Rating: 
Summary: AN OVERRATED DISAPPOINTMENT
Review: In this coming of age documentation, you will find disappointment at every turn. Dickens' tedious descriptions and constant indecision on how the plot should turn makes the novel lose it's potential merit. Thousands of scholars and other readers have lauded Great Expectations as the finest Dickens' work of all time. The fact remains that it appears Dickens could not decide whether to make this a tragedy or an "all's well that ends well" happy-go-lucky type of story. This is proven by his change of the original ending. However, any reader could give testimony of feeling "yanked, strung along, or thrown about" from page one as they wonder just what Dickens wants them to think about Pip and his less-than remarkable life. Should we sympathize, feel disgust, be concerned? Does he deserve Estella's scorn or is he a victim of circumstance? The more you read of this cryptic novel the more you grow to understand that Dickens doesn't know what his novel is about, either. The entire book seems to vary by the chapter. And the fact that the plot has a potentially good story behind it that Dickens doesn't care to elaborate on makes the entire thing a bit more tedious for the take. The fact remains that Dickens is a fabulous story-teller. He has accurate, unjaded descriptions, refreshing, occassionally bitter, sometimes triumphant plots, and enough suspense to keep you reading throughout the night. It's just that none of that takes place in Great Expectations. Holly Burke, PhD. Clinical Psychologist, Abnormal Psych. Proffessor Georgetown University
Rating:
Summary: Far too boring for anyone with any sense of time
Review: A great book in concept. However, Dickens was apparently paid by the word. Especially the silly ones, like "prithee" and "vittles". It is time that we stopped attacking freshmen honors students with this pretentious book, which serves only to drive them away from English forever. Nowhere near the best of Dicken's work, the book reads like a 19th century soap opera, without bathroom breaks and Snuggle-bear commercials. By the time the first interesting character returns to the novel, the reader is lucky if he or she hasn't choked to death on tears of frustration. Why is Estelle such a b****? Why is Ms. Havisham such an old hag? Why is Pip so utterly slackjawed that he permits 20 years of idiocy to be perpetrated upon his stale English carcass? Why, after all, doesn't his benefactor take care of business, murder the lot, and turn this into something vaguely enjoyable? Never mind the fact that Dickens couldn't choose an end, he apparently couldn't even choose a plot, wavering wildly between romance and mystery and the sort of English politics that Michael Palin would love to throw his pasty-white Anglo-Saxon hands about and throttle. Especially the politics. Do we really care about how an English attorney carries himself when we're 15 years old? Not bleeding likely. Powdered wigs and leg stockings sum up the bizarre nature of the staying power of this novel. It's about time that High School English teachers stopped telling one another how *good* this book is, and read it themselves, without the Norton Critical Teacher's Edition beside them. Especially when they have the advantage of alcoholic beverages.
Rating:
Summary: didn't live up to my expectations
Review: I had to read this book this year for my English class. At first I was interested, when Pip was a child, but I quickly became sick and tired of it's boring nature. I am in the honors program in my school, and we only had about 2 and a half weeks to read it, but it seemed like 2 and a half years. I was disappointed most because this massive plot builds up, and I was waiting for something to happen, but nothing really did. Furthermore, it was a bit hard to understand, especially since my mind was drifting, becuase it is hard to pay attention to this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than you think
Review: When I found out I had to read Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens for school, I was extremely dissapointed. I had already read A Tale of Two Cities, and absolutely hated it. Students in other classes had read Great Expectations and not liked it either, so I figured I would not enjoy it either. But I decided I would read it anyway, because it is considered to be one of the best books of all time. The books starts out fairly slow, and it takes the reader a few chapters to get used to Dickens's writing style, for he uses an abudance of description. He was paid by the word so he had incentive to do so. For those who are able to survive the first few chapters, they will enjoy an extremely lovable book and not be dissapointed. The book is timeless, with the basic story line being one that has affected almost everyone sometime in their life; falling in love with somebody who does not return the feelings. Pip, the main character, falls in love with an exotic and beautiful girl, Estella, but of course she does not have any feelings for him. So Pip does everything he can to win her approval, and most importantly her heart. It is hard to skip around in the book. While some passages might seem as if they have nothing to do with the story, they do. Everything in the story is tied together somehow. Skimming the book is not going to help. Certain events and people the reader thinks are insignificant or forgot completley, will appear over and over throughout the book. I am glad that i decided to read Great Expectations, despite the negative remarks from peers. I found out that most of them never made it past the first few chapters, so they missed out on the good parts. The only reason I did not give the book a higher score is that parts of it are slow and dry, but stick with it, you will not be upset.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put down this book!
Review: This is definitely one book that I'll read again and again throughout my life. If I had to pick a favorite character, it would probably be Estelle because even though she was cold and distant and VERY conceited, she still had a heart of gold. It was lonely Miss Havisham who made Estelle the cold-hearted person that she was. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about interesting characters that continue to develop throughout the story.
Rating:
Summary: Much Ado About Nothing
Review: I'm an eighth grade student forced to read this book for English class. Most people would probably assume that the book sucks. Guess what? It does. I'm sorry, but Charles Dickens does not happen to be my cup of tea. He may be a master, but it's impossible to deny that his writing is dry and the story drags in many places. I counted numerous parts of the novel that could have easily been eliminated without affecting the rest of the book. And what the h*** is Pip thinking at the end when he decides to marry (person who I will not name)? Seems to me his only reason for doing this is that he's completely desperate and tired of chasing after Estella all that time. It totally came out of nowhere and wasn't very realistic. The book's really not that bad, but apart from the interesting episodes with Miss Havisham, it's pretty boring.
Rating:
Summary: This is a classic pageturner!
Review: I've been out of college for awhile. Being away from literature and into the "Real World," I had almost forgotten what reading a good book is like. I picked this up and literally couldn't do anything else until I finished reading it! Highly recommended for anyone who loves good fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Human nature sure hasn't changed much since 1860.
Review: Pip craves the approval of Miss Havisham and the love of Estella, who basically treat him like dirt. Even when he's with them he's miserable and knows it. Pip also knows that he's being an ungrateful snob towards Joe and Biddy, who've done nothing in his life but love, respect, and protect him. This because he cannot help but view them through the eyes of the rich and vindictive Miss Havisham and the beautiful but really darn mean Estella. Despite all this, Pip is a likeable character with whom it is easy to identify and sympathize. Eventually he confronts the superficiality of his expectations and embraces his true nature. In the process he transforms both Miss Havisham and Estella into feeling human beings, understanding and remorseful of the pain caused by their previous conduct.
Rating:
Summary: Ever the best of friends!,...
Review: ...this book and I are! I had to keep reminding myself that this story was fiction, otherwise I probably would have gotten much more emotional about it than I did. Many of the emotions Pip went through, I have also at some point. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger (or at least very sick... poor Pip!).
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Novel in the world
Review: I have read many books in my life, but I never had so much love for one book. Pip is a great person and the people in the story are great. I have recommended this book to everyone I know.
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