'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens

'Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.'

Great Expectations (1860) is a wonderfully imaginative novel about a young boy named Pip whose high expectations of the world get him into a bit of trouble. 

At home with his sister and blacksmith Joe Gargery, Pip lives a life of abuse and poverty. One day, he helps a strange man in the marshes, which is to change his life forever. 

Pip regularly visits the creepy Miss Havisham, who sits decaying in her wedding dress after being heartbroken by a man. She has made it her mission to turn the beautiful Estella into a heartbreaker of young boys like Pip. It's her way of getting revenge. Pip soon falls in love with this girl but does not have the status or fortune enough to impress her. One day, Pip is informed that he has an anonymous benefactor and leaves his old life behind. However, are there things that money just can't buy? 

I enjoyed this novel because of it teaches valuable lessons about the importance of one's roots and friendship. Dickens' characters are memorable and the names are always unique. The descriptions are detailed and easy to imagine.