Book Review: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I finally got round to reading this classic novel just before Christmas, and I finished reading it in January. I loved it! Dickens had me chuckling from the very first page with his witty description and conversational tone.

Pip is a thoroughly loveable character, and the story is just as relevant now as it was all those years ago when it was first written. In some ways I found it a little sad that British society still has parallels with the austere and oppressive Victorian era, although there is a part of me that thrives on nostalgia. I also felt quite surprised to see the ‘text speak’ in the sections where Pip was teaching Joe to write on a tablet (you know, the old-fashioned chalkboards, not the modern electrical versions). I couldn’t help but think that maybe Mr Dickens was something of a prophet when he described these activities… anyway I highly recommend this book to everybody.

Rediscovering the Joy of Reading

I have been reading continuously all of my life, but recently found that my rate of reading declined sharply after the birth of my second child. It’s the same old story; I spend all day running around after a toddler and a baby while juggling housework and the occasional bit of writing, and by the time they go to bed I am exhausted and barely able to look at a book, never mind pick one up. However, I am determined not to lose out on my favourite pastime.

Since I have a bookcase of overflowing shelves, books stacked up in my bedroom, and a Kindle loaded with novels and short stories, I have plenty of material to keep me occupied. I decided that for now I will read one ’real’ book, one digital book, and maybe the odd non-fiction alongside. I joined a book club late last year, and that interrupted my loose schedule because my reading time has been dominated by prescribed books. That isn’t a bad thing, because as I result I finally read a classic novel all the way through, and what’s more I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The novel was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  A review will follow, but suffice to say I look forward to reading more of his stories. I read it on my Kindle, and it took me roughly two months to complete, because I have been reading other books around this. One I am currently reading is a review copy from an author friend. That one is in the publication process at the moment, and the review will follow in due course. This novel is a Chick Lit story called Catch the Man (If You Can) by Naomi Chance. Again I am reading on my Kindle, but then I found myself staring wistfully at my bookshelf and feeling the urge to hold a proper book in my hands again.

Subsequently I picked up a copy of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. It is a paperback book leant to me by a friend, and was on our book club reading list about five months ago. I am not even halfway through reading it yet, and that is shocking for a self-confessed bookworm. I have never taken so long to read a book! I admit this one took a little while to catch my attention. The first few chapters were a little rambling and seemed to show little significance to me and my interests. However, at some point it suddenly became a gripping read. I now find that I am desperate to return to it, and will probably spend most of the weekend reading, while I juggle my children… Happy reading my friends!

*Image of girl reading courtesy of Sarah Brennan Blog; image of Great Expectations via website; image of Catch the Man via Naomi Chance