Great Expectations… what a journey. Equally amusing and heartbreaking, and expertly crafted. We grow along with Pip as we read about his life, from a young boy to an esteemed man of money and prospects. Dickens crafts an incredible bildungsroman—every character feels so alive, his descriptions are inspired, and the growth of Pip as a character is engaging, yet fills you with a simmering feeling of dread that doesn’t leave until the book is finished. A masterful creation and a new favourite 🤍 I actually think I may have enjoyed this more than Jane Eyre (a book I had the chance to do my end of year assignment on, contrasting it with Great Expectations—I end up choosing a different assignment option, but this was a close second).

p.s. (spoiler warning) I read Dickens’ notes and he wrote, in regards to Pip and Herbert, ‘the one good thing he did in his prosperity, the only thing that endures and bears good fruit’ and… AAH! Pip and Herbert’s relationship is beautiful and that note makes it even more so.