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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had not read anything by Dickens since high school. Of course I did not appreciate or enjoy reading this book at all in high school. I did enjoy it this time around. Dickens writes beautifully and surprised me several times with his unusual metaphors. Constantly referring to Wemmick’s mouth as a post office, for instance. As if that was totally normal and understandable way to describe someone’s mouth. I enjoyed the pace and the prose and the plot line. My audiobook included the original ending, which I am glad was changed to the one in the published version. Not just because a happier ending is possible, but it was more satisfying than the deleted scene in my opinion. I will definitely read more by Dickens soon.
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
never been more bored in my entire life and i’ve watched braveheart (1995)
A masterpiece of course.
Fantastic descriptions of the weather, the landscape and the people:
"...a tough high-shouldered stooping old man, of a sawdusty fragrance, with his legs extraordinarily wide apart: so that in my short days I always saw some miles of open country between them when I met him coming up the lane." (Pip's description of Mr Hubble).
Or: "...his fishy eyes and mouth open, his sandy hair inquisitively on end, and his waistcoat heaving with windy arithmetic..." (his description of the bullying old Pumblechook).
Or the reader's first, and then a later, encounter with Wemmick: "...a dry man, rather short in stature with a square wooden face, whose expression seemed to have been imperfectly chipped out with a dull-edged chisel...". "Wemmick was at his desk, lunching – and crunching – on a dry hard biscuit; pieces of which he threw from time to time into his slit of a mouth, as if he were posting them". Super descriptions that are splashed with the author's genius for humour.
Dickens tells a good story and there is drama and moments of tension and fear such as Pip's coach journey from London to Kent where he is accompanied by two convicts and he describes their frightening presence as they sit directly behind him: "It is impossible to express with what acuteness I felt the convict's breathing, not only on the back of my neck but all along my spine ... and I was conscious of growing high-shouldered on one side, in my shrinking endeavours to fend him off."
Great Expectations is wordy and not so easy to digest when you're tired, but stick with it. Brilliant!
Fantastic descriptions of the weather, the landscape and the people:
"...a tough high-shouldered stooping old man, of a sawdusty fragrance, with his legs extraordinarily wide apart: so that in my short days I always saw some miles of open country between them when I met him coming up the lane." (Pip's description of Mr Hubble).
Or: "...his fishy eyes and mouth open, his sandy hair inquisitively on end, and his waistcoat heaving with windy arithmetic..." (his description of the bullying old Pumblechook).
Or the reader's first, and then a later, encounter with Wemmick: "...a dry man, rather short in stature with a square wooden face, whose expression seemed to have been imperfectly chipped out with a dull-edged chisel...". "Wemmick was at his desk, lunching – and crunching – on a dry hard biscuit; pieces of which he threw from time to time into his slit of a mouth, as if he were posting them". Super descriptions that are splashed with the author's genius for humour.
Dickens tells a good story and there is drama and moments of tension and fear such as Pip's coach journey from London to Kent where he is accompanied by two convicts and he describes their frightening presence as they sit directly behind him: "It is impossible to express with what acuteness I felt the convict's breathing, not only on the back of my neck but all along my spine ... and I was conscious of growing high-shouldered on one side, in my shrinking endeavours to fend him off."
Great Expectations is wordy and not so easy to digest when you're tired, but stick with it. Brilliant!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have very vague memories of being introduced to this book in high school. I think we read excerpts from Pip’s interactions with Miss Haversham. So I took away from that that the central focus of the book was his relationship with her and Estella.
But now that I have read the book, I am far more intrigued by the relationship of Pip and his brother-in-law Joe. That is where I see the heart of Pip’s character development into maturity.
One other note: there is a bombshell of a reveal about 2/3’s of the way into the story that made me gasp. It is one of the great plot twists in literary history so far as I can tell, and it greatly helped Pip’s development into maturity. As you can see, I was a big fan of this novel, and it has earned its place on Classics shelves.
But now that I have read the book, I am far more intrigued by the relationship of Pip and his brother-in-law Joe. That is where I see the heart of Pip’s character development into maturity.
One other note: there is a bombshell of a reveal about 2/3’s of the way into the story that made me gasp. It is one of the great plot twists in literary history so far as I can tell, and it greatly helped Pip’s development into maturity. As you can see, I was a big fan of this novel, and it has earned its place on Classics shelves.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes