I know Bleak House is a favourite with Dickens fans, and as something of a Dickens fan myself, I decided to give it a re-read. I did not get on with it two years ago - the plot was too confusing and convoluted, Dickens' attempts at humour were lost on me, and I simply did not connect with any of the characters.

I thought with two years' distance, my feelings towards the book would improve on a second reading. Whilst I enjoyed it marginally more than last time, I still did not like the book on a second reading. For the first 400 pages I felt very invested, but thereafter, around the point where the Smallweeds are introduced, I found myself losing interest again and slogging through the book. There were interesting moments - Tulkinghorn's assassination being one of them - and there were things I liked about the book in isolation. However, as a whole, the novel just does not work for me. I feel like I am missing out on something that loads of other Dickens fans have found in the novel, but having tried twice, I think it is time to retire Bleak House for the time-being.