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Great Expectations & Hard Times

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 102 ratings · 8 reviews

Considered by many to be Dickens' masterpiece, Great Expectations, completed in 1861, tells the engrossing story of Pip, a boy whose surprising journey to adulthood is mapped by the unseen hand of an escaped convict he helps one fateful and terrifying night. Hard Times, written seven years earlier, is a gripping novel of childhood, family life, and the evils of industriali...more

Hardcover, 792 pages

Published November 14th 2005 by Barnes & Nobles (first published 1861)

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Jul 20, 2010 Kevin Willis added it

Summary: On Christmas Eve of 1812, Pip, a boy age 17, encounters an escaped convict in the churchyard while visiting his mother and father’s graves. The convict scares Pip into stealing food for him and files to grind away his leg shackles. Pip returns home where he lives with Mrs. Joe, his older sister her husband Joe Gargery.Pip steals some food from the pantry and drinks to take to the convict early that morning. This is an important event in the book because the convict will never forget th...more Summary: On Christmas Eve of 1812, Pip, a boy age 17, encounters an escaped convict in the churchyard while visiting his mother and father’s graves. The convict scares Pip into stealing food for him and files to grind away his leg shackles. Pip returns home where he lives with Mrs. Joe, his older sister her husband Joe Gargery.Pip steals some food from the pantry and drinks to take to the convict early that morning. This is an important event in the book because the convict will never forget the kindness that Pip showed to him, even though he force Pip into doing this act.

While they were at the house for the Christmas feast, which include the minister, Mr. Wopsle, Mr. and Mrs. Hubble, and Uncle Pumplechook, Pip and Mrs. Joe Moderately wealthy uncle. When Pip notice that his Uncle Pumplechook had drank some brandy and spits it out, Pip wanted to get out of the house, but the police was blocking his way. They Joe to repair their handcuffs and invited Joe, Pip and Mr. Worse to come with them to hunt for some escaped prisoners from the local jail. They caught the two convict while engage in a fight. One of them is the convict that helped by Pip; however, when question about where he got the food and file, he claims he stole the items in order shield Pip. A while after Pip encounter with the convict, Pip’s life returns back to normal. Pip’s Uncle Pumblechook get Pip invited to a rich old woman house name Miss.Havisham who lives in the village in Sates House. Miss. Havisham is spinster who wears an old wedding dress with one shoe on and has all the house clocks stopped at 20 minutes to nine. This woman hasn’t seen sunlight in years and claims to have a broken heart and just wanted see Pip play cards with Estella, a young girl she has adopted. Pip had harbor a feeling for Estella.

He learns everything he can from Biddy in school, in an effort to impress Estella who called him a common laboring boy. Pip work with Joe in the forge which he hated, but in return making an agreement to visit Miss. Havisham so that he can play with Estella, who he has grown to admired for and love down through the years. Pip has inherited a large sum of money from an anonymous benefactor. The condition was that he moves to London, buy some clothes and become a gentleman. This did not happen at that time, because Pip behavior had gotten worse and he was jealous of Estella and squanders his allowance, running into dept.Pip found out that Mr. Magwitch was his benefactor, who was the convict that Pip had an encounter with earlier in life. It is reveal that Magwitch was Estella’s father and the daughter of Jigger’s housemaid. Estella was given up for an adoption to Miss.Havisham; this was done in return for his services when he defended Molly who was his housemaid for a murder charge. Estella did get married to a man name Drummed, which was an unhappy one.

Before Pip flees with Magwitch, he makes one last trip to see Miss. Havisham and she realizes that she had created a monster out of Estella, who broke Pip’s heart, and asked him to forgive her. Then she stood up as they where talking and she caught her dress on fire and Pip manage to put the fire out on her dress, but later she died of her injuries. When Pip and some other friends attempted to help Magwitch to escape from prisoner, they got caught by the police and are sent to jail. Pip tried to Magwitch release, but he died before his execution. Pip meets Estella on the streets and found her abusive husband had died. She had gotten married second time to a doctor.
What I like about the story the most was when Pip was drawing closer to Estella and she constantly rejected him and then broke his heart. Pip did not have any anger toward Estella

Theme: The theme of this story was written in the first and uses languages and grammar that has fallen out of common use.
The main theme of Great Expectation is those of crime, social class, empire and ambition. Throughout the book, Pip becomes involves with all of them from criminal like Magwitch, to the extremely rich woman like Miss. Havisham
Mood: The story atmosphere was one with happiness and sadness
Protagonist: The main character was Pip
Antagonist: The characters was Compeyson, Dolges Orlick, and Bentley Drummed

Setting: The time was about the year of 1812 and place was in London

Conflict: There was an external conflict character vs. character.

Pip the main character vs. Estella.

Pip the main character vs. society.
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Jan 24, 2010 Mark Stratton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dickens

The very first Dickens I ever read. More than good enough to encourage further exploration of Dickens works. Would that Barnes & Noble would have put out the entire Dickens in these replica editions.

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Jun 10, 2009 Louis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a beautiful hardcover reprint of the 1937 Nonesuch version.Really worth the expense for my all-time favorite book.

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Jan 24, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Both books excellent. Dickens truly was a great writer and his novels are timeless with wonderful characters.

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Dec 18, 2008 Brian rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't understand the high regard in which this book is held.

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Jul 29, 2009 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this story.

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Nov 14, 2009 Willis rated it 3 of 5 stars

well I read this.

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Feb 16, 2012 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a wonderful book. It is called a classic for a good reason. I hope to read more Dickens this year.

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Shelves: dickens, fiction, own-but-not-read

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About Charles Dickens

A prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non-fiction; during his lifetime Dickens became known the world over for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of their lives, and his depictions of the social classes, morals and values of his times. Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awarenes...more

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“I was very glad afterwards to have had the interview; for, in her face and in her voice, and in her touch, she gave me the assurance, that suffering had been stronger than Miss Havisham's teaching, and had given her a heart to understand what my heart used to be.” — 2 people liked it

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