BBC #17, Great Expectations

The first time I read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens was in 9th grade for my English class. The problem with books assigned by school teachers is you read them with the teacher's expectations in mind. We had in class discussions and had to write an essay on the book. My teacher expected us to focus on the symbolism in the book first and foremost. That's really not my style of reading, and while I can find symbolism, I hated having to focus on it. I had a good opinion of the book, but I don't think I got it and I never expected to read it again--or enjoy it. I've always enjoyed books more when I read them because I want to.

This was true of this read of Great Expectations. I don't know that I would list this as one of my favorite books ever, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I read it in two spurts. First night I read it, I read for almost 4 hours. Then I left it at home, my job situation switched, etc. I kind of forgot about it. This weekend I picked it up again. I read almost half of the book today, finishing only minutes ago.

I love the story line, a poor boy is confronted by a change in circumstances and we read of the effects this unguided social change has on his character and the the character of those surrounding him. Charles Dickens always seems to address important social issues of the day and he does a very good job of turning the "bad guys" into the "good guys" and vise versa.

Charles Dickens is a literary genius. The way he artfully twists the story line around, connecting all the characters so masterfully together, interconnecting the beginning and the end so beautifully, it's impossible to understand the characters fully or appreciate their depth until the end of the book. If you put it down in the middle, you'll never really "get it".

I believe a lot of the social issues addressed in this book shed light on the social problems of our day. We have different problems, but reading this book leaves me with the same haunting questions.

I give this book 5 stars. There is no question in my mind why after almost 150 years this book is still being read and critically acclaimed. It's literature in the truest sense. Charles Dickens knew how to write. This is why 5 of his novels show up on the BBC's top 100 list and I bet in another 150 years, people will still be reading his books where many of the other books on the list will be long forgotten.