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julleah's review against another edition
This book is super depressing and treats child abuse (physical and emotional) and manipulation like a normal everyday thing. It also has a weird relationship between an adult and minor that isn’t romantic but is strange and unhealthy. I wouldn’t recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Classism, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Bullying, Child abuse, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Confinement, and Grief
e_r_q's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
"Moths and all sorts of ugly creatures hover around a lighted candle. Can the candle help it?"
It is apparently only a myth that Charles Dickens was paid by the word to write his novels. But after reading Great Expectations, I wouldn't be surprised if that myth were actually the truth.
Although Dickens' witty writing initially engaged and entertained me for the first third of the novel, the rest of the book is written so superfluously, meaning it is extremely difficult to engage with the narrative. Worse still, the narrative itself is excessively drawn out, with some lifeless characters (who feel for the most part like plot devices), obvious themes and seemingly very little to say overall. There are also some plot beats that feel frustratingly convoluted, and overly-rely on coincidences and conveniences.
There are the foundations of some good stuff here, but everything is so under-explored whilst simultaneously being unnecessarily long. In short, it is a chore to get through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Death and Death of parent
ladyrecordia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Some books are meant to be devoured, but this one? No, this one needs to be chewed and digested slowly. If you can muster the herculean stamina required to make it through Great Expectations, you'll be rewarded with glimmers of beautiful, heartbreaking prose that will stay with you forever. Pip, though he is not overly loveable, is deeply human at his core, and learns the hard way what matters most in life. Joe is by far my favorite character, owing to his good nature and surprising moments of innate wisdom. Careful! If you're not paying attention, you might miss it, and you really don't want to pass them by.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
miagw962's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.
I loved A Christmas Carol when I read it so I was excited to get to Charles Dickens' arguably most famous work, Great Expectations. This was phenomenal as expected. Such a whirlwind of emotions covering so many bases - poverty, classism, luck, love and its many different forms, jealousy, relationships and power dynamics, and so much more. I can't properly express the things I felt reading it. So many moments that just killed me. No wonder this has stood the test of time. Just gorgeous. Wish I could say more but because of how densely packed it is, I'm not sure I can. I just loved it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent
catherinedsharp's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
DISCLAIMER - I read this text as a set text for university meaning I did not pick this up for myself. It does not fit my usual reading selection so my review may be rather biased.
I read this book when I was younger and my thoughts have not changed much on it, although I certainly remember much more of the text. The plot of this text is somewhat interesting; it does have some drama and an air of mystery surrounding it, yet all of this overshadowed by Dickens' writing style.
For a little bit of historical context, Dickens first published this text in a magazine of his and was therefore paid by each line he wrote. The consequence is that his writing style is often very long-winded and complex. Personally I found this rather difficult to get on with, and so listened to the audiobook at 3.0x speed whilst reading along myself. This made it a little more manageable but I still struggled with the text and how it was written.
In summary, the plot is somewhat interesting but not necessarily something I would pick out to read/finish, if this was not a university text for me. Additionally, this has made me realise that the writing style of Dickens is not that which I enjoy yet is still an interesting one to analyse nonetheless.
I read this book when I was younger and my thoughts have not changed much on it, although I certainly remember much more of the text. The plot of this text is somewhat interesting; it does have some drama and an air of mystery surrounding it, yet all of this overshadowed by Dickens' writing style.
For a little bit of historical context, Dickens first published this text in a magazine of his and was therefore paid by each line he wrote. The consequence is that his writing style is often very long-winded and complex. Personally I found this rather difficult to get on with, and so listened to the audiobook at 3.0x speed whilst reading along myself. This made it a little more manageable but I still struggled with the text and how it was written.
In summary, the plot is somewhat interesting but not necessarily something I would pick out to read/finish, if this was not a university text for me. Additionally, this has made me realise that the writing style of Dickens is not that which I enjoy yet is still an interesting one to analyse nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
clapyourshands's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
spasqual's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
ambdocksey22's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
ruthbeadle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I actually really enjoyed reading this! It is my first Dickens novel, and I adored the storytelling and Pip's narration throughout. These novels that are almost slice of life, but obviously have bigger themes and topics to tackle are some of my favorites. I thought that this was easy to get into if you haven't read any of Dickens' other stuff. I think the only thing holding me back is that the last chapter was definitely not my favorite. Everything else is great though, so I highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent
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