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| Great Expectations (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Longman
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy Used: £0.84
You Save: £6.15 (88%)
New (52) from £1.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 1853
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 1.2
ISBN: 0141439564
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780141439563
ASIN: 0141439564
Publication Date: February 16, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
 Simply a Classic July 3, 2008
That I came to the novel fully aware of the storyline (through numerous TV and film adaptations) and still raced through the novel is an indication of the quality of the story and its characters.
What did surprise me, which having subsequently watched David Lean's adaptation may be down to selective memory, was what an awful individual Pip became during the course of the novel.
I would also have preferred Dickens originally conceived ending to the novel which appears much more in keeping with the general tone than the revised ending.
 Expectations met June 26, 2008
I am not fan of Dickens' novels or his prose, but recognise that his body of work is accepted as hugely impressive and influential.
The plot and principal characters of Great Expectations are well known. The introduction to the penguin paperback made much of Pip's sense of guilt at the fate that befell his sister and his neglect of Joe and Biddy. I was left mostly with the impression however, that one of the defining characteristics of Pip is that he feels a sense of self worthlessness. I attribute this to the fact of his being an orphan. Pip clings to Joe and even in the end, Magwitch, as something like father figures.
What is remarkable about the narrative is Pip's honesty with himself - he is really quite flawed and weak in many ways and does not shirk responsibility for how things turn out. But that he is also possessed of immense goodness and kindness, there is no doubt. The ending is intriguingly left slightly open, but on balance, you have to think that Pip will end up with his beloved Estella after all. Great Expectations is a dark novel and the characters are drawn by an author who like Shakespeare, had a deep insight in to human psychology. Great Expectations is not only unforgettable because of its basic story, but also because of its wonderful characters: the flawed hero Pip, the deranged and bitter Miss Havisham and the extraordinary creation that is Jaggers the solicitor.
One of the six truly great Dickens novels March 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Unforgettable - watch the great David Lean film, then read this, or vice versa - you will not be disappointed!
 Highly enjoyable November 6, 2007
A really enjoyable read. By the end I felt completely immersed within the story, and anxious to discover Pip's fate. The book has some very touching moments, and shows that there is no pure good, no pure evil, but a lot of in between. I read many novels and can usually guess at whats coming, but I must say I did not see many of the twists and turns of the book (I won't give them away!). The characters are very deep, from the eccentric miss havisham, the icy beauty estella, the friendly herbert, and loyal Joe. I have enjoyed every moment and it is firmly established as one of my favorites
Twists and turns galore September 21, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Pip- the protagonist in the novel comes into "great expectations" through an unknown benefactor who Pip and the reader are lead to believe is Miss Havisham. I like the way Dicken's makes Pip not an especially nice charather in the way he deals with his family after he gets influenced by money.
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