Day 5: Great Expectations

Pip's life as an ordinary country boy is destined to be unexceptional until a chain of mysterious events lead him away from his humble origins and up the social ladder. His efforts to become a London gentleman bring him into contact not just with the upper classes but also with dangerous criminals. His desire to improve himself is matched only by his longing for the icy-hearted Estella, but secrets from the past impede his progress and he has many hard lessons to learn.

At school, we had to read some of Dickens' Sketches by Boz. I may have studied English Literature at university but since my dallying with Dickens aged 15 I have not read a single Dickens... Why? It's not just that they're humongous... but every page is so dense that you can't even begin to skim read and your eyes start to cross over until your brain turns to something that feels distinctly like marshmallow.

At Christmas, though, I always feel I should read a classic. I'm not quite sure why classics are Christmassy but because they are, I thought I would finally persevere with a Dickens novel. My choice? Great Expectations, because it was one of the few that I didn't already know the entire plot after watching hours of brilliant BBC adaptations that just make it all so easy.

And do you know what? It really wasn't hard to read at all. And more than that, I really enjoyed it. You have a main character who is satisfyingly flawed rather than annoyingly perfect but Pip isn't a wimp either. Miss Havisham has always stolen the show but oddly she doesn't appear that often in the novel. Her presence is definitely there, though, lingering in every room, in the background of every conversation.

What was great about reading this novel was realising that all the things that make a great novel have always been the same: good characters, a couple of unexpected twists, some fear and a little romance to keep us going. No surprises then that such a great story is still being told, this time in the Hollywood film adapted by David Nicholls and starring Ralph Fiennes, Toby Irvine and the suitably show-stealing Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham.

Back to the novel though, which gets an 8/10 from me as a good read, a pleasant surprise and a lovely introduction to the festive season.