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Great Expectations
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ARCHIVED > BOTM: September 2020: "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

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message 1: by StarMan (new)

StarMan (thestarman) | 1898 comments Narrowly winning the poll for September is a classic by Dickens, first published about 160 years ago:

Great Expectations


"In what may be Dickens's best novel, humble, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman — and one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations."

In this gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, the compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness; and the embittered Miss Havisham, an eccentric jilted bride."


Does this book still hold up today? Is it Dickens's best novel?

Let us know what you think in this discussion. Since this is a longer book (~500 pages), take your time!


FREE ebook versions at: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1400

Or buy an ebook version at Amazon or BarnesAndNoble website for about $1.

Audiobooks versions:
https://librivox.org/great-expectatio...
https://www.audiobooktreasury.com/gre...


message 2: by Vickie (new)

Vickie (bookfan4ever) I doubt I'll get to this one... got too many others on my plate. Hope y'all enjoy it!


message 3: by [deleted user] (new)

I will begin reading in a week or so, looking forward to this.


message 4: by StarMan (new)

StarMan (thestarman) | 1898 comments If you enjoy audiobooks, this version is supposedly read by Hugh Laurie (aka Dr Gregory House):

Listen online (free): https://soundcloud.com/penguin-books/...
(about 15 hours)


Jane Dalton (journojane) | 68 comments Read it years ago and have loved it ever since. So atmospheric and it stays with you.


message 6: by Erin (last edited Sep 03, 2020 08:40AM) (new)

Erin | 912 comments Mod
I would like to read this one but won’t be able to this month. Perhaps October!


message 7: by [deleted user] (new)

This is just a suggestion, we could make this a 2 month read?


message 8: by StarMan (last edited Sep 03, 2020 10:42AM) (new)

StarMan (thestarman) | 1898 comments Aya wrote: "This is just a suggestion, we could make this a 2 month read?"

Good suggestion, Aya...

Read it any time you wish :)
We don't "close" the BOTM (Book of the Month) or most other book discussions, so comment any time.

I had already set the reading period on the group Bookshelf page as 9/01 through 12/01 for this book (3 months!) when I realized it was a 500-pager.


message 9: by Pien (new) - added it

Pien | 618 comments I am quite interested in this one, but so much on my shelf right now... I think this might be my Christmas read


message 10: by [deleted user] (new)

Starman, it has just dawned on me that the dates for reading BOTM are set to snailpace, thanks.


message 11: by Candace (new) - added it

Candace (candywilliams) | 491 comments Jane wrote: "Read it years ago and have loved it ever since. So atmospheric and it stays with you."

Same here!


message 12: by StarMan (new)

StarMan (thestarman) | 1898 comments For fun, here it is as a 48-page comic book (about 1/10 the page count of the actual book):

https://archive.org/details/ClassicsI...


message 13: by [deleted user] (new)

I am currently at page 140 and loving it. Very funny remarks, and i love the old english language - but i must admit i had to listen to the story as well on audio, just to make sure that i had understood it right. (it must of course be read in english..)
Currently taking a break and reading Mexican Gothic.


message 14: by [deleted user] (last edited Oct 21, 2020 01:08AM) (new)

Finished.. or rather (the last 150 pages i struggled), i tried to read it in English, had to listen to the audio version and saw the movie (the one with Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes) - in spite of me loving his humor, i also had a really hard time reading it because of the language. I gave it 3 stars with a room to improve, because i am going to read it again both in my own language and my English version, to fully understand. So the 3 stars are just a pointer.
I did the same thing with The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and it only grew on me each time i read it. Now loving it.

I did not know the story from start but grew fond of the characters and the setting, i was back in the 1800´s and feeling the powerty and ambition to rise to higher levels.

Look´ee ere..I am still reading a Christmas Carol in December, and i am not at all done with Dickens - it may be a yearly project hence forth.


message 15: by [deleted user] (new)

I have been looking around the internet and found that there have been more than one ending - what a mess :-)
I found the ending(view spoiler).


message 16: by StarMan (new)

StarMan (thestarman) | 1898 comments Aya wrote: "I have been looking around the internet and found that there have been more than one ending..."

Neat, I didn't know folks had written alternate endings for this classic.


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