| Great Expectations (Penguin Popular Classics) |  | Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: £2.00
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Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 4,854
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 1566194423
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9781566194426
Publication Date: January 25, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Pip doesn't expect much from life. His sister makes it clear that her orphaned little brother is nothing but a burden on her. But suddenly things begin to change. Pip's narrow existence is blown apart when he finds an escaped criminal, is summoned to visit a mysterious old woman and meets the icy beauty Estella.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 41
 Be careful what you wish for June 24, 2010
Teddy Ludford
As with all Dickens novels, Great Expectations is a fantastic insight into society of Victorian England. For me, Dickens is arguably one of the finest writers of all time; his characterization and plot are rivaled by very few authors. The main feature of the story is in the title: great expectations; or to be precise, the great expectation of one young boy. Pip, as he is known, is an orphan brought up single-handedly by his sister. As he gets older he becomes disillusioned with his impoverished lifestyle and yearns to be a `Gentleman'; within a few years his dream is realized. However, being a `Gentleman' doesn't have the same feeling of contentment that he had hoped; thus the story of Pip becoming a gentleman is symbolic of Dickens saying `Be careful what you wish for'.
Dickens's effective use of class is rather compelling; the middle class snobbery of characters such as, Miss Havisham, Estelle, Jaggers and,conversely, the poorer characters such as, his sister, Wemmick and Joe are a particularly important contrast of the story.
The narrative is told through first person in a past tense, trough a retrospective account and at times the reader is given a hint into the plot's conclusion; this I found rather interesting, as if Pip was narrating with an element of regret.
The most surprising part of the story is who Pip's benefactor is, we are left assuming that it is Miss Havisham and without trying to spoil it; I will not divulge who it is. The conclusion itself is rather interesting, in that Dickens deliberately leaves it ambiguous, but the implication is that Pip eventually finds happiness.
This particular edition is pretty helpful, it has a description of each chapter at the back of the book, it also has explanatory notes just incase anyone is struggling with the plot.
If you've never read a Dicken's novel, what are you waiting for?
Expectations Exceeded. April 27, 2010
Ginny'sBoyfriend (Essex)
Great Expectations plays with the notion of what it is to be a gentleman. Can a gentleman be created? This is what happens to Pip-a young orphan from the marshes of north Kent-who, through a mystery benefactor, manages to rise in social standing. Pip's benefactor seeks to do him a great favour but in doing so he damages Pip's relationship with his guardian: the blacksmith, Joe.
Much of the book hangs on the eventual revelation of Pip's mystery benefactor. Pip has risen in society by money from a convict and the proud Estella is, in reality, a convict's daughter. This is really the crux of the book-how people are 'turned' and shaped by the influence of other people. Pip's nature is shaped by his sudden good fortune, just as Estella is deliberately turned against the male gender by the spurned Miss Havisham.
It is remarkable how Dickens manages to mix comedic elements (the pompous Mr Pumblechook, Wemmick and his Aged P) with realistic descriptions of life across a huge social spectrum (from escaped convicts to the aristocratic Bentley Drummle.) The characters in this novel will stay with the reader for a lifetime but so to, I suspect, will the vivid descriptions of life in a blacksmith's forge, Jaggers' office and Magwitch's trial-where 32 defendants are all sentenced to death collectively in the same dock! Dickens depicts an age infinitely crueller than our own and yet his guiding principle seems to be 'kindness.' 150 years later, you'd be hard pressed to find a better novel.
 Good October 10, 2009
Mrs. Shaheda Ahmed (u.k)
Kind Of over priced if you're not going to read it,
but it has a wonderful story line and i had done a coursework on this.
The packaging that it had came with, did not impress me and i payed 4.80 for it, in addition they give me a piece of cardboard rapped around with.
Twists and turns abound. August 14, 2009
Doh
Great Expectations is one of the most popular titles by Dickens and at under 500 pages isn't too heavy. For Dickens the story progresses fairly rapidly and, for me at least, has a fairly modern feel to it. As with many of his titles, it seems to reflect his own childhood. Poor boy made good.
This novel tells the story of a young orphan boy 'Pip', who lives with his harsh, overbearing sister and her kindly, put upon husband. Early on Pip meets with the frightening Magwitch, an escaped prisoner, out on the marsh. Magwitch is starving and insists Pip aquires some food for him, of course Pip is terrified and obliges. Magwitch then moves on and we assume that is the end of the matter. Then one day Pip receives an invite to Miss Haversham's to 'play' but is really only there for the beautiful Estelle to torment. Unfortunately for Pip, he falls in love with her which later is cause for much misery. Time moves on and eventually he is gifted a sum of money, from a mysterious benifactor, that allows him to move to London to 'improve' himself.
Whilst in London, Pip's life takes on some rather intriguing twists and turns. Many assumptions are made both by Pip and the reader. Of course, things are never as they seem, and a great many surprises are in store.
I would receommend this book, not only to fans of classic literature, but also to anyone who has considered reading some Dickens but thought it might be heavy going. Dickens descriptive writing can be a tad laborious at times, but in this novel it is just about perfect. Perhaps I'm biased as this is one of my favourite reads, but for my money, this is some of his finest work. 5 star.
Dickens at his finest April 1, 2009
Charlie Morris (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Read it, read it, read it.... What more can I add its Dickens after all? This is the one of the very few books I have read more than once in my life. I've always followed the principle that there are so many new books out there I simply haven't the time to re-read an old favourite. So if you haven't picked up a copy yet, do so very soon. The first person narrator Pip is looking back on his life and telling his story from childhood to adulthood. It is a realist novel but for me it is the Gothic Elements that stand out the most. Prepared to be horrified at the arrival of Miss Havisham, locked in the past, and Magwitch, an escaped convict, and that's only to name a few characters. As in all Dickens' novels there will be characters a plenty spilling from the pages but for me, aside from Pip, these two have made a lasting impression.
Great Expectations is a novel that deals with social issues, the corrupting power of money, and the value of friendship are just as relevant today as they were back in the 19th Century. You won't be able to help yourself from longing for Pip to find his true self. Every time I read this book I see something new, a true vision of `Little Britain' before the comedy show appropriated the name.
Other books I recommend:
Bleak House (Penguin Classics)
The Separate Principle
Showing reviews 1-5 of 41
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