Charles Dickens is one of the most celebrated authors in English and 'Great Expectations' being one of the classical novels that must not be missed, I was left with not much choice (not that I wanted a choice). I had a faint memory of reading the abridged version years ago and I distinctly remember that it had a cathartic effect at the end and that too being an abridged one. So I wanted to read the unabridged one which I was sure won't disappoint me and I wasn't mistaken.
A bildungsroman genre novel that followed the life of a boy named Pip who is endowed with riches from an anonymous benefactor to make him a gentleman. Throughout this novel, Pip' life is shaped by discoveries, revelations and sufferings.
I always had a thing for bildungsroman novels that focused on the protagonist's evolution from a child to be an adult. Every time we give an example for this genre, it's always 'Great Expectations'. I must point out that Dickens' language is much simpler than other writers of his age and for this reason there are things that we can easily understand and relate to. The sub characters were distinctive if not well memorable but the main ones will remain etched in our minds. Miss Havisham was my favourite which I couldn't find in any other novels but Pip was always the likable one. The thing about Dickens is that most of the events were implied rather than directly said; like the last line of the book. I'll close this review with a line from the book said by Pip: "but far more terrible than death was the dread of being misremembered after death". Ponder over this line if you must but it gave me all the chills.
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