Reviews

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

efimerabonhomia's review against another edition

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4.0

3,5
Grandes esperanzas nos presenta al pequeño Pip, un niño soñador que vive con una hermana abusiva y su marido Joe, el herrero del pueblo y una persona admirada por el niño dada su bondad. Pip hace trabajos varios para que su hermana gane dinero y asiste a una escuela nocturna en la que no aprende nada, allí está Biddy, la nieta de la dueña de la escuela y una niña muy amable y educada. Un buen día, a Pip le es encomendada la tarea de ir a jugar con la hija de la señorita Havisham a una casa noble. Allí lo tratan como a un plebeyo pero pese a eso, él cae rendido ante Estella, la hija de Havisham. Empieza a darle vergüenza su procedencia y a querer salir del mundo donde vive. Hasta que deja de trabajar en la casa de la señorita Havisham y va de aprendiz con Joe, un buen día se le presenta la oportunidad de ir a trabajar a Londres y así dar rienda suelta a sus grandes esperanzas. Es ahí cuando Pip se embarca en un viaje hacia la nobleza y donde descubre todo lo que puede perder, incluyéndose a él mismo, por la obsesión por Estella y por lograr estar con ella. La redención del personaje llega después de intentar huir de Joe por vergüenza y darse cuenta que él y Biddy eran lo mejor que tenía. Pero Charles Dickens tenía un futuro para Pip y no era el que parecía predispuesto desde el principio de la novela.

De nuevo me encuentro con una fábula infantil de Dickens, el escritor que mejor sabe plasmar la inocencia de los niños sin duda alguna. Dickens usa algunos recursos de su propia vida como su experiencia educativa y cómo lo hacían trabajar para ganar dinero. Y nos presenta a un personaje que nos habla desde el futuro, en él ya se ve que no piensa igual que cuando era niño, que no siente la misma vergüenza y eso hace que el lector sienta cierta empatía hasta algún punto.

A pesar de no ser una lectura compleja o que amplíe una nueva perspectiva que no había visto del escritor, leer a Dickens siempre es como un lugar seguro en el que te encandilas con el ambiente de su narración.

En el dinero no está resuelta la ecuación del poder ser uno mismo.

sunny_l's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

2.25

amandaschoaf's review against another edition

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3.0

really interesting story line but terrible style of writing and unnecessarily long

that_roxanne's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-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

5.0

eilisrowan's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Greatly exceeded expectations 

reading247n's review against another edition

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4.25

It saddens me that (regardless of the character development) pip never felt like he got to grow up.

deborahwithanoh's review against another edition

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Oh, what a book! Intriguing from beginning to end and bouncing wildly between settings and conflicts that nonetheless feel cohesive, it started to make me understand why Donna Tartt's narratives are "Dickensian". I can understand why this is considered Dickens' most masterful work -- the story is tight, every character serves their role in the narrative, and these roles intertwine in such unexpected ways, but it works! Miss Havisham as a character is haunting; my favorite character was definitely Wemmick. Something in here about constancy, love, and old convicts dying reminded me of Les Mis. I did think the new ending was a little contrived, but I like that I got to read the two options for the ending and pick the one that I like better.

dyno8426's review against another edition

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4.0

Pip was living in a wretched condition with his brash sister after he was orphaned at a small age. But his fate is altered by a mysterious benefactor and his 'Great Expectations' from Pip. This book is about Pip's journey through this change of fate, with several friends and enemies that he comes across and how everyone helps the growth of Pip's character. Through Pip's realistic life, the author shows us different forms of psychological and moral truth, and the pursuit of which is of prime importance for fulfilling the expectations that our lives provide us with. Charles Dickens has created one of the most memorable characters in Pip through this work, which is a good example of a funny yet admirable authorship.

slowpoke's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars! :)

This book was a bit odd to read.
Basically because no one reads how books were written back in the good ol' days.

Overall, the story isn't even that great. Its not the fact that I didn't understand it, or found it boring. At times, I really enjoyed reading it, but I just don't feel like that whole plot of the book was that great.

rravenii's review against another edition

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2.0

I personally did not enjoy it, but I think I can see the appeal. Maybe. Tried to keep myself interested (and normally this time period is interesting to me), yet this book just bored me to death. I had to read it over the summer for my AP Literature class, and I ended up using an audiobook to get through it in time!