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Great Expectations

by Charles Dickens, George Bernard Shaw (Introduction)

3.60 · rating details · 110,850 ratings · 4,754 reviews

Pip, a poor orphan being raised by a cruel sister, does not have much in the way of great expectations between his terrifying experience in a graveyard with a convict named Magwitch and his humiliating visits with the eccentric Miss Havisham's beautiful but manipulative niece, Estella, who torments him until he is elevated to wealth by an anonymous benefactor. Full of unfo...more

Paperback, 433 pages

Published February 13th 2001 by The Modern Library New York (first published 1860)

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Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

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Jul 13, 2011

Noce rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: narrativa-inglese

Recensione per i frivoli.

Orbene, chi pensate potrebbe essere Dickens, se vivesse ai nostri tempi?
Probabilmente un mix tra il regista di Beautiful, e il regista di una qualunque telenovela sudamericana.

I personaggi ci sono tutti. C’è quel paio di nuclei familiari attorno al quale la vicenda si muove, la contrapposizione tra il Bene e il Male, e l’effetto cliff-hanging, che ti tiene incollato alla vicenda grazie a rivelazioni spettacolari, (in cui si scopre che il ...more

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Jul 14, 2008

Michael Kneeland rated it

· review of another edition

My students (and some of my friends) can't ever figure out why I love this novel so much. I explain how the characters are thoroughly original and yet timeless, how the symbolism is rich and tasty, and how the narrative itself is juicy and chock-full of complexity, but they just shake their heads at me in utter amazement and say, "What's wrong with you, dude?"

What's wrong, indeed.

I give them ten or fifteen years. Perhaps they'll have to read it again in college,...moreMy students (and some of my friends) can't ever figure out why I love this novel so much. I explain how the characters are thoroughly original and yet timeless, how the symbolism is rich and tasty, and how the narrative itself is juicy and chock-full of complexity, but they just shake their heads at me in utter amazement and say, "What's wrong with you, dude?"

What's wrong, indeed.

I give them ten or fifteen years. Perhaps they'll have to read it again in college, or maybe they'll just try reading it again as an adult to see if they can try to figure out why it's such a "classic," but after some time has passed from their initial encounter with the novel, they will find that I am not so crazy after all and that the book is in fact one of the best examples--if not the best example--of the novel. This happens to me all the time: I will re-read something I was forced to read in middle school and high school, remembering how much I hated it then, and will find that I actually love it now, as an adult. Sure, those "classics" may have taught me something about literary analysis, symbolic patterns, and the like, but I couldn't appreciate it for its complexity until I was older. I guess the rule of wine appreciation applies here, too: good taste only comes after much patience and experience.

***

Perhaps the thing I love best about this novel is the cast of characters--their names as well as their personalities. Ms. Havisham is one of my favorite characters to ever appear in all of the literature I have read. There is so much density and complexion to her character that I could literally make an entire career out of writing discourses on her characterization. She has even invaded the way I think about the world and the people I have met: I have, for instance, started referring to those instances where parents try to achieve success through their children "the Havisham effect" (unfortunately, you see this all too often in the world of teaching). Havisham's name is another exasperatingly fantastic aspect of her character: like the majority of Dickens' characters, you pretty much know what you're in for when you first read her name--she is full of lies, tricks, and deceits (or "sham"s). You don't get this sort of characterization much of anywhere else in the literary scene.

Another reason I love this novel so much is its plotting. Remember, Dickens was writing in a serialized format so he needed to keep his readers hooked so that they'd want to buy the next issue of his periodical, All the Year Round, in order to see what happens next. Thus, the plot of Great Expectations is winding, unpredictable, and quite shocking at points. Certainly, in terms of heavy action--well, what our youngsters these days would call action, fighting and big explosions and what-not--there is none, or very little at most, but that's not the thing to be looking for. Figure out the characters first, and then, once you've gotten to know and even care for them (or hate them), you will be hooked on the plot because you will want to know what happens to these people who you've invested so much feeling into. This is, of course, true of all novels, but it's what I tell my students when they read Great Expectations for the first time, and by gum, it's helped more than a few of them get through the novel successfully.

