|
From the record on GoodReads, it took me almost one year to finish reading Great Expectations, however, I’ve never lost interests and have enjoyed the whole process. There are all sorts of odds, surprises, up-and-downs, the plot twists are perfectly narrated as they are all foreshadowed. Allow me to spoil a bit, I’m so happy that Biddy married Joe in the end, two pure and beautiful souls. Don't worry, they are not the hero and heroine. The novel created characters you will love so much, Joe, Biddy and Clara, impressive characters who are not that likable but still understandable, Miss Havisham, Magwitch and Estella for example. I think Charles Dickens’ books are far more profound than Jane Austen’s, although the latter is more popular, at least on GoodReads. You might say Great Expectations is still a story of love, yet besides love, there are also friendship, faith, and sacrifice (remember A Tale of Two Cities?). As an expat in Australia, what interested me too, is this is the first book I’ve read that mentioned the UK convicts being sent to New South Wales, Australia, raising stocks and becoming rich there. If you are interested, here is a video regarding the “Motivations for English colonization”. [yt]wT2cfxFnx_U[/yt] By watching the video you can further “understand” those convicts. I first become aware of myself, down in Essex, a thieving turnips for my living.... But What the devil was I to do? I must put something into my stomach, mustn't I?... – Great Expectations I haven’t found a very satisfying adaptation of this book, but am still curious how these characters should look like. Here is a sketch, it doesn’t include the main character, Pip, don’t know why. This American version probably is not that bad, not so faithful to the novel though, liked the music so much. [yt]06VOMUQexj4[/yt] I’m giving Great Expectations 5 stars on GoodReads. |
