I enjoyed the art but haven't enjoyed the story very much. I'm not familiar with the original, but this adaptation took me too long to read it. And we're talking about a manga book, which reads much faster. Points for adaptation of classics to a more friendly format for reading them.

I only read Great Expectations once in high school but for some reason I remember it very vividly. To this day, years and years later, I can still recall exact phrases used in certain scenes. I adore this book and when I saw that there was a manga I knew I needed to get my hands on it.

I flew through this (reading it in a day, as opposed to the weeks- or months?- it took me to read the original tale) and for the most part genuinely enjoyed it.

It was, however, too short. There were parts where I felt like we lost important things, even small lines, that added depth to the story, and I missed them. If we were given another 50 pages or so, I would have given this book 5 stars. I was also disappointed that narration was told in third person and we often got snippets of thought from different characters; I missed the first person view of the original (especially since I know it can be done in this format- as proven by the Jane Eyre manga).

And I would be amiss not mentioning that the author chose to not go with Dickens’ second ending, leaving it more open ended. I understand the choice but that last line is one of my favorites in all of literature so it was a little heartbreaking to get to the end and see it not included.

I did like it however and felt it a faithful adaptation to Dickens’ classic (which is surprisingly rare- so often people get this one so very wrong). The characters were well drawn and the story had good pacing. I loved diving into the story again and getting to see all my favorite characters once more- I truly forgot just how much I adore all these people and I wanted to hug them all up now and never forget just how much they mean to me. Pip and Estella and Biddy and Joe Gargery and Herbert Pocket and all the rest. And this story. I always forget just how complex and amazing this story is.

But I also think this manga would be enjoyable to someone unfamiliar with the original work. As much as there was stuff I felt missing the bones and a good deal of the heart of the story are there and it’s a wonderful way to get the story at least in part. I would recommend this to people, though with the warning- as always- that the book is better. But as I only have an e-copy as is, you can bet I will be getting my hands on a paperback as soon as possible. This is one I will enjoy rereading again and again.

(I received a free copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

The art added to these classic books is just fantastic. I love the covers and I love reading through the books with the new art.

**I got this book from Netgalley for my honest review!**

I feel like this adaptation of the original stuck pretty well to the original. It made getting through the story not only quicker but easier. Obviously I wouldnt recommend replacing with with the original for study but I still recommend it if you want to read the story

Hello,
Disclaimer, received this book in exchange for an honest review!
I LOVE CLASSICS, or at least most of them.
I knew that any Charles Dicken would be difficult for me to get into due to the writing style, the length and the fact that he was paid by the length of his books rather than the plot which made his book excessively long.
I really enjoyed the story, the manga format really made it come to life.
I would recommend to anyone who finds classics or certain classics daunting to give these manga a try.
While it isn't exactly the same, and doesn't contain the same amount of details, it truly gives the reader a new or amazing experience of a classic read/never read before.
Overall great, I gave this ; 3.9/5 stars
-Bookarina

Cover:
This cover is SO beautiful! Look at Pip and Estella: they look amazing ;-;

Plot:
Pip is an orphan who lives with his sister and his brother-in-law, Joe. Pip's sister thinks that Pip is a burden. She is always complaining about him. Joe is a blacksmith and he is nice to Pip.
Mrs. Havisham is an old woman who is rather strange. She was betrayed by the man she was in love with. Ever since that heartbreak she is bitter and filled with hatred and a lot of anger. Mrs. Havisham has adopted a daughter: the beautiful Estella who is very very proud and rude.
Pip however falls in love with the beautiful ice queen Estella. He has great expectations for his life: he wants to become a rich men and then marry Estella.

Overall:
I really liked the manga. It is a quick read where you can see Pip growing up and becoming a great man. You see him at his worst and at his best. I loved the story, the characters and the artwork in this manga is just superb.

I recommend this series of Manga Classics. It was my second time reading a classic in the style of manga and it won't be the last one.

Rating: 4 stars for the gorgeous art,
2 stars for the actual story.

I'm grateful for these manga classics because now that I've read this in the manga format, I know how boring the book is and I can happily give the long format a miss without feeling left out.

I didn't like the protagonist and his 'great expectations' nonsense (possible I just dislike the good ol' British classism and elitism)
All the female characters were terrible, come to think of it, I didn't like any of the characters! (with the exception of Joe Gargery maybe) but the artwork kept me going and I was able to finish it in just a day. I hope to see many more classics converted to manga, because they make for such fun reading!

Thanks to Udon entertainment for providing me with a Netgalley copy.

I haven’t read the original “Great Expectations” , so I can’t judge how this adaption compares to the actual novel, but I enjoyed it a lot. The art style is great and the format is a good way to get people to read more classics.

I loved this movie and I loved this graphic novel. I read A Christmas Carol every year, but have never been able to read any other Dickens novel as it was originally set. This book made me want to watch the movie again.

Finally got into this story! OMG I love the style and artwork in these manga.

This I have found to be the best way for myself to read classics. I cant seem to get into the hovels, but these manga keep me reading!

I am so excited to find more manga classics!