So, if you read Great Expectations in middle school, high school, or college, but haven't picked it up since, I urge you to do so. With a more patient and experienced set of eyes, you just might surprise yourself.(less)

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Nov 29, 2011

Chiara Pagliochini rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classici-inglesi

Presi la sua mano nella mia, e ci allontanammo da quelle rovine

Caro signor Charles,
noi ci siamo appena conosciuti. L’ho incontrata ieri sera, si ricorda? Ci hanno presentati, ci siamo stretti la mano. Lei ha fatto una battuta spiritosa e subito l’abbiamo vista prendere in mano la conversazione e animare la serata.
Come con tutte le persone che si conoscono da poco, io non ho poi capito se lei mi piaccia - se mi sia simpatico. Certo, è stato disinvolto e ha detto tante di...more

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Nov 02, 2011

Michela rated it

· review of another edition

“Grandi Speranze”- Charles Dickens (1860)

Si astengano dalla lettura di questa recensione tutti gli amanti di Dickens o chiunque abbia sinceramente apprezzato “Grandi Speranze”, vi avverto, non vi piacerà quello che scriverò.

Ho impiegato un mese a leggere questo libro, e quando ho bisogno di cosi tanto tempo le cause sono due, o sono impegnata in un'opera di 1200 pagine, oppure il libro non mi piace.

Per “Grandi Speranze”, purtroppo e a malincuore, è la secon...more

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Nov 19, 2011

Matt rated it

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Admittedly, I can be a bit dismissive of the classics. By which I mean that many of my reviews resemble a drive-by shooting. This annoys some people, if measured by the responses I’m still getting to my torching of Moby Dick.

Even though I should expect some blowback, I still get a little defensive. I mean, no one wants to be called a “horrendous” person just because he or she didn’t like an overlong, self-indulgent, self-important “epic” about a douche-y peg leg and a stupid whale. ...more

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Oct 08, 2007

Mercedes rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Interview with Pip

Q: Pip, what's you're real name?
A: Philip Pirrip

Q: Who did you live with at the begining of the story?
A: My sister and her husband, Mrs. and Mr. Joe Gragery

Q: Where were your parents?
A: Both my mother and father were dead, alone with my seven younger brothers.

Q: What do you think of your sister and brother-in-law?
A: My sister usually smacked me whenever I got out of line. She usually cleaned or stomped arou...more

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Aug 20, 2007

Chicklet rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: classics

Boring, dull, lifeless, and flat. This is so drawn out and boring I kept having to remind myself what the plot was.
Best to get someone else to sum up the story rather than undergo the torture of reading it.

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Apr 18, 2008

Tiza rated it

· review of another edition

Whew, it took me an incredibly long time to finish this book. Actually, this book kind of fell somewhere between 3 and 4 stars but I rounded it up because I liked it better than David Copperfield. While it's true that this book can be somewhat tiresome and contrived at parts, Dickens' dry humour, beautifully haunting descriptions and unforgettable characters made it a really fun read for me. One approach that best be adopted in reading Great Expectations (and Dickens' novels in general) is not t...moreWhew, it took me an incredibly long time to finish this book. Actually, this book kind of fell somewhere between 3 and 4 stars but I rounded it up because I liked it better than David Copperfield. While it's true that this book can be somewhat tiresome and contrived at parts, Dickens' dry humour, beautifully haunting descriptions and unforgettable characters made it a really fun read for me. One approach that best be adopted in reading Great Expectations (and Dickens' novels in general) is not to plunge and go looking for the plot. The plot will find you somewhere between the pages, but it sure takes its own sweet time doing it. Meanwhile, just sit back and enjoy the carefully unfolding narrative that is Pip's life.

Like David Copperfield, Great Expectations is a tale of self-discovery, a record of one's life from childhood to adulthood told in first person. However, this book has a more brooding tone and I think it also has a more penetrating insight to its main character's motives and psychological state than its predecessor. As prompted by the title, the main story of this book is about Pip, an orphaned boy, who suddenly comes to a great fortune and is being made a gentleman. He later finds, though, that his fortune and social status bring him more misery than joy. They don't improve his relationship with Estella and damage his friendship with his uncle Joe. Moreover, what he learns behind the mystery about his benefactor turns out to be not at all what he had expected.

