accomplishedI wanted to read this for some time after the BBC’s recent adaptation, and I just got round to it. This tells the story of Pip’s life from when he meets the convict Magwitch, who is on the run, to when he grows up and is told he has a mystery benefactor, and is told from the point of view of Pip, making him a character who the audience immediately sympathises with.
Like with many Dickens books, there is a large cast of characters, and it is quite easy to tell who we are supposed to like and who we aren’t; Magwitch ends up as a character who the audience actually roots for, and it is made fairly obvious that Orlick is a villain.
The most interesting character in the book, however, is the mysterious Miss Havisham, and a lot of the story revolves around Pip finding out her background and also his relationship with her stepdaughter Estella.
The book is long-winded at times, but in the end it makes for a satisfying read, as all the various plot strands are tied up.
Next book: The Christ Files by John Dickson