I really loved the art style for this!! These mangas are some of my faves. A new way to present this awesome classic!

Great alternative to regular book! It brings this great classic to a new level and to life! One of my favorite classics!

Introducing younger readers to classics like the Charles Dickens novel is not small feat but it is the texture in adaptation especially with so much establishing material that can get in the way. Adapting “Great Expectations” [Editor: Stacy King/Udon/304pgs] is no small task since the very aspect of movement can dictate character development within the story. The intention of Pip’s journey is one of conflicting emotions since the character has always been pulled between what he thinks he wants and what is right in front of his face. The artists/editors do a good job of representing this by establishing the different aspects of his life between the benefactors that help him and the dexterity of those that raise him. Like most people, he only understands his loss and error after the fact. MIss Havisham, as with most spurned by love, is the puppet master who is at edge of most of Pip’s problems. However it is his assumptions that always lead him awry. Pip has a good heart but the wrong instincts. His ambition is bigger than his heart which can cause issues. There are, like in the book, places where the audience can fill in their own perception. However with the manga, which is considered unusual, Pip narrates his own story. So the life he leads and the decisions that he makes are only from his point of view. The panels do their best to represent this though sometimes Pip’s thoughts become too repetitive in terms of what his actions dictate. One specific scene where his benefactor and the man’s nemesis duke it out in the midst of large seas and a boat offers an archetypal structure that can be visualized here and would be more difficult to do in say a film. The 1994 film with Ethan Hawke (which is more this reader’s reference to its visual storytelling) does mirror the grasp of beautiful loneliness with a sense of dread that permeates the entire manga leading the reader to feel a love forlorn but also an opportunity missed.

B

By Tim Wassberg

This is a beautiful adaptation. I really love the idea of turning classics into manga. I don’t often read manga, but then again, I don’t read many classics either. I always feel like the language in classics can be inaccessible and dry. Overall, I find them to be intimidating. And I do enjoy manga, even if I don’t really read them often.
Which is why I really enjoyed this adaptation. It’s beautiful and for turning a 1000+ page novel into a 300 page manga its quite the feat. This is perfect for those who are interested in classics, but are intimidated to dive into the actual classics.

I think it's absolutely amazing that these favourite classics are getting more attention and love in the form of a manga. Such a great idea which I fully support!

Rating: 3.5 stars
The art was good, but story drags a times, especially the last third. Strong start thought. It drew me in quick.

Great Expectations is about Pip who becomes a gentleman through a mysterious benefactor. He falls in love, tries to discover who his benefactor is, and deals with the family he left behind and how he has changed from the boy who wanted to be a blacksmith's apprentice.

This is a great example of why I like the Manga Classics series. If I was reading the original book I would have most likely DNF'd it. I wasn't a fan of the story line and it's not a book I would read again. What kept me going was the artwork and how fast-paced the manga is.

Beautiful adaptation! I really liked the condensed version of this rather depressing classic tale, the artwork makes it a far more pleasant read than would be the case with the original version, but then I'm not a fan of Great Expectations.

Both Pip and Estella are quite awful, each in their own way. I dislike Pip more for how he turns out, because he is loved by Joe and has a great friend in Biddy, so he has less of an "excuse" to grow so weak-willed and shallow. He is given a lot of chances in life, but does nothing but live beyond his means, look down upon his former friends and be less than grateful once he finds out who his true benefactor is. Estella is brought up very differently, taught to hate and use men, to turn away from love. So even though she hurts Pip & others, she is herself also a victim of her warped, loveless upbringing.

I'm not a fan of the story itself, but I do admire the way it was adapted into a manga and really love the drawings!
Pip stays very recognizable as he grows older and starts dressing in a more sophisticated style. The same holds true for Estella, Biddy and Herbert. Very well done.

Visually it's the scenes at Miss Havisham's house, when Pip speaks with Miss Havisham and/or Estella that are the most interesting. The artist really knows how to capture the tragic, poisonous mood and Estella's beauty stands in stark contrast to Miss Havisham's faded looks.

This book is generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My star rating is in regards to the story and characters than the art. The characters I only liked were Joe and Biddy, I found Pip really annoying. To be honest I don’t really get the point of the story of the book. I love that these classic stories are turned into manga as it’s a good introduction to the stories without wasting the time to read the novel and not liking it. I loved the illustrations and the use of the black and white.

As this is a manga, so I don't really expect much from the storyline because I understand that the illustrator has to compress everything into so much pages. Alas, this manga still help me to understand a little bit about what is going on in the story. Basically it's about Pip who lived with his sister and his sister's husband, a blacksmith named Joe. And then as a brat, he tried to change his destiny. When he got the chance, he wanted to move on and even being so pampered with the privilege he had.

The manga classic helped me to understand more about the story so I can't say anything about the story since it's not the mangaka who made that. I would applaud how the mangaka managed to create the storyline and everything. And the graphic was so beautiful too so plus to that!

I wish the ending would be better because it's not satisfying enough, like I feel there's still things needed to be said. But since I didn't read the book (yet), so I guess this is enough for me.