It's fascinating to see how Pip's elevated status and his love for Estella influence the decisions he makes and his personality, and not necessarily for the better. Somehow, at a certain stage of his narration, he becomes someone who is conceited and self-centered. Though this might put Pip in a less sympathetic light, I think it also makes him more relatable and complex as a human being who has human's weaknesses and commits mistakes. I also loved how this book describes some of life's many ironies--of how we are sometimes not being honest with ourselves, how we sometimes try hard to impress people who don't care about us rather than treasure those who really do.

Since there are two versions of ending in this book, people tend to compare one version to the other. Either is fine for me, but if I really have to choose, I think I'll prefer the original ending to the revised one because it's more relevant to the message that this book is trying to impart, in my opinion.

Anyway, I heartily recommend this book, especially to three Goodreads friends who had so kindly coerc--*coughcough* encouraged me to write this review. (less)

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Jan 21, 2008

Debbie rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of wordy prose

Shelves: fiction, classics, 1001-to-read-before-you-die

It's the book that turned me off of Dickens. I still shudder when I think of being forced to read it in high school. The descriptions just go on forever...make it stop!

Pip, an orphan, meets an escaped convict and treats him kindly. This simple action will change Pip's life forever. Pip falls in love with Estella, a cold-hearted girl, who, thanks to bitter Miss Havisham, has been well-trained as a heartbreaker. She is wealthy and looks down on Pip, a poor boy with no expectations...more

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Sep 29, 2009

Laurele rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2009, dickens-novels, audible

I see more in this book each time I read it. Class distinctions, friendships, character development, sin, repentance, forgiveness, redemption--all are explored and charted in this thirteenth novel of Dickens.

My favorite characters are Joe Gargery, the gentle and loving blacksmith; the faithful Herbert Pocket; and the helpful Mr. Wemmick and his Aged P.

I've been seeing a recurring theme in several of Dickens' novels--a degrading reliance on hopes of the future to the d...more

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Nov 16, 2009

Laurel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classics

I think this book may have made it official for me: I'm just not much of a Dickens fan.

My first introduction to Dickens was A Tale of Two Cities, which we were required to read in HS. It was also my first introduction to Cliff's Notes. :)

I tried Dickens again with Oliver Twist last year. It was abridged. I still could barely get through it, and ended up skipping ahead to the end -- something I almost never do.

It's not that Dickens' storylines aren't interest...more

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Dec 10, 2008

Shannon rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 2008

Even if you haven't read this or seen any of the many movie or tv adaptations, you would know something of the story. This is the one about Pip, an escaped convict, a beautiful but cruel girl called Estella, and the corpse-like Miss Havisham. It's about a little boy called Pip who was raised by his much older sister, Mrs Joe, and her husband, Joe, the village blacksmith. Joe is a role model and father figure as well as Pip's best friend, while Mrs Joe is sharp-tongued and aggressive - between he...moreEven if you haven't read this or seen any of the many movie or tv adaptations, you would know something of the story. This is the one about Pip, an escaped convict, a beautiful but cruel girl called Estella, and the corpse-like Miss Havisham. It's about a little boy called Pip who was raised by his much older sister, Mrs Joe, and her husband, Joe, the village blacksmith. Joe is a role model and father figure as well as Pip's best friend, while Mrs Joe is sharp-tongued and aggressive - between her and Joe's uncle, Mr Pumblechook, Pip is made to feel worthless and one step away from becoming the most ungrateful wretch on the face of the Earth.

A chance encounter as a boy of about 8 with a convict who has escaped from a Hulk (an old un-seaworthy ship used as a prison while Britain dithered over where to send the convicts) sees Pip do an act of kindness - mostly out of fear - and keep his first secret from Joe.

The reclusive Miss Havisham - who was jilted at the altar at a quarter to nine and lives in suspended time, still wearing her decaying wedding dress, with one shoe on, the clocks all stopped and her mansion falling down around her - sends for Pip to be a playmate for her adopted daughter Estella, Pip is made to feel ashamed of his rough hands and coarse boots, his ignorance and weakness, by Estella's cruel remarks. Despite her blatant cruelty, Pip falls in love with her and torments himself with wanting her. When, after about four years as an apprentice blacksmith, Pip learns from a London lawyer, Mr Jaggers, that he has a patron who will pay his way into society but who insists on keeping their identity secret, Pip is sure it must be Miss Havisham and that she plans to raise him up so he can have Estella.

