In what may be Dickens's best novel, humble, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman — and one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations." In this gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, the compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness;...

Great expectations: From his first terrifying encounter with Magwitch, an escaped convict, Pip's life is enraged with misconceptions about guilt, money, and class, owing to Miss Havisham and Estella's interventions. A tale of two cities: This captivating tale, set in London and Paris at the time of the French Revolution, uses the contrasts between the cities' "beliefs" to reveal the central choice confronting every society and each individual: Should...