Great Expectations

Paperback, 466 pages

English language

Published January 1963 by Washington Square Press.

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4 stars (2 reviews)

In this story of Pip, a young mon who means well but often does wrong, Charles Dickens has created what many critics consider his best novel. Great Expecta- lions hos a colorful range of characters and action without excess of detail. A dramatic, suspenseful plot replaces the episodic structure of the earlier novels. The sense of ploce and atmosphere is evocative and sharply defined.

All Dickens' books arc cnioyoble, all his characters memorable. He is perhaps the only novelist every English-speaking person is familiar with—and Great Expectations is the masterwork of this master story- teller.

131 editions

reviewed Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (Penguin Classics)

A good coming of age novel

4 stars

I'm enjoying my new tradition of reading a Charles Dickens novel in the runup to Christmas. I've watched several film and TV adaptations of his works over the years, but had been put off attempting the novels themselves by their length and the density if Dickens prose. As it turns out though, his vivid characterisations and melodramatic plots do suit my reading style pretty well. I'm not sure I would want to attempt more than one a year, but at that level of engagement the books are enjoyable and should last me a good decade yet. My choice for this year, Great Expectations, features the unexpected and exciting events of a Christmas Day for young Pip near the beginning of the novel so put me into a seasonal spirit!

I had only a vague recollection of watching a black and white Great Expectations film as a child (probably the 1946 …

avatar for will_sargent

rated it

3 stars