Great Expectations [Anglais] [Broché]

Charles Dickens's acknowledged masterpiece, Great Expectations, is rightly considered one of the greatest novels of all-time. It depth and breadth are staggering, as it follows its protagonist, Pip, from his early childhood through his later life. During the course of his life, we encounter a vast catalog of raw human emotions: love, hate, jealousy, hope, sadness, despair, anger, pity, empathy, sympathy -- and on and on. The story is treasured and revered for many reasons. One of its main strengths is its plot: after a somewhat slow introductory section, Dickens puts his story in fifth gear and delivers a fast-paced and exciting story that gallops along without ever losing interest or clarity. The incredibly complex plotline, full of separate stories and incidents that seem totally unrelated to each other, but are then all harnessed together as the book heads straight toward its denouement, is also full of constant plot twists, which continue up until, literally, the last paragraph. But, of course, as with all of Dickens's major works, it is the characters that make the book. Like Shakespeare, Dickens preferred to have the story develop through the characters, rather than having the characters be mere set pieces inside of an overriding story. And what great characters they are: the perennially paradoxical but essentially human Pip; the bitter and mysterious Miss Havisham; the beautiful and haughty Estella; the simple and saint-like Joe; the kind and benevolent Herbert; the very human convict, Magwitch -- and all of the other wonderful characters. Dickens excelled in creating well-rounded, very human characters who harbored very real and very complex emotions -- that is, human emotions. We identify with Pip as he winds through his life, because we have been there, too -- the disappointments, the surprises, the loves, the anger, the sadness. In whatever way his story may differ from our own, it is still essentially human, as is ours. For all of his complex and paradoxical emotions and sentiments, Pip is a recognizably human character -- and that is why we love him and this book. A masterpiece for the ages, which will endure for years yet to come, Great Expectations is a great book that can be loved by one and all, for, at its heart, is that grain of simple truth that says so much about what is human in all of us -- whether we have great expectations or not.

I was just 10 years old, when I first read an abridged version of this Dickens Classic. I must have read it many times since, and everytime I read it, I am filled with array of emotions, and a deep respect for the author. Pip, the hero, is a character that embodies hopes, disappointments and dreams of every boy. As he narrates his life, we grow with him, see many people come in and go out of his life, and we feel with him his emotions and predicaments. Life is full of surprises, unexpected twists and turns, and this novel is a great chronicle of the possibilities of fate. But most importantly, this is a story of pining... and a novel worth pining for.

Miss Havisham, the old lady, epitomizes eccentricity, while Estella in her cold abandon represents every heartbreaker. This story is about pining, about love, about friendship (especially Pip and Joe, and later Pip and Herbert), about relationships, and most importantly about what one feels and lives by. Like all Dickens novels, this is a very well written story, and is much more engrossing than any of its on screen versions. This is a story that must be read at leisure and it must be failing of the reader to try and compare it with some cheap paperback that one can scram through while watching a movie and munching chips and cola. Classics deserve respect, attention and concentration: dedicate yourself to one, and trust me you will discover a lot more. A lot more about the novel and a lot more about your own self.

We all have Great Expectations, and this one by Dickens beats them all!!

First of all, in reference to the reviewer who seemed to think the title was inapropos, all I can say is that I hope that they didn't read the book, for such a lack of understanding would be pathetic. I digress. I am here to dispel some myths. Since this book is often assigned in school, and perceived as "important," as another reviewer noted, I think a lot of people shy away from it and assume it will be boring or difficult to understand. Dickens' novels, however, work on multiple level. There certainly is important social criticism and a web of subtly laced motifs within this novel, but on the surface, it's just a good read. I read it on a whim and ended up staying up all night to finish it. So, don't dispel this novel and turn to the many vapid works available to you. One piece of advice, read the real ending before the changed ending (though the changed one will appear first). I felt that the original one was far better, more relevant, and sadly invalidated by the changed ending thrust upon me first. Happy reading!