Rating: 
Summary: Read the Masters as an Adult!
Review: It is an insuperable shame that most people resign this book to their "having already been read" list as a result of this novel being assigned coursework in junior high or high school. Dickens was a master of having perfected the literal subtleties of human relationships and of personalities. Great Expectations illustrates this gloriously. Whatever can be said of Pip, is that he is abashedly a hopelessly human character. I sincerely can't imagine a young reader to identify with the maturity of these character's substantive familiarities with one another. Please don't write this book off, because you feel as if you already know the plot line and story because you read it young, I guarantee, read as an adult, this celebrated novel will take on a whole new light when you have been out in the world and experienced the complexities of the human condition.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Effort
Review: It's ridiculous to review Dickens, who is as secure in the Western canon as Shakespeare. Nonetheless, I'll make two points about "Great Expectations", which is the first Dickens novel I've read since my adolescence. (Kennedy was President, alas.) First, I'll say that the characters in this book are affecting exaggerations and not quite real. For example, Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, is touching in his decency and saintly in his generosity. But Dickens gives him no rough emotional edges, and so he never rises beyond rustic sentimentality. Likewise, Hebert Pocket, Pip's friend, is a lovely young man but exists in friendship with out making any demands. And, there is the resolute and controlling Mrs. Havisham and her pathetic martyrdom. Yes, she was hurt by a man. But, it's hard to imagine a person living in the filth and disorder of her mansion, unless she is crazed, like a modern street person. To sum this up, I'd say that his characters are not really persuasive, even though they resonate emotionally. Second, I was surprised by the near total lack of visual effects in the writing. Early on, there's a moment of visual writing when young Pip is in the cemetery. But thereafter, this element is all but lacking in the book. Even after several re-readings, for example, I could never quite see Magwitch tumble into the river. Regardless, I enjoyed the read and did not find it discursive or too long. Go for it!
Rating:
Summary: Re-Read this book when you're older to appreciate it
Review: Looking at the reviews for this book, it seems many are reading this book for the first time, as I did, as part of an English Literature course in high school.
Believe me, we can all assure you that this can be a difficult book for a ninth grader to enjoy. After all, we're talking about blacksmiths, pirates, and so on. Hardly things the average teenager of the 2000s can relate to.
But if you're in your twenties, thirties, or forties, this book is as compelling a novel as you'll ever read. It's an opportunity to look back at Pip and ourselves, the great expectations we all have, and the major surprises, disappointments, and regrets of life.
The adult reader can understand the vindictiveness of Miss Havisham, the pride of Magwitch, the true and rare friendship of Herbert Pocket, and, of course, Estella. Each man has in his life an Estella.
Beyond the true-to-life tale of hope and defeat, is the wry humor throughout the book that a more mature reader can appreciate.
Surprise yourself. If you hated this in high school, pick it up now; you may find this is one of the best books you ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Expectation met and exceeded
Review: Some may call me a classic book snob, but here it goes. Great expectations may be at times tedious and I won't deny that, but it is worth it. Charles Dickens goes into great depth of detail and at times a bit overly detailed and I'm sure that is where many people get lost. But if you get the main plot, then you can get the jiff of it. The characters in this book transcend time. Pip, the poor boy who finds himself wondering if he can love old Joe know that he is rich. Estella who cannot love truly but yet brought up to love and destroy. Miss Havisham, the old rich woman who had her heartbroken and know is trying her best to seek revenge. Joe, Biddy and others also play a pivotal role. The story itself plays on the role of moral and also mercy. It shows a colorful and at times exaggerated array of feelings. From grief to greed, to deceit and happiness. Pip, a lonely orphan and living with his sister, finds and help a criminal. Although it was not completely of his own will. Then Pip is introduced to the sad and luxurious world of Miss Havisham where he met Estella, the girl he loved from then on. From then on he resents his meager living until one day he finds out that he had just inherited a large fortune. Then on Pip goes on a quest to truly become a gentleman and win Estella's heart. But how can he win Estella's heart when she doesn't have one? Can he really forsake his family for money? Who gave him that money?
