Great Expectations

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise and a fine read
Review: After having a very diffiult time enjoying A Tale of Two Cities, which I found to be unappealing, austere, and excessively verbose, I was prepared to denounce this book as well. However, it is far too good to heap words like "boring" upon simply because it is long and involved. The autobiographical narration lends it a personal quality far more appealing than that of A Tale of Two Cities, and above all Dicken's empathy for his characters is apparent. The branching subplots weave together seamlessly as the novel progresses (Unlike some people I'm not going to spoil the ending for everyone). Even if you've been turned off by Dicken's before, give it a chance.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Masterpiece on the Trials of Growing Up
Review: Dickens is a rare genius who succeeded in capturing vividly the manifold pains - physical, emotional, and moral - of childhood and the effect of these scars in the adulthood. As a result, his stories still resonates powerfully after so many years. On the weak points, Dickens tends to rely on remarkable coincidences to tie the plots together, and the psychological studies of his characters are not as sharp and profound as those of Dostoyevsky or Henry James. I also found the contrived happy ending very unsatisfying.

Rating:
Summary: No shadow of another parting from "Great Expectations"
Review: The readers first encounter Pip in the renowned scene with the convict -- "growling, red-eyed, and desperate": "Bring me food, boy! Or I'll eat your heart and liver too.." Out of kindness in heart, Pip "befriends" the convict as his fate is changed forever. Little does he know how his whole existence is to complete the life of another--a stooping savior.

Though of little social significance, Pip lives a content life full of innocent happiness and simple joys. As his horizon suddenly expands with an unexpected fortune, Pip finds his own path crossed with the paths of a misanthropic Miss Havisham and her young, beautiful, yet seductive ward Estella. Extravagance feeds Pip's vanity to burgeon, desire flourishes his motives of becoming some one he can never become. Pip strives desperately to extricate from the deepest root of his whole being. And the obsession grows for Estella as he wanders of further away from his true path.

Followed by the death of Magwitch, love once again awakes within Pip as he embraces the man hidden in the darkest corner of his soul. No longer the dashing young man in his blooming age, Pip at last starts a expedition to pursue something that is conquerable.

Thus we see "no shadow of another parting from her"...

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Novel
Review: I loved this book. I have to admit in the beginning it was a bit of a chore to get "into" it but once I did I was just swept away. I especially loved the characters in it. I found myself putting the book down to tell my husband how mad I was at Pip. Joe, Estella, Abel Magwitch, Mr.Jaggers and of course Miss Haversham are unforgettable! A great book once you give it a fair chance. I am so glad that I stuck to it!

Rating:
Summary: Sorry for the previous mean spirited review
Review: Sorry for the nasty mean review. Totally uncalled for, caught me on a bad day. Everybodys different and everyone has their own opinions and just because someone else doesn't like something is no reason to put them down. Its just frustrating because these kids reviews always say the same thing, "this sucked", or "this was boring" and thats all they can say about it. But anyway, if thats the way they feel then I guess thats just the way they feel and nobody should write such nasty reviews or get mad for such a petty, stupid reason anyway. So, anyway, this is one of Dickens best, as I've said before.

Rating:
Summary: incredible book
Review: This book is an incredible read. The main character really absorbs the attention of the reader. The plot is amazingly well done, you won't want to put the book down!

Rating:
Summary: Very amusing comments on one of the all-time champs
Review: It's rather amusing to read some of the comments -- obviously written by people (i.e. teenagers) forced to read it for sophomore English class. Hating "Great Expectations" is kind of like hating Beethoven, Shakespeare, or Monet: O.K., it's not your taste, but it's really a waste of time to say "IT SUCKED."

Dickens's novel is one of the all-time champs. Unforgettable characters, beautiful writing, and a depth of understanding of human nature rarely equaled in English or American fiction. As they say in theory class, it works on many different levels. If you hated "G.E.," well, then, you probably wandered into the Literature aisle by mistake. You probably also don't like "Wuthering Heights," "Jane Eyre," "David Copperfield," or anything by Hardy or Austen, if you've bothered.

Otherwise, if you love literature and haven't read "Great Expectations," consider your education incomplete.

Rating:
Summary: If you don't like it then shut the hell up!
Review: Every high school kid who has written a review complaining about this book being boring should be boiled with their own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through their heart!Well, thats from A Christmas Carol but you get my point.This book is just great, you can't get any better than it except for maybe David Copperfield. Its one of Dickens best, I could read it over and over and over and over....you get the point. Anyway, Amazon shouldn't allow all these stupid kids to gripe about the books anyway, they can never say anything more intelligent than "It was boring." Well, poor things. I would just like to tell them that nobody gives a f_c_ and to grow up.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful story great characters
Review: I wish High Schoolers that have a hard time thinking would not read books and go directly to the labor farms. Hmm. Maybe then they might understand Great Expectations. Poor saps. Please High Schoolers save your poor reviews for later. Say when you are 50. Then you will have experienced a little more life and might discover that "hey i was purty stoopid". To the rest of the world this is an isolated incident. We really have smart youngsters here. The problem is materialism much like the book when young Pip is in the throes of desires, or great expectations. Our youngsters expect they shall inherit the earth. They are a little dumbfounded when they don't. I am a Hypocrite. Any replies to [e-mail].

Rating:
Summary: An Bittersweet Rite of Passage
Review: Before you reads this book, examine the title, and what great expectations do, so the events seem less shocking.

This story is quite bittersweet and ironic, with a lot of interweaven and connected plots-not just of Pip's life. These plots make understanding this book, along with the rich dialect, quite difficult (where it lost the star) but amazing. ADVICE: read the Coles Notes (or other notes) chapter summaries.

As I said, it's an extrodinary coming of age (rite of passage) which will not be as distant and farfetched as you might think. Comparable to your own rite of passage if you care to draw parallels with not only Pip, but all other characters too.

I found that when you are forced to read this book and too much emphasis it placed on it, it loses it's 'interest', 'luster', and 'magic', (*wink* *wink* high school teachers!).

Overall, I liked this book, but the language overwhelmed at times.