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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mister Pip is the story of Matilda, a young teen on an island and the man who stepped up to be the teacher when all others had left. With no books or formal training Mr. Watts turns to his favorite, Mr. Dickens and Great Expectations. Through reading the story Matilda and the other school children are changed forever.
There are some hard scenes in the book, so beware if you are a sensitive reader. My biggest fault with the book is that the ending seemed rushed or not developed enough. I am glad we follow Matilda but the ending needed something.
There are some hard scenes in the book, so beware if you are a sensitive reader. My biggest fault with the book is that the ending seemed rushed or not developed enough. I am glad we follow Matilda but the ending needed something.
Interesting account; Jones assumes the voice of young Matilda, on the cusp of womanhood, emerging through a sort of rite of passage through Dickens' novel. Her teacher Mr. Watts, the only white man on the island, reads Great Expectations to his students; she savors the story as it helps her find identity. I enjoyed returning to an old favorite novel through the eyes of this thirteen-year-old, although the second half of the novel assumes its own story (the first half seems subordinate to the re-telling of Great Expectations) with violent outcomes. I am unsure if I would ever re-read this novel, but I have returned to it in my thoughts throughout the week upon finishing it.
Another favorite of 2007. A different setting than any book I had read before, and loved the way Great Expectations plays a part in the story.
This book focuses on the power knowledge (and a great teacher) can have. It's a fascinating story, incredibly original, where the only white man on their island (Popeye) reads Great Expectations to the children when their school teacher must leave. The students absorb the book and relate everything in their life to Pip. There's major war on the island though, and the main character tries to reconcile her life with the English life of Pip.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
On an unnamed tropical island, war disrupts the lives of young Matilda and she classmates. When almost all of the whites living on her island, including the school teachers, flee the conflict, only the reclusive Mr. Watts remains. Married to a local girl, Mr. Watts takes over schooling the island's children. However, lacking any curriculum or experience, his teaching revolves around reading aloud from Dickens' Great Expectations. The kids are enthralled, despite having no real understanding of the world of Dickens. But the power of stories is the point of this not very subtle book. Luckily its a point I can totally get behind. A nice touch is that in addition to the readings from Dickens, Mr. Watts invites the local island women to address the class with more practical lessons like how to kill an octopus (bite it behind the eyes, apparently). Matilda's mother is jealous of the influence of both Mr. Watts and Mr. Dickens on her daughter, which leads her to an act that will have lasting consequences for everyone on the island. Although the book is obvious in its message, it is still a charming read.
This time I really wish GR allow half stars. It's a 3.5 book, I gave it the 4th star because I do like this coming-of-age/personal-developing stories.
So, the only white man of the island introduces Dickens to the local children. He engages them in the reading and rereading of Great Expectations, the book that will mold Matilda's life.
Matilda is a girl on this island: probably the brightest, certainly the most sensible. Her father flew to Australia to seek work, her mother turned into a moral pillar and the little girl is taking refuge into this old, literal version of England.
I read my share of classic literature, but I skipped Dickens. I felt like something was missing in my understanding of this novel until the end, when I realized Matilda's Dickens is not the Dickens we all know.
The whole point of the story is not Matilda's life, Mr Watts' or Pip's one. It's not the island life, either. The more I read the more I realized is a book about choices and consequences. Mr Watts and Dolores, Matilda's mother, stand by their believes till the very end and pay a very high price for that. I do believe they could have changed their path early in the story, but they didn't want to. One decision leads to another, and they ended up into something bigger than they are.
There's much to learn from this book, don't let the bright and light beginning fool you.
So, the only white man of the island introduces Dickens to the local children. He engages them in the reading and rereading of Great Expectations, the book that will mold Matilda's life.
Matilda is a girl on this island: probably the brightest, certainly the most sensible. Her father flew to Australia to seek work, her mother turned into a moral pillar and the little girl is taking refuge into this old, literal version of England.
I read my share of classic literature, but I skipped Dickens. I felt like something was missing in my understanding of this novel until the end, when I realized Matilda's Dickens is not the Dickens we all know.
The whole point of the story is not Matilda's life, Mr Watts' or Pip's one. It's not the island life, either. The more I read the more I realized is a book about choices and consequences. Mr Watts and Dolores, Matilda's mother, stand by their believes till the very end and pay a very high price for that. I do believe they could have changed their path early in the story, but they didn't want to. One decision leads to another, and they ended up into something bigger than they are.
There's much to learn from this book, don't let the bright and light beginning fool you.
A beautiful, simple, though elegantly written book that shows how love, respect, dignity, and imagination can overcome pettiness and violence.