Last night I finished reading Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. This is the first time that I've ever read this one, although I've enjoyed other works by Dickens in the past.
I have to admit, I'm sorry to see the story end. Dickens tells such great tales, and he has that way of introducing the reader to so many diverse characters, all of whom interact with the main character on different levels before going their own way, only to re-connect with the main character and the others in the end. The plot twists are truly masterful, in this as well as his other works, and unlike so many modern novels, when this one ended at 445 pages, it left me wanting more. In no way was the ending predictable and I was saddened to see it end the way that it did--I'd come to like Pip and company and wanted to see a different result, yet the story was written so well that I wasn't disappointed at all with the overall tale. I won't spoil it for anyone who has yet to read it by giving away it's secrets but it truly rates it's place as a classic and it should be required reading for literature classes today. And if you haven't read it yet, by all means go buy or borrow a copy forthwith. If you enjoy reading, you'll be glad that you did.
Tonight if I'm not too tired, I'll begin Cervante's Don Quixote. I've got so much time these days that it'd be a crime to just waste it watching insipid TV shows. Good books are much more satisfying.
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