The truth about the matter is probably quite predictable - I guessed it, though I couldn't figure out the logistics of it - but I don't want to say anything just in case. What I can talk about instead is Dickens' prose, language, diction, style, whatever you want to call it, and the reluctance of people like me to read him. (This is the first Dickens book I've read.) It is true that authors at the time were paid by the word, and it is quite true that Dickens is pretty wordy. Don't let that put you off though. He's no more wordy than a lot of other authors - George Eliot, for example, or Tolstoy or Thackeray. But every word is carefully chosen, and while a few times the diction was alien to me because the language is now disused, you can still get the meaning from the context. The story is in the details, though, so try to avoid the temptation of skimming long passages: a great deal is told and revealed in very few words and you need to read every sentence to fully understand and appreciate the story. Impressions are gained through clever structure, repetition and other stylistic devices - it's a "show", not "tell", kind of book.

It's interesting, while reading volume 1, to note that you have an older, wiser Pip narrating the story of a much younger, more naive Pip - at times our perception is coloured by the older Pip's derisiveness; you get the sense that he's shaking his head in bewilderment or rueful amusement. It's quite clever, what he reveals and what he keeps mum about in order for the story to maintain a level of suspense and excitement. You know he's stringing you along but he does such a good job of it, you can't hold it against him. One of the things this book really succeeds at is the positing of a younger Pip and an older Pip, presented at the same time, the same character and yet different, and showing how Pip changes over the years and why, until the two finally merge. It takes talent to manipulate the dual Pips that way, and keep a handle on their emotional maturation.

Miss Havisham is one of those larger-than-life characters who becomes famous in their own right: the bizarre, gothic spinster, embittered by her personal tragedy, warping the mind of Estella to make her into a woman who will hurt men the way Miss H was hurt. The frozen-in-time, decaying mansion - the room with the rotting wedding cake on the table, everything covered in cobwebs and bugs, with mice crawling in the walls. It's incredibly vivid and grotesque, and it's these highly exaggerated scenes and characters that make Dickens such a memorable writer.

I suppose the moral of the story centres around Pip and how, when he comes into money and a better position in society, he becomes snobbish and unlikeable, looking down on Joe and his childhood friend, Biddy, and becoming class conscious in the worst way. He puts social position and class, etiquette and learning, gentility and leisure, above his friends - such misplaced value, and an inability to appreciate what's really worth appreciating, are fairly common themes but are dealt with with surprising subtlety here - I think because Pip is narrating, and he doesn't really come out and say "I was selfish and unthinking and thought myself better than the man who raised me, but I repent." He doesn't need to - it's quite clear. And, naturally, he learns from his mistakes.(less)

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Jul 09, 2007

Jason Pettus rated it

· review of another edition

Credited by many as the inventor of the modern novel, there are actually a number of books by Dickens I've read and enjoyed over the years; this one, however, is the latest I've re-read, which is why I'm doing a review of it and not the others. A master storyteller of the Victorian Age, someone imminently readable today as well (unlike so many of those 'olden' authors), Dickens had a magical ability to scoop up every detail of his time's zeitgeist, and spit it back out in a series of thrilling c...more

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Feb 23, 2008

Gr8grendel added it · review of another edition

Is there a way to give negative stars?

Let's see, hmmmm, boy is poor. Boy falls in love with well-to-do girl. Boy reforms well. Girl is manipulated to dump boy in a predictable fashion. Lot's of words in between. Boy is chopped up by a meat cleaver and his cadaver is launched into space by hot aire balloon. Space chimps reconstruct boy and send him back to Earth. He lands on miss Havisham. Her toes curl up like a wicked witch... admit it this review is already better than the book.
...more

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Nov 18, 2008

Hannah rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classics, fiction

'Great Expectations' was a strange read, and I'm not sure if I enjoyed it or not. The writing I loved - the narrative is full of sinister comedy, witty dialogue and striking imagery and observations from the word go, and the majority of characters (from the ridiculous to terrifying) are hard not to adore and leave undoubtedly impressioned marks. The pacing, however was extremely unbalanced. Normally, the middle part of a novel would be expected to be the most exciting, yet in this case it was so...more

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Nov 23, 2010

Ashley rated it

· review of another edition

I readly did like this book it took me a mounth couse it was very long it had a lot of pages. I dont remember how many but to read this you have to have a lot of time on your hands. It was a little hard to understand at first but in the end it all makes sence. I read it beacause I was told that with my vocabulay I could understand it. I did understand but there were a few words I had to ask about. This book is old and in old books alot of the times there is big words but if you are and advied re...more

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Aug 29, 2008

Sneha rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: nobody who likes easy reads

Recommended to Sneha by: my high school

alright, well i'm still reading this.... but one thing i'd have to say is that this book would be so much better if Dickens wasnt paid by the word, and if we didnt have to read it for school.

the plot, if you read it, is actually interesting.. just the giganto amount of words that are unneeded make the book extremely confusing.