Rating: 
Summary: Great Expectations
Review: The Great Expectation was a great book. I thought that it was a little hard to read. But I just read the part over that I didn't understand and I eventually understand it. Another thing that confused me is that Charles Dickens uses a lot of names for his characters. He should of just stuck to one name per character so that the readers wouldn't get confused. He also had some unrealistic plot in the story. Otherwise this was a great story how a boy becomes a gentleman and learns how to act. I would recommend you to read this book if you want to keep guessing.
Rating: 
Summary: I had a hard time getting through this long, boring book
Review: The most boring book i've read in ages. If it wasn't for school I would never have read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Met Expectations
Review: There's not much point in reviewing such a classic piece of literature. People have been reading it for almost 150 years now, so there's not much I can add. Anyway, this is the first time I had the pleasure of reading Dickens, and I enjoyed the story, even if I couldn't always follow the narration and dialogue. The problem, of course is that because Dickens was so in touch with his Victorian readers and wrote to their level, the book loses some of its ability to be understood by modern readers like myself. Obviously there are problems when the publisher has to include footnotes and endnotes to explain terms and concepts. At any rate, most of the time I could follow along well enough to know what was going on, though the book didn't hold many surprises to me. I'd figured out the 'secret' of his benefactor long ago, so it was almost disappointing when my suspicions were proven correct. It seemed that Dickens started to get rush the story along towards the end instead of letting everything develop naturally, but maybe this had something to do with the book being published in monthly installments originally. While I wouldn't go as far as John Irving--who said it was the reason he wanted to write books for a living--I'll say that Great Expectations was a good book and worth the effort of wading through its antiquities. I recommend this for serious readers, while casual readers should stick to more contemporary works.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic for Classroom
Review: Thirteenth of Dicken's four major novels, Great Expectations has the most dramatic and gripping start that unfolds a story that drives eagerly forward, full of emotion and humor and many unforgettable characters. As a kid, we had this book on our Literature List and every time we had to write down the answers of Literature tales, it was rather strenuous and boring as this meant to be a part of education. However, when it came to conduct a teaching class in literature, Great Expectation turned out to be an adventure. Unlike Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, Pip is not really a hero and also it does not end a Happy ending but Pip is being stripped of his wealth and his position in society. Pip is sent to London to be educated as a gentleman, he is impressed by the wrong people for the wrong reasons. He neglects and abandons the honest, hardworking folk who care for him and his pride is hurt when he learns who his mysterious benefactor is. Pip express guilt for his behavior who have a violent nature and crude ways but altogether he is courageous too. Pip, his father surname being Pirrip and his Christian name Philip, that's how he is called `Pip' , has a fascination for Estella but is brought up by Miss Havisham to wreck revenge on all male sex and break hearts. Herbert Pocket is a character who has frankness was amiable and cheerful who became a friend of Pip. Dicken's novels have a central theme `rags-to-riches' tale of a poor, underprivileged boy who is finally accepted into society. Strangely, this one has a different end. A nice read and great pick for Classroom Literature workshop.
Rating:
Summary: Great Expectations
Review: This brilliant novel is about a little sensitive boy named Pip and his life.
When Pip is a small child, he meets a convict and gives him food, drink and a file. That convict has escaped with another, his enemy convict. They are captured in the end but the convict whom Pip aided gives Pip 2pounds and a shilling by his fellow convict later on.
Then, Pip is taken to a rich lady, Miss Havisham¡¯s and meets proud and heartless Estella whom he falls in love with. Born in a quite a poor family in the country, he tries to be clever so that Estella does not call him common, and quite succeeds. And plus, fortune lays itself in his way by an unknown rich person. A lawyer, Mr. Jaggers knows the provider of the fortune but does not tell Pip who it is because the provider¡¯s wish is to let him/herself known when he/she is ready for it. And Pip goes off to London.
In London, Pip is introduced to Mr. Matthew Pocket, a relation of Miss Havisham for Mr. Pocket is to be Pip¡¯s tutor. Pip lives with Mr. Pocket¡¯s son Mr. Herbert Pocket whom he had met before at Miss Havisham¡¯s when a child, and becomes very acquainted with him. His other acquaintance is Mr. Wemmick, who works for Mr. Jaggers. He has a different life at work and at home, that makes him peculiar. All this time Pip thinks that the ¡°unknown provider¡± of his fortune is doubtlessly Miss Havisham and thinks that she wants Estella and him to be married. However, he finds out that in fact it is not Miss Havisham who gave him his fortune but the old convict he had helped! That convict had escaped again and fled to Australia where he had worked for Pip and had become an owner of quite some money which was given to Pip. And now he comes to Pip and tells him. So that convict is known to Herbert as well and they live together.
