Les grandes espérances

As a reader who likes to wonder if I have just read a little hint (breadcrumb) of things to come and what it could mean, I greatly enjoyed postulating on the meaning I gleaned from the hints that were dropped throughout the book.

This was my first Dickens read, so my ability to parse the language didn't become fully-realized until a few hundred pages, but once done, I started immediately appreciating the humor and wit of the author.

While this does suffer from the black/white characters that seems to be common in writing of this era, it was a little less on the nose compared to The Old Curiosity Shop. Some characters were at least aware of their shortcomings and hoped to improve, which went a long way with me.

The pacing worked well for me as well. I didn't feel that the book stuck too long in any one area, and no characters felt like they stagnated where I preferred them to progress and mature.

I found myself wishing Jaggers would find his way into another novel of his where the protagonist could use a sly, sharp-witted-and-tongued solicitor, but at least I met him here and relished the meeting.

As with other Dickens works, his descriptive powers are on display here, and not just with the physical and mental qualities of the characters, but also of the inanimate surroundings and weather. I enjoyed every reference to Wemmick's mouth as 'the post' and how it conjured up a letter slot in its straight lined-ness and severity.

Favorite characters: Jaggers, Wemmick, The Aged One, Biddy, Joe