One of Charles Dickens’ novels has been described as the “greatest novel of all time” by readers. On Goodreads’ listing of the best books of all time, Great Expectations comes in at number ten. The novel is often cited by both critics and readers as one of the best books of all time.
Great Expectations is the 13th novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel follows the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens’ second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. and it was published in three volumes in October 1861, by Chapman & Hall.
The book’s synopsis reads: “Great Expectations charts the progress of Pip from childhood through often painful experiences to adulthood, as he moves from the Kent marshes to busy, commercial London, encountering a variety of extraordinary characters ranging from Magwitch, the escaped convict, to Miss Havisham, locked up with her unhappy past and living with her ward, the arrogant, beautiful Estella.
“Pip must discover his true self and his own set of values and priorities. Whether such values allow one to prosper in the complex world of early Victorian England is the major question posed by Great Expectations, one of Dickens’s most fascinating and disturbing novels.”
Readers have left their reviews on the book platform, sharing their love for Dickens. A reader said: “I adore this book, and I’m honestly amazed at the literary genius that went into it.”
One reader said: “I knew nothing about the novel when I bought it at the bookstore years ago and never read Dickens. I could not put the book down once I started reading it. It was a masterpiece.”
Another added: “Great Expectations. What a superb title this is; wonderful, in the best and truest sense of the word. It is upbeat, exciting, and full of intrigue. It quickens our pulse and gives us a little thrilling frisson. Who is it, who has these “Great Expectations”? We want to meet them. We want to share their anticipations and their pleasure. We are hooked into the story by these first two words.”
A third commented: “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.”