaked havoc on the lives of generations, having dragged on for decades. Featuring a cast of characters from the shallow and foolish to the down-right dogged and cruel, Bleak House is a pointed satire of the English court system - one which still bears resonance in the modern day. This audiobook edition is brilliantly brought to life by Miranda Raison and Pearl Mackie. Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the twentieth century, critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read, performed and adapted today.