Often bleak, but quite hilarious at the same time. Charles Dickens' classic Great Expectations is something that everyone has to at least try to read. There is a lot going on in this book. Duality, character development, commentary on class division, ambition, and a good deal of heart break. Welcome to England.

This book was really a lot of fun to read. Dickens is such an animated writer and he includes a bunch of characters here that are unforgettable. You really don't see the twist coming, and when it does, it wrenches your insides on so many levels. My sympathies found themselves moving all over the board until the very end. Dickens criticizes society in such a unique, timeless way that still resonates as strongly today as it did in 1861.

There is no narrator. The "dramatisation" is dialogue only. This is NOT the full audio book. It would be nice if it said so in the description, as "dramatisation" by itself does NOT indicate the lack of narration. I'm peeved.

An outstanding book that I read this year was Great Expectations. This was a wonderful classic written by the magnificent author Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens wrote a book that truly captivated the power of human love. He showed us that life can be very difficult, and you have to work very hard in order for you to succeed. In the beginning of the book, a character named Pip lived on a forge near some marshes in England. His family was generally poor. He lived with his older sister and her husband named Joe. Joe was a fairly poor blacksmith. One day, Pip was walking on the marshes. Suddenly, a strange man came up to Pip and threatened him. The strange man was a convict who was put to die on the marshes. He was handcuffed and chained. He told Pip that he would kill him if he didn't bring him a steel file and something to eat. Pip then ran back to the forge and brought the convict a steel file and some food. This vivid occurrence haunted Pip for the rest of his life. After the incident on the marshes, Pip met a lady named Miss Havesham. Miss Havesham was a very weird lady. She always wore her wedding dress in her house. She never left her house. Miss Havesham had a very beautiful adopted daughter named Estella. She was an arrogant woman. While looking at her, Pip fell in love with Estella. One day, a mysterious man came to Joe's forge. This man was sent by a secret benefactor who was residing in London. The man didn't give his name. He told Pip and Joe that someone in London was requesting him. The secret benefactor wanted Pip to come to London so that he could become a gentleman. Pip was very excited when he heard that he could work in London. Pip and Joe agreed upon the proposal. Later in that same week, Pip left Joe's forge to travel to London. There he could be a gentleman with a bright and bold future. While in London, Pip encountered many strange mysteries. Pip finally met his secret benefactor. Read the book to find out who the secret benefactor was... Overall, Great Expectations was an outstanding book. It really captivated the vast stretches of life. Great Expectations really made me feel quite sad. I felt very sorry for Pip. He had a very difficult life. He had change his personality forever once he became a gentleman. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys reading classics. I have read other excellent books by the wonderful author Charles Dickens. I have read Oliver Twist and The Christmas Carol. They were also excellent books.

Great expectaitons is a book that combines all the elements of literary composition to make a truly enjaging novel. Through the journey of Pip, the reader is drawn into a vast expansive story full of literary devices which, explores universal themes that like Pips expansive taste are always in "style".

This novel had so many intertwining aspects that it shocks you the more you read of it. The character is so naive and trusting that you feel his pain, his joy, and his achievements as he does. Dickens does not leave anything to be desired in this novel, the characters were so well developed it gave you a sense of being a part of the story but left me somewhat unsatisfied with the ending. The entire novel was fantastic but the ending left something to be desired.

One of my favourite Dickens. The language is difficult, but not that difficult, and is certain to open your eyes to good literature. A fantastic read, but of course, that was expected.

Why this book isn't being taught in every high school and university literature class is beyond me. This is a true masterpeice of literature! Funny, tense, thoughtful...the book is great for MANY reasons. Yes...it was written over 100 years ago and some of the language is a little hard (not very though...it was considered a children's novel) but it is well worth the time to read.