Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
by
Stuart Holland
Another literary classic for me to go back to and wow is it apparent why this one is a classic. There’s tons to like and tons to be impressed by in this story. One of the core pieces is message: thinking you’re better than other people is probably a bad idea and won’t serve you well in the long run. It’s a moral that transcends time and always a good one to internalize, in any age of setting. Then there’s the language itself. I’m regularly impressed by authors’ writing, but rarely am I so impressed by the structure of a sentence, the choice of a specific word, the lyrical way that one leads into the next. And the consistency throughout of that quality which really pulls the reader in. You come to expect excellence by the end, and keep finding it.
I also “read” this as an audiobook and Martin Jarvis’s performance in it is outstanding. It elevates an already fantastic story. The voices for the characters give them real feeling, like they’re actual different people who have their own entire lives. And the powerful delivery really drives home how different they are, really makes you feel what they say.
The twists and turns that the story takes also feel well earned. Difficult to predict, but obvious once you know them. Pip’s journey from small town smith’s apprentice to big city highroller and contains lessons and intrigue abound. He struggles with things as all young people do. And he makes some very poor choices, as all people do. Knowing his internal dialogue, we know his heart’s often in the right place, but he doesn’t listen to it or he doesn’t realize it.
A fantastic story, I’d thoroughly recommend, and the audiobook in particular is a great way to experience it.
