Great Expectations

Great Expectations

By Charles Dickens

This is the story of Pip, a young orphan living with his abusive sister and her simple-minded husband, who helps an escaped convict and has his life forever changed. Miss Havisham, a local recluse and eccentric old woman, socially takes him in and introduces him to Estella, a stone-cold fox who is being raised with the sole purpose of breaking hearts. This is a book about social climbing, secrets, guilt, wealth, purpose, and desire.

I am not sure how I would rate this book. It doesn’t suck, but it isn’t amazing. I didn’t hate reading it, but I don’t really want to read it again. How is that for a review?

The plot is a bit convoluted and the writing is INSANELY and unnecessarily wordy- as was the style in Victorian literature. There are so many details and tangents that have nothing to do with the overall story arch, but we are forced to wade our way through them just the same.

I am so intrigued by Miss Havisham and Estella. I love the dead house and the idea that this woman was deserted on her wedding day and refused to get over it. Normally, this sort of female figure is extremely annoying to me as she needs to pick her ass up and move it along, but Miss Havisham is rotting away with vengeance on her mind. While I don’t want to be her friend, I think her character and setting is super creepy and interesting. Estella is raised to be heartless and hurt people the way Miss Havisham had been hurt. Yet, Miss Havisham isn’t fully prepared for what she has created. Interesting and probably great material for a feminist reading and term paper… hmmm.

Anyway, I know this is a really vague review, but that is kinda how I feel about the book in general. I thought elements were interesting and calling for analysis, but other parts made me want to forget how to read.

Read it and make up your mind for yourself. But don’t go into it with too high of expectations.

See what I did there?