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A review by tumblyhome_caroline
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
5.0
This was a many times reread for me. I love this book very much and this is why..
Because I do see myself, my children and my long term friends in Pip. We all make mistakes and behave stupidly at some point in our lives. Better to do it and get it sorted when you are young because it is easier to grow away from it as you get older. But Pip is reassuring to me,in a way, because of his errors, let them without sin throw the first stone at him. I think Pip teaches us to be understanding of foolish mistakes and recognise that we all make them.
I would like to try and do as Biddy did, not attack, ridicule or judge, but ask gentle questions or echo back to young pip his less than ok comments and behaviour. The older Pip who narrates doesn’t let the young Pip off the hook or try and justify the errors. That shows to me that the older Pip cringes as he remembers, he has grown.
I like Great Expectations for the characters Dickens brings to life. He had such an eye for people and then pictured them, maybe not exactly exaggerated, but painted a little more colourfully than life. Those characters have become part of my families language almost. Nodding at the Aged P, Jaggers, Magwich... I love sitting watching people walk by at airports or coffee shops and think how Dickens would describe them. Also it is interesting to think how he would describe me. He is never cruel with his people but observant, playful and joyful..even his baddies.
And I love Jaggers. I often think about how Jaggers has an inner self that he will indulge when he retires.. what is Jaggers secret passion… would he grow prize Dahlias, would he be an intricate patisserie chef…a rare book collector…will he have Pom poms on his slippers …all these things are possible. Just because he is reserved and internal don’t believe he isn’t wearing a superman vest under his work clothes.
The places in Great Expectations are so real. The marshes, the forge, Satis House, London, Wemmicks…everything is so alive. I think this book works well for younger readers..for me, when I was 14, it was the first time my imagination really walked inside the book..I had always been a reader, but this was an order of magnitude more fantastic for the background scenery. I still read it with that impression.
I could go on but another reason I like the book is because the poorest people are the richest in happiness. There is an underlying belief, I think, that it is being comfortable in your own skin is what brings happiness, not the striving for more but the enjoyment in the moment and being who you are.
And of course the story is excellent and that some of the women, indeed the richest ones, are delightfully bad! (Ok there might be more too it than that, but they still have a bit of a sting in their tails).
Anyway, I think this book is marvellous..and full of larks.
Because I do see myself, my children and my long term friends in Pip. We all make mistakes and behave stupidly at some point in our lives. Better to do it and get it sorted when you are young because it is easier to grow away from it as you get older. But Pip is reassuring to me,in a way, because of his errors, let them without sin throw the first stone at him. I think Pip teaches us to be understanding of foolish mistakes and recognise that we all make them.
I would like to try and do as Biddy did, not attack, ridicule or judge, but ask gentle questions or echo back to young pip his less than ok comments and behaviour. The older Pip who narrates doesn’t let the young Pip off the hook or try and justify the errors. That shows to me that the older Pip cringes as he remembers, he has grown.
I like Great Expectations for the characters Dickens brings to life. He had such an eye for people and then pictured them, maybe not exactly exaggerated, but painted a little more colourfully than life. Those characters have become part of my families language almost. Nodding at the Aged P, Jaggers, Magwich... I love sitting watching people walk by at airports or coffee shops and think how Dickens would describe them. Also it is interesting to think how he would describe me. He is never cruel with his people but observant, playful and joyful..even his baddies.
And I love Jaggers. I often think about how Jaggers has an inner self that he will indulge when he retires.. what is Jaggers secret passion… would he grow prize Dahlias, would he be an intricate patisserie chef…a rare book collector…will he have Pom poms on his slippers …all these things are possible. Just because he is reserved and internal don’t believe he isn’t wearing a superman vest under his work clothes.
The places in Great Expectations are so real. The marshes, the forge, Satis House, London, Wemmicks…everything is so alive. I think this book works well for younger readers..for me, when I was 14, it was the first time my imagination really walked inside the book..I had always been a reader, but this was an order of magnitude more fantastic for the background scenery. I still read it with that impression.
I could go on but another reason I like the book is because the poorest people are the richest in happiness. There is an underlying belief, I think, that it is being comfortable in your own skin is what brings happiness, not the striving for more but the enjoyment in the moment and being who you are.
And of course the story is excellent and that some of the women, indeed the richest ones, are delightfully bad! (Ok there might be more too it than that, but they still have a bit of a sting in their tails).
Anyway, I think this book is marvellous..and full of larks.