Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

BossArky

Just started this a few days back, haven't read much apart from the opening chapter or two. A simple little story it seems.

Any opinions / rants?

tHE vAGGABOND

one of the best books ever imho..

I read it when I went to London first, and have read it 3 or 4 times since.

theCzar

Read it to death for the LC five years ago, so haven't gone back, but it was good book, I like Dickens, and its one of his better books. There's a lot more to the book than the story, which isn't very simple.

Jagger has to be one of Dicken's best characters.

I must get another Dickens, I read Tale of Two Cities last, amybe Pickwick papers next...

Let us know how you feel when you get to the end, is it your first Dickens? People either seem to love him and all his books, or hate him and all his books.

Serpentine

I agree, it seems simple but it always stays in your memory. It was hard enough to get into & I tried to a few times, maybe cos of Dickens style but once I got a good bit in I loved it, especially Estella of course!

BossArky

Ok thanks for that info. I'm currently on about page 90 of 480. Haven't had time to read alot in the past few days.

I'm afraid to read review of it on amazon in case it gives the story away. Still enjoying it. Pip has just finished wheeling Mrs Havisham around and she gave him some money. He is now apprentice to Joe.

The book I have is ancient. Got it on ebay. Inside the front cover is the following:

Awarded to X as first prize in X school, 1911.....! The book is probably older than my grandparents were! When reading it, bits fell off and get caught in my belly-button

theCzar

BossArky wrote:

Awarded to X as first prize in X school, 1911[/I].....! The book is probably older than my grandparents were! When reading it, bits fell off and get caught in my belly-button

I think if I sell any book on ebay, i'll first write some crytic dedication, perhaps from the author themselves congratulating me on my efforts to dismantle the Nazi war machine or something. Hell I mgiht buy books to sell on ebay

Faerie

I loved this book! I haven't read it in over a year but each time I read it I fall in love with it again. Dickens' stye isn't difficult at all and the story is gripping - when I first read this book I stayed up all night to finish it!

BossArky

theCzar wrote:

I think if I sell any book on ebay, i'll first write some crytic dedication, perhaps from the author themselves congratulating me on my efforts to dismantle the Nazi war machine or something. Hell I mgiht buy books to sell on ebay

I see you are dubious. However, judging by the state of this book I have... I think it actually is from 1911

Actually, what I'll do upon finishing the book is post some photos of the state of it (if there is any of it left un-inhaled).

DapperGent

Having read a few of his books I think that Dickens is by a street the most overated writer I've ever come across. Great Expectations I think is truly truly terrible, pointless and boring. Usually when I dislike something "classic" (whatever that means) I at least can understand where it's reputation might come from.

Dickens I just don't get.

theCzar

DapperGent wrote:

Having read a few of his books I think that Dickens is by a street the most overated writer I've ever come across. Great Expectations I think is truly truly terrible, pointless and boring. Usually when I dislike something "classic" (whatever that means) I at least can understand where it's reputation might come from.

Dickens I just don't get.

I've heard loads of people complain about Dickens, I guess its a personal thing. I love his descriptive language, paints such a vivd picture of characters and locations.

By modern standards, his plots are slow moving, especially if he's taking the time to have a crack at scociety every now and then (my favourite parts). By any standards, his plots tend to be scattered, perhaps a symtom of the serialisation method of publishing.

PS It wasn't that I was dubious about your book Bossarky, it just gave me the idea!

r3nu4l

theCzar wrote:

...especially if he's taking the time to have a crack at scociety every now and then (my favourite parts).

I love Dickens for this reason, he really did try to change society's way of thinking by highlighting hypocricy and idiocy. I loved Great Expectations but my favourite Dickens work so far would have to be The PickWick Papers.

BossArky

Well I'm still chugging through GE, ... I find that reading it before going to bed really relaxes my mind and gives me great dreams! Haven't read enough to judge the book... but will soon..

JackKelly

I got it for a Euro in the "secret book shop"! Haven't started it but looking foward. Also have Bleak House which looks a bit intimidating and sits at the back of the pile of books i'm yet to read.

rain on

TimAy wrote:

I got it for a Euro in the "secret book shop"! Haven't started it but looking foward. Also have Bleak House which looks a bit intimidating and sits at the back of the pile of books i'm yet to read.

bleak house is pretty good. it does drag on a bit, but it's entertaining. you can't go wrong with a bit of gratuitous spontaneous human combustion!

theCzar

rain on wrote:

bleak house is pretty good. it does drag on a bit, but it's entertaining. you can't go wrong with a bit of gratuitous spontaneous human combustion!

I liked Bleak House, its essentially a scalding criticism of the Chancery, civil law and especially its practitioners. The 1st person parts with the girl (forget her name) got on my nerves though.

The first chapter of each new section is great, really putting some digs in!

BossArky

I finished the last 10 pages of Great Expectations this morning in bed. What a great way to start the day!

It is a long book - at least I found it long, 428 pages of small writing and a slow moving story. That said, I did enjoy it and felt that I could relate to Pip as he reflected on the things which happened to him over the couse of the story.

I was suprised that suddenly with 20 or so pages to go Dickens transports us 11 years into the future in one line! It makes your head spin as you get used to the plodding speed of the storyline.

*** Spoiler alert ***

Somehow I knew who Pip was going to meet when he went back to the Satis house. I was happy that he didn't fall happily in love and get married to her, etc, as that would have thrown the story into too much of a fairytale like scenario. Still, I could feel his heart been ripped out and throd upon repeatedly throughout the book by Estella, and I did leave the book down and sigh.

8/10 - glad I spent the time on this one.