A review by deborahwithanoh
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

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.