Great Expectations

Description

Age range 14+ Young Philip Pirrip, nicknamed Pip, is meant to become an apprentice for his brother-in-law, a poor blacksmith. But his destiny changes upon meeting three unusual people: an escaped convict, a tragic woman, and a captivating young girl. Pip's life is altered in an instant when a secret benefactor gives him a large sum of money. Pip has 'great expectations' for his new life as successful and wealthy life as a young gentleman. Has his life actually changed for the better...or for the worse?

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Landport, Portsmouth, in Hampshire. The second of eight children, Dickens was pulled out of school at the age of twelve and forced to work at a local factory. In his early twenties he began to publish stories about London life in various periodicals, but it wasn't until the publication of The Pickwick Papers in 1836 that he became well known. Dickens is now considered the most successful British author of the Victorian Age, having written such masterpieces as Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, and Oliver Twist.