2.5 stars
How can a book be so compellingly fascinating and yet so mind-numbingly dull?
Honestly, I only cared for Miss Havisham's story. I was indifferent towards every other character, especially Pip, and especially his obnoxious hang-up over Estella. Leave the girl alone; let her be a curmudgeon! Who cares how pretty she is?
At first, I was curious to see where Pip's great expectations would take him, but as the text wore on, I grew more and more fed up with Pip's ingratitude and arrogance.
As for Miss Havisham, yes, I was intrigued by her character, but her background is revealed mainly through monologuing info-dumps. I was more than a little disappointed by this.
Despite my apathy, I continued and, at times, did enjoy this story. There is a certain comforting charm to Dickens' writing--it's clear why he is such a well-loved author to this day. I do plan to read more Dickens' novels soon. With the benefit of the doubt, I'll say that it was just the characters that put me off in this story.
Find all of my reviews at goodreads.com/warpedshelves
Happy reading!
Audrey, Warped Shelves