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Great Expectations (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Charles Dickens (Author) "My father's family name being Pirrip, and my christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: Longman; Rev Ed edition (16 Feb 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141439564
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141439563
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,924 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #8 in  Books > Fiction > The Classics > Dickens, Charles
    #34 in  Books > Fiction > By Period > 19th Century > Authors

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Product Description

Product Description

'It was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me’

A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor – these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip’s life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens’s haunting late novel depicts Pip’s education and development through adversity as he discovers the true nature of his ‘great expectations’.

This definitive edition uses the text from the first published edition of 1861. It includes a map of Kent in the early nineteenth century, and appendices on Dickens’s original ending and his working notes, giving readers an illuminating glimpse into the mind of a great novelist at work.



From the Publisher

Great Expectations opens unforgettably in a twilit and overgrown churchyard on the eerie Kent marshes.

There the orphan Pip is disturbed to meet an escaped convict, Magwitch, but gives him food, in an encounter that is to haunt both their lives. How Pip receives riches from a mysterious benefactor, snobbishly abandons his friends for London society and 'great expectations', and grows through misfortune and suffering to maturity is the theme of one of Dicken's best-loved novels.

In Great Expectations Dickens blends gripping drama with penetrating satire to give a compelling story rich in comedy and pathos: he has also created two of his finest, most haunting characters in Pip and Miss Havisham. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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My father's family name being Pirrip, and my christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

40 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
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1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, touching, dramatic, unexpected., 3 Feb 2002
By E. J. Rodwell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Great Expectations (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)
Don't bother reading this if you are immature. When I tried to read it at the age of 15 with the desire of becoming 'intelligent', I lacked the insight to appreciate its humour. I thought it was 'boring' didn't get beyond the first 100 pages and would probably have given it 1 star at that age.

However, 11 years on, having exhausted all of Wilkie Collins' novels, I decided to give his friend a second chance. I'm so glad I did.

His dark sense of humour comes through the description and interaction of the characters. His dramatic timing is simply perfect and the props he uses sets the reader up for shocks and surprises. He shows us that most of us, like Pip, don't fall into the category of good and evil, but that we are flawed human beings, capable of doing good deeds or making terrible mistakes. The characters cover a vast spectrum, by degrees, from the purely innocent, to likable villains, down to cold-hearted individuals.

It's beautifully written, very atmospheric... from the misty marshes to the dusty, dirty claustrophobic London. I laughed. I was moved. I was intrigued. I read with wide-eyed surprise at the unfolding of events. And I defy anyone who reads this story to forget Miss.Havisham.

If you understand the English language and have a pulse you should enjoy this immensely.

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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, brooding, profound, 11 Jun 2005
By Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Great Expectations (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)
Great Expectations is one of Dickens's later novels, a work of his artistic maturity. The narrative is symbolic rather than realistic. Although, as in most of Dickens and in Victorian literature in general, the plot relies heavily on coincidence, it is acceptable here because the related events are true to the internal, psychological, logic of the story.

After writing A Tale of Two Cities, which was unique among his novels in that it had none of his trademark humour, Dickens set out to make Great Expectations rich in comic elements. This despite, or perhaps because of, being in a depressed state of mind himself at the time. The conventional critical view is that he largely failed in this attempt, but I strongly disagree. The book is hilariously funny in parts and the main character, Pip, exhibits a characteristically British humour-in-adversity throughout his adventures. There is also the host of minor comic characters that we expect from Dickens. And he for once manages pathos without spilling over into bathos, so there are tears as well as laughter here, sometimes both at once.

If you have not yet read any Dickens, this is not a bad book with which to start, although for younger readers (teens) I would recommend Hard Times or A Tale of Two Cities as their first. Great Expectations demands a mature sensibility to appreciate its symbolism and psychological depth. Perhaps because it chiefly concerns the childhood and youth of the protagonist, it is often recommended to young people. This is a pity because, in its dark complexity, it is more likely to turn youngsters off, rather than onto, Dickens.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It does it for me everytime........, 9 April 2007
By Jen "jay214" (West Yorks) - See all my reviews
I have a handful of books I can read over and again and this is top of the list, it may even be my desert island choice. The descriptive passages are wonderful and the characters are so richly painted. Pip and Joe is the best relationship - some funny moments, sad moments and some really heartbreaking moments. Every time I get to the part where Pip thinks he is too good for Joe and Joe irritates him it makes my skin crawl. Estella is a wonderful character, cruel, cold and twisted but not her fault and she ends up in a sad situation. Miss Havisham - a truly creepy lady, what an excellent creation. The story is fabulous with such a great ending - who would have thought? This book is absolutely fantastic. Brilliant characters, described so well that the most unimaginative reader will have vivid mental images of them all and you won't forgot them or this book. Ever.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Kind Of over priced if you're not going to read it,
but it has a wonderful story line and i had done a coursework on this. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Mrs. Shaheda Ahmed

5.0 out of 5 stars Twists and turns abound.
Great Expectations is one of the most popular titles by Dickens and at under 500 pages isn't too heavy. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tan1963

5.0 out of 5 stars Dickens at his finest
Read it, read it, read it.... What more can I add its Dickens after all? This is the one of the very few books I have read more than once in my life. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Charlie Morris

1.0 out of 5 stars Dear god, is it over yet?
Does it make me a philistine that I thought this book was simply awful? I suspect not. This book is spectacularly dull; it's inane, directionless, confused, dreary, circumlocutory... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Evalesco

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Magnificent
I first encountered 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens during my GCSE English Literature class and at the time having no interest for anything other than fast-paced, action... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Marlyly

2.0 out of 5 stars Turgid
This is my first Dickens novel, loudly trumpeted as his best. I can't believe that, so I am going to give him another go, as he is supposedly one of the greatest novelists in... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Helena

4.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read
I first read this (actually that should say I was first forced to read this) in school over 20 years ago. I hated it. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Boof

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a Classic
That I came to the novel fully aware of the storyline (through numerous TV and film adaptations) and still raced through the novel is an indication of the quality of the story and... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Sibby the Cat

3.0 out of 5 stars Expectations met
I am not fan of Dickens' novels or his prose, but recognise that his body of work is accepted as hugely impressive and influential. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Flibertigibbit

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the six truly great Dickens novels
Unforgettable - watch the great David Lean film, then read this, or vice versa - you will not be disappointed!
Published 19 months ago by William Podmore

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