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Mar 20, 2009

Adam rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 19, 2009

Anne rated it

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Recommended to Anne by: me

I finished! it's really good, a lot more humorous than I expected. I loved the story, and many of the characters are unforgettable, like Miss Havisham and Aged P. and Wemmick. And it confirms my philosophy of life, which I can't put into words, but Dickens has.

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Feb 05, 2012

Chris rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: literature

I find it hard to distinguish between the images furnished by my first reading of this and by the BBC serialisation in the 60s. I suspect that the TV version came first and influenced my rather rapid reading of the novel where I omitted all the characterisation, social commentary, landscape descriptions and comedy in favour of rooting out the plain narrative. So, Great Expectations for me then was a mix of two themes, the rags-to-riches story of Pip and the boy-meets-girl-but-it-doesn't-go-smoot...moreI find it hard to distinguish between the images furnished by my first reading of this and by the BBC serialisation in the 60s. I suspect that the TV version came first and influenced my rather rapid reading of the novel where I omitted all the characterisation, social commentary, landscape descriptions and comedy in favour of rooting out the plain narrative. So, Great Expectations for me then was a mix of two themes, the rags-to-riches story of Pip and the boy-meets-girl-but-it-doesn't-go-smoothly tale of Pip's infatuation with Estella, and hang the rich tapestry of life in early 19th-century rural Kent and teeming London which Dickens grew up with.

I'm so glad I've given this a second chance, and that with maturity and experience am able to more fully appreciate the subtleties and nuances of Dickens' story. Yes, the overarching themes are there: Pip's abandonment of the forge to pursue a gentleman's life followed by the eventual Return of the Prodigal Son; and the hopeless obsession with the haughty Estella who almost until the last (and we never find out the whole story) rejects him while leading him on. And yet, of course, you can't spin out a serialised story in three lengthy parts just by dwelling on an individual's rise in the world and an unrequited love.

Anybody else who skims through this novel and finds it wanting may need to put only a little more effort into it if they are to understand the fuss that is made of it. First, there is the cast of wonderful characters, eccentrics, villains, heroes and gentlefolk. The tragic Miss Havisham, Mr Wopsle the actor manqué and the lawyer's clerk Mr Wemmick all fall into the first group; Orlick, Drummle and Compeyson are first-rate villains; Jaggers and Provis are indubitably if unlikely heroes; and Pip's closest acquaintances, some of whom he woefully neglects, come as close as possible to gentlefolk, whatever their station in life.

Dickens' own childhood familiarity with the prime locations in this book, London, Chatham and Rochester, add verisimilitude to Pip's experiences and vividly bring alive the events that happen in these bustling, or gloomy, or dank and foggy places. And in amongst the tragic happenings that percolate Great Expectations we mustn't forget the comic personalities and situations that leaven the disappointments; and even if one or two chapters appear a little indulgent and appear just to bulk out the narrative, that's hardly surprising when the public were devouring the previous installments and Dickens was trying to keep a step or two ahead.

So, I'm pleased to have given a Dickens novel my undivided attention when I completed it a century and a half after his death in 1861, and doubly pleased that I was much more able to appreciate it than my younger self. The Collins Classic edition gave the full text with the revised, more upbeat, ending; granted that this was a budget edition I was still a little disappointed by the shortness of the introduction and by the glossary particularly, which, apparently directed at foreign students, included historic terms and phrases from a number of Victorian novels but very few, it seemed, from this novel itself.(less)

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Aug 19, 2010

Linda I rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: charles-dickens, classic-literature

A melancholy tale highlighting the wisdom behind the adage "Be cafeful what you wish for". Pip is a seven-year-old orphan raised in a small town by his somewhat blusterous sister and her gentle and kind husband. Unexpectedly, Pip is asked to come and meet Miss Havisham, a lonely spinster of great wealth. Upon his arrival at her estate, he meets her adopted niece, Estella, and instantly falls in love, despite the fact that Miss Havisham is grooming Estella to be a cold and indifferent w...more

