I just finished my first Dickens novel (Great Expectations)

By curious-library2000

I read *A Christmas Carol* ages ago, but that was a novella, and before that I’d only really seen a kids’ version of *Oliver Twist*. So this felt like my first real Dickens novel. I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. I guess I was expecting 19th century stuff to drag with tons of description, but it was actually pretty easy to get through, and it mostly keeps focused on the characters. The characters themselves were great. A lot of them are memorable because they’re kind of odd or over-the-top, but it doesn’t come off like fake cartoons. Even with all the eccentricities, they still feel alive, like Dickens really believed in them. I also enjoyed the writing and the way he handles the really intense emotional moments. Yeah, people accuse him of being sentimental, and I kind of see that, but I think it works here—more like part of the appeal than a problem. There are some plot coincidences that might make you side-eye a little, and a couple things near the end felt rushed, but honestly I didn’t mind. I was too caught up in the main struggle—what’s going on inside Pip’s head. Would he manage to stay the decent, generous kid, or would his big ambitions end up ruining him like he rejects the people who actually care about him—*his* “great expectations” and all that? It’s one of those books that stuck with me after I finished, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last Dickens.