Customer Reviews
Simply a Classic - By: Sibby the Cat, 03 Jul 2008 
That I came to the novel fully aware of the storyline (through numerous TV & film adaptations) & still raced through the novel is an indication of the quality of the story & 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 originallly conceived ending to the novel which appears much more in keeping with the general tone than the revised ending.
Expectations met - By: Flibertigibbit, 26 Jun 2008 
I am not fan of Dickens' novels or his prose, but recognise that his body of work is accepted as hugely impressive & influential.
The plot & 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 & his neglect of Joe & 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 & even in the end, Magwitch, as something like father figures.
What is remarkable about the narrative is Pip's honesty with himself - he is reallly quite flawed & weak in many ways & does not shirk responsibility for how things turn out. But that he is also possessed of immense goodness & 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 alll. Great Expectations is a dark novel & 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 & bitter Miss Havisham & the extraordinary creation that is Jaggers the solicitor.
One of the six truly great Dickens novels - By: William Podmore, 25 Mar 2008 Unforgettable - watch the great David Lean film, then read this, or vice versa - you will not be disappointed!
Highly enjoyable - By: Josie Deakin, 06 Nov 2007 
A reallly enjoyable read. By the end I felt completely immersed within the story, & anxious to discover Pip's fate. The book has some very touching moments, & shows that there is no pure good, no pure evil, but a lot of in between. I read many novels & can usuallly guess at whats coming, but I must say I did not see many of the twists & 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, & loyal Joe. I have enjoyed every moment & it is firmly established as one of my favorites
Twists and turns galore - By: Victoria H. Gillespie, 21 Sep 2007 Pip- the protagonist in the novel comes into "great expectations" through an unknown benefactor who Pip & the reader are lead to believe is Miss Havisham. I like the way Dicken's makes Pip not an especiallly nice charather in the way he deals with his family after he gets influenced by money.