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Jan 14, 2009

Michael rated it

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This book should be renamed "Unrealized Expectations". It's hard to live up to the hype with a title like "Great Expectations". I chose this book to read for a book report assignment in high school. Unfortunately, my choice was based on my fondness of "A Christmas Carol", also by Charles Dickens. Little did I know that the book is longer than the Bible and was not very engaging in any way. The only reason I rated this with two stars instead of one is because it...more

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Aug 27, 2011

Will Darkins rated it

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I know that it might sound a tad strange but I cried at the end of Great Expectations. I really felt as though this book spoke to me in a certain sense. The story draws on the idea that many of the expectations that are present within other peoples' subjective ideals are never your own. But it seems as though when we grow up we allow other people to shape our lives and create our beings into ghosts of themselves.

I guess I became emotional when reading this book because I am currently ...more

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Dec 05, 2011

Myles rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: literary, wishbone

This was in many ways as rich and absorbing a reading experience as I could want, but even though my experience with Dickens' work is limited, I couldn't help but play favorites. Pip is every bit as bland as Esther of Bleak House, if anything his admitted selfish behavior makes him a better character, but the "mysteries" of Great Expectations and the sideline dramas of the supporting characters never sucked me in the way they did in Bleak House. In both novels they were, mostly, fairly...more

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Mar 11, 2011

Isabel rated it

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Narra las aventuras y desventuras de un niño huerfano de padre y madre que es criado por su hermana mayor y su esposo el herrero del pequeño pueblo campestre donde viven. Pip, el protagonista se ve sometido a los
frecuentes regaños de su hermana pero en cambio tiene un lazo de hermandad con Joe, el esposo de ésta quien lo comprende y a veces protege de la mano severa de su esposa.

Dentro de la medida de sus posibilidades ellos tratan de darle una educación, bastante básica pues ...more

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Jan 20, 2009

Choupette rated it

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Recommends it for: Anyone having trouble getting into Victorian literature

Shelves: classics, studied, own-or-access, 2009

I have a confession to make. It's shameful and disgraceful and I barely want to own up to it. But I just can't hide it no more! *sob*

I thought Dickens was boring.

And worst of all, I based this assumption on... nothing. I'd read not a single word of his prose. I don't think I'd even watched a TV adaptation of one of his books. I have no idea where I got it from, but its pernicious influence prevented me from even trying a Dickens novel until now, and even now I thought I'd...more

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May 27, 2008

Angela rated it

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Recommended to Angela by: My english teacher

Shelves: for-school

We read this book as a class for English, and one of my friends who had already read it prepared us by saying it was a boring, depressing book ("confusing" might've been in there too). I found this to be partially true. The vocabulary/writing style was definitely confusing, but reading it as a class helped (our teacher has read the book about 17 times). The first 3/4 of the book is fairly dull and has little purpose besides providing a detailed narrative of the main character's life, d...more

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Jan 27, 2009

Katie rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I think this is my favorite Dickens novel so far. One reason for this might be that it's more streamlined - not so elaborate with multiple character points-of-view plus narrator commentary. This is just "Pip," telling us his story. There are still the over-the-top caricatures, minor characters that are meant to illustrate a certain personality trait (or character flaw) to the point of ridiculous. But even those seem more believable because we experience them along with Pip. (And it's n...more

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Feb 25, 2008

J.Elle marked it as gave-up-on · review of another edition

ON HOLD FOR NOW.

I picked this up during my last thrift store trip thinking I'd never read it. Once I got into it, I began to suspect that I might have read it once before, especially when the name Miss Havisham was brought up. I think she's probably one of those unforgettable characters. As soon as Mrs. Gargery mentioned her name, something clicked and I suddenly recalled the images I'd imagined of a yellowed room lit by candles where she hid herself. Anyway, I'm really enjoying ...more

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Dec 31, 2008

Julie Morrow rated it

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Shelves: fiction, victorian-literature, classics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Charles Dickens

A prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non; 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, mores and values of his times. Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awareness to thei...more

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Quotes from Great Expectations

“We need never be ashamed of our tears.” — 469 people liked it

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” — 454 people liked it

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