Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A young orphan boy, living with his cruel older sister and her kind blacksmith husband, has an encounter with an escaped convict that changes his life. Later, he becomes the protégé of a wealthy but reclusive woman and falls in love with her adopted daughter. He then learns that an anonymous benefactor has left him a fortune, leading him to believe that his benefactor is the reclusive woman and that she intends for him to marry her adopted daughter. He moves to London to become a gentleman, but his great expectations are ultimately shattered when he learns the true identity of his benefactor and the reality of his love interest.
The 31st greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1860
- Nationality
- British
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 500-600
- Words
- 186,000
- Original Language
- English
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following lists:
- 2nd on Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers (French literary magazine Transfuge)
- 4th on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
- 4th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 5th on For The Love of Books (For The Love of Books)
- 14th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 14th on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 16th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 17th on The Greatest Books of All Time (Reader's Digest)
- 17th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 17th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 19th on 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die (The British Museums, Libraries, and Archives Society)
- 20th on 50 Classics You Must Read Before You Die (Gyldendal (Denmark Publisher))
- 24th on Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books (Harvard Book Store)
- 37th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 37th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 39th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 49th on My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read (Australian Big Read)
- 53rd on The 100 Best Books of World Literature (ABC.es)
- 250th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- What Harvard Professors Think Greatest Books Ever: Top 20 List (1977) (The Boston Globe (Newspaper))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)
- One Hundred Best Books (1916) (John Cowper Powys)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (USA))
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Great Books (The Learning Channel)
- How to Read and Why (Harold Bloom)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Reading List (Thomas C. Foster)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (UK))
- The Great American Read (PBS)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- Best Books Listed for High School Students (William J. Bennett)