Great Expectations

by Charles Dickens

It's novel #9 in my year of Dickens!

This is the third time that I've read this novel, and I feel less excited to write about it. Sure, it has all of the elements of a Dickens classic: an orphan named Pip, a mysterious benefactor, a crazy old bird named Miss Havisham, a hand-washing lawyer named Jaggers, and a gentle giant named Joe Gargery.

Yes, all of their stories converge in a neat and interesting way. And, of course, everything works out in the end, at least for the good people.

But Great Expectations left me cold. I remember loving it when I read it in high school (grade 9) and as a college senior. Perhaps I now have a better appreciation for Dickens and his work, and Great Expectations isn't really his best work.

9/20/08