Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 stars to Charles Dickens‘s Great Expectations. So many good choices in the world of Charles Dickens, but ultimately, even though I love me some ghosts of Scrooge, Great Expectations wins out.
Most of us probably were “forced” to read this book in junior high or high school. I am one of those people; however, I was an English major in college and read it again for one of my courses. It’s one of those books that gets better as you get older and stronger each time you read it. If you only read it once, or you barely recall the story, I implore you to give it another chance.
This is the story of America. This is the story within all of us. It challenges culture and race. It challenges rich and poor. It challenges men and women. It challenges children and adults. It challenges marriage and being single. It challenges everything.
There are multiple plots and stories within this book. The characters are classic icons. The themes are intrinsic and speak to everything that America is built on.
At first, I admit it could feel overdone. The plot is varied and complex at times, but within each story, the lessons you learn without even realizing it are the little surprises you encounter when you least expect it.
Who can’t imagine the wedding dress? Who hasn’t contemplated what it would be like to steal something (even a pencil or a photocopy at work)? Who hasn’t contemplated what love means?
You can’t escape the realism and the drama all wrapped up in this book.
It’s what helps you formulate so many ideas of life.
Go back and read it again if you haven’t read it in years and didn’t have an open mind. Eh, then watch the movie if you still have questions.
I read “Great Expectations” a couple of years ago and I liked it. However, “David Copperfield is my favorite.