Classic 1853 novel is hailed as 'greatest book of all time' and 'masterpiece'

A book has been named as the greatest of all time, and it was written by one of England's literary greats.

In a Reddit thread titled "Give me a list of all the greatest books I have to read", a user replied stating that Bleak House by Charles Dickens was the greatest book.

Bleak House is a novel by English author Dickens, which was first published as a 20-episode serial between 12 March 1852 and 12 September 1853.

The book's synopsis reads: "The complex story of a notorious lawsuit in which love and inheritance are set against the classic urban background of 19th-century London, where fog on the river, seeping into the very bones of the characters, symbolises the corruption of the legal system and the society which supports it.

"Jarndyce and Jarndyce is an infamous lawsuit that has been in process for generations. Nobody can remember exactly how the case started but many different individuals have found their fortunes caught up in it. Esther Summerson watches as her friends and neighbours are consumed by their hopes and disappointments with the proceedings. But while the intricate puzzles of the lawsuit are being debated by lawyers, other, more dramatic mysteries are unfolding that involve heartbreak, lost children, blackmail and murder.

"The fog and cold that permeate Bleak House mirror a Victorian England mired in spiritual insolvency. Dickens brought all his passion, brilliance, and narrative verve to this huge novel of lives entangled in a multi-generational lawsuit-and through it, he achieved, at age 41, a stature almost Shakespearean."

In another Reddit thread, this time titled "I want to read Dickens. What is the ONE Dickens novel that I should read?", many listed Bleak House as their vote, with one user stating: "Bleak House is considered by many to be Dickens's masterpiece. It's one of my favorite books of all time."

A second person commented that "Bleak House never gets enough love", while a third said they "agree on Bleak House. My favorite Dickens by far."

There has been a BBC retelling of Bleak House that aired in 2005 and starred Gillian Anderson.