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This is one of Charles Dicken's more well known and regarded books. It's a coming of age tale in the same way that made The catcher in the rye so famous. Pip at the beginning of his story lives with his older sister and her husband Joe. An early experience leads Pip to question himself and the values he was brought up around. It's hard to go much further into the plot without giving the whole thing away so instead I'm just going to vaguely list what I found to be the assets of this book.
Firstly Pip is portrayed amazingly. Although he depicts himself through his faults, you come to love him through the things he doesn't talk about. The way this is done is actually genius. One would think that the portrayal through words is the most important, but Pip as a character proves that actions speak louder than words to quip. Furthermore, I found the character of Joe extremely endearing, although he's sadly portrayed in a light that he doesn't want further education, he just wants the status quo. As far as Joe is concerned, as long as everything is easy enough, e.g. food and shelter, he can go on as he has before. Despite this seemingly irrevocable view, through Pip, he comes to learn more but never succumbs to the same disease of wealth that Pip does.
Dickens is magical in the way he can portray characters through what is not said, rather than through what is said. He is famous for being extremely wordy and it would be correct to say that his sentences are longer and less punctuated than most. Despite this, his writing has always (with perhaps the exception of Nicholas Nickelby) maintained my interest. His characters are so intricately portrayed and the plot stems from them rather than being independent. The fact of the matter is that Dickens seems to have the idea already so firmly in his head that the story flows so naturally you wouldn't even believe it necessitated inventing.
A great book, not my personal favourite (as Bleak House is my favourite) but still a more than decent read.
This book, like many of Dickens' works is a commentary on aspects of society - in particular in this case the legal system and the Court of Chancery in common law England. In this book, Jarndyce and Jarndyce is a case being heard in the Chancery that has been running for an extremely long time. No one involved in the case, least of all the lawyers seem to understand the legal status or why it has come around in the first place. With promises of pay-outs, it draws in its "wards" who spend their lifetimes and all their money on waiting for their own beneficial results.
The plot is full of uncertainty, almost definitely a reflection of the Chancery process and is centred around Esther Summerson, a young girl taken in by Mr Jarndyce (the only so named in the book who also refuses to have anything to do with the case). The book also focuses on Lord and Lady Dedlock (aptly named), an aristocratic couple living in a huge mansion that is represented as unfeeling. The Dedlocks, along with their many lawyer Mr Tulkinghorn (among others) sit on one side of the suit while everyone else is on the other. Mr Tulkinghorn is represented as a dangerous man, making his fortune off of other people's secrets and living by threat and intimidation. We also meet other characters, including two of Mr Jarndyce's other taken-in children, Richard who is to be enticed into the suit and the love of his life (and cousin)Ada. The young, homeless Jo becomes the object of the book when information comes to him and it is amazing the attention that the rich will direct towards such a human, when it suits them. Throughout the book this is the case, with Mrs Jellyby, mother to Caddy who is the ultimate philanthropist, giving the family's money to Africa while totally ignoring the starvation and mess of her only family and her husband's fading sense of self.
Esther's character serves as a light in the 'bleak' nature of the book. She appears to have a positive outlook and an undeserving view of herself which results in her being well-liked in general by most people in this book, regardless of the suit.
This is one of the best books I've read in awhile. Utterly memorable and completely intricately woven plot that keeps itself through the 800-odd pages and gives brilliant social analysis.