Now, when Pip was young, his parents had died so he lived with his sister¡¯s family. Joe, his brother-in-law is a good friend of his, a blacksmith, but his own sister is not very nice to him. A man called Orlick, who was Joe¡¯s helper, thinks very ill of Pip¡¯s sister and one day, hits her on the head and makes her a simpleton and she dies after some years. That man Orlick, tries to murder Pip for false reasons but fails for Pip¡¯s friends save him.
The convict, if captured, would be hanged, therefore, Pip decides that the convict should be out of England as soon as possible and that Pip should accompany him. They plan it, and it proceeds. Meanwhile, Estella is married to a quite rich man and Miss Havisham is dead. The other convict who had escaped with Pip¡¯s that long time ago, Pip¡¯s convict¡¯s foe, follows Pip and the convict on their way out of England and tries to capture them. There is a fight underwater, Pip¡¯s convict is alive but is soon captured by the police and his foe is dead underwater. Pip¡¯s convict, named Magwitch or Provis is deeply wounded, and dies in prison. Before he dies, Pip finds out that Estella was adopted by Miss Havisham and that her father is Provis, so tells Provis that and that Pip loves his daughter. After that, Provis dies.
Pip has an old acquaintance in the country, his hometown, a lady named Biddy. He decides to propose to her, now that Estella is gone, and leaves to the country only to find that Biddy is already married to Joe! He congratulates them and thinks about another little Pip to be in that house, just like he was when he was young. He then departs abroad to where Herbert works, for when Pip was a possessor of a fortune, he had secretly found Herbert that job, and Herbert, not knowing the provider of such a job had invited Pip to be a clerk. Pip lives abroad for eleven years, meanwhile Herbert marries and Pip becomes their ¡°partner in the House¡±.
After those 11years, he returns to Joe and Biddy¡¯s abode where he finds himself there! Named Pip after Pip was a little boy! Pip is warmly greeted, and after dinner, Biddy, who knows all about Estella for Pip had told her when he was young, asks if he surely does not fret for her? Pip replies that he thinks not, but anyway, revisits Miss Havisham¡¯s old house. The buildings are taken down, but among the ruins, stands Estella! Her husband had died most unfortunately because of a horse but even before his death, her marriage was not led to be a happy one. For all Pip knew, she was married again, but she was not. Pip and Estella converse about their interests, and Pip says, ¡°We are friends.¡± To which Estella continues, ¡°And will continue friends apart.¡± Then there is a nice little paragraph, which, if I am not quite mistaken proves that they are married.
When I was reading this fantastic novel, I saw a lot of things. On my reading of pre-20th century novels, I only encountered those which were in third person, or first person, but ¡°I¡± as a girl, not a boy. Great Expectations was something new, for I had thought that a boy liking a girl is to be quite different from a girl liking a boy and a boy¡¯s thoughts about poverty and being ignorant is to be quite different from a girl but I found out that it¡¯s quite the same. I mean, it depends on one¡¯s character and personality of course, but I found out that some boys do not like telling lies or stealing as much as girls and adults do not. It is a fantastic novel, an excellent read, and although the ending is not originally Charles Dicken¡¯s idea, I think Dickens made a great decision to follow what his friend suggested. For the original ending was a sad one, which would have made the reader very unhappy for Pip, whereas the new ending gives some hope and happiness to the reader. I read from a book on Great Expectations that the title, Great Expectations, meant not only Pip¡¯s expectations but the reader¡¯s of Dickens¡¯ novels¡¯ expectations. I surely think that those expectations were rewarded to perfection.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Tale of Love and Agony
Review: This is my favorite book. I've read it at least 6 times, and it is still a wonderful story. Dickens makes you feel what little Pip feels on the unexpectedly interesting journey of his life. From his childhood encounter with an escaped convict to a mysterious rise to riches and fame later in life, I am completely immersed in his story. The tale of his love for a girl named Estella who, not only will never love him, but emotionally tortures him every day of his life is heartbreaking yet somehow familiar. There are subtle lessons to be learned from this book. If you haven't already read it, you should.
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