Member Reviews

Manga Classics: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Stacy King, & Nokman Poon

3.25 stars

The tale of Great Expectations is a famous one, but most people only hear it and passing and don’t realize that it is a Dickens novel. It follows the story of Pip, a young man living in poverty and destined to follow his sister’s husband’s footsteps as a blacksmith. He stumbles upon a convict and is scared that this will lead to his arrest and shame. He stumbles into the great rooms of Miss Havisham’s mansion and the lovely Estella. Miss Havisham has been secluded into her house for more than twenty years and still wears the wedding dress she was abandoned in. Estella is her revenge against men for the wrong she faced. Pip loves Estella with all his heart, but is a poor boy. That is, until Pip comes into his Great Expectations and an anonymous donor funds his ability to rise into London’s high society as a young man. It’s a simple story and it is wonderfully adapted in this edition. I liked this adaptation so much that I picked up the audiobook of it and bought myself a personal copy. Since then, I have read Great Expectations and I think that is what is so wonderful about this series. It introduced me to a story that I knew was famous, but didn’t necessarily want to read. However, this story is vast and it struggles as a manga. There was a lot cut and this is a very abridged version of the story. This is particularly due to Dickens’ writing style. It is simple, but it doesn’t feel complete without seeing the words on the page. The art is quite nice, but it isn’t the strongest of the manga classics and for that reason it didn’t hold a special place in my heart.


Art Scale: 2.5

My biggest problem with Great Expectations is Pip. He is a rather boring character in this adaptation and notions are silly and quite frivolous. However, after reading the source material, I think this intentional as the story is told by a much older Pip who is reflecting on this time in his life as a silly young boy and man.


Estella is a real piece of work. She isn’t redeemable by any means, but she was nurtured to be cruel, unforgiving, and cold. It makes an interesting nature versus nurture debate. The majority of Great Expectations characters are detestable. That’s what makes them so memorable! Ah, Mrs. Havisham is one of my favorites in classical literature.


Character Scale: 4

Overall, this adaptation made me interested in picking up the original work and I think that it did its purpose. It was also nice to finally be introduced to Dickens outside of A Christmas Carol. I would recommend this if you are unsure about whether you would like Dickens or if classics intimidate you, but you want to know what people in literary discussions are referencing. You could be pretentious without a lot of effort (or just pick up the actual novel because I preferred it more).


Plotastic Scale: 3.75

Cover Thoughts: It’s interesting, but not a favorite.

Thank you, Netgalley and Udon Entertainment for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I wasn't sure about reading Great Expectations again, even in manga form. It's my least favorite Dickens, and while I think it works better in a more visual medium, I'm still not a huge fan. That said, it's definitely an improvement!

Was this review helpful?

Classics are always one of those things that most people WANT to read or SAY they will read but most of us never get around to it. Most classics are massive and tedious or they have complex writing that deters readers. But if you really want to get the overall concept of a classic without having to read the entire book then these mangas are the perfect thing for you.

The specific classic is about Pip. He helped an escaped convict and that one task set his entire future in motion. I really enjoyed this story. I got to see how horrifying Miss Havisham truly was and how horrible Pip became. I loved the story but I also loved the sections that the artist decided to use in the book.

Was this review helpful?

I received an eARC copy of Great Expectations by Stacy King and @mangaclassics, so a huge thank-you to @netgalley and @udonent. This book is already published, so if you are interested I highly suggest picking up a copy
.
While browsing through Netgalley, I came across this super fun Manga / Graphic Novel series that are retellings of classic fiction and I am just so excited!! I read Great Expectations first but honestly can’t wait to look into the others in the series as well. The art is so pretty! I read the original Great Expectations by Charles Dickens for the first time in tenth grade for school, but I have read it at least three times since then because I enjoy it so much. Getting to experience the story through a different media style was such a fun experience. I would definitely suggest this series to any Classic Fiction fans!

Was this review helpful?

Actual rating 3.75 stars

Reading manga is a huge challenge for me. This is my second one ever so far; first being Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Volume 1 (if you want to, check out my review here ) . I mention this because rating this manga was a huge deal for me. (I even debated about it after a long shower lol). Anyway! I was between "I enjoyed it" and "I really enjoyed it".

One of the pros, it was a manga and experiencing this kind of reading is very interesting. A Con, it was a manga a reading this was kinda hard. I had to go back to some "squares" because I was reading it wrong. Let alone that I started to read the manga backwards as if it was an actual book and spoiled the ending because of it. (I didn't know I had to read from right to left? alright?! Lesson learned! A good thing was that I already knew what the story was about. I hadn't read the original book, I only watched the 2012 movie version. Still counts!

Speaking of the manga and the content itself, I loved the design, very accurate. Specially Pip, who looked younger than his age and that contributes to his whole naive personality. Dickens created this story with lots of twists and turns of fate which leads the reader to be left with nothing but frustration. When you reach the end of the book you think that it was a bad ending, that it is not meant to be that way. On the other hand, you are glad. And that varies depending on the perspective of which character you are seeing it from.

All in all, I felt like this manga was very accurate to the story (even though I haven't read the book) it is very fast paced (it only took me two hours) and you can understand the flow of the story perfectly. However, it didn't wow me. I expected what was going to happen, for obvious reasons. Still, highly recommendable.

Was this review helpful?

This book tells the story of Pip, a boy with great expectations for his future.

The art is absolutely beautiful, it's detailed in the right way.

The story is very interesting, it sucked me into Dickens' world.

The characters are amazing and seeing them (literally) grow made me feel connected to them.

Before, I wasn't really interested in reading Dickens, however, this manga changed that.

Rating: 4 stars

Was this review helpful?

As a fan of the book, I was impressed with this manga version. The artwork is amazing and as for the condensation, the structure and story flowed easily.

Was this review helpful?

Book Review
Title: Great Expectations
Author: by Charles Dickens (Author),‎ Stacy King (Editor),‎ Crystal Chan (Editor),‎ Nokman Poon (Artist)
Genre: Manga/Classics
Rating: ****
Review: Following my previous reviews of Jane Eyre and The Scarlet Letter I was excited to pick up a manga adaptation of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. In the opening of this adaptation we meet Pip who lives with his sister and her husband because both of his parents are dead. One night he meets a mysterious man in rag in the churchyard who demands he brings him a file and some food while Pip doesn’t want to steal he does because he is quite frightened of the man. While the man has no name, we know he is an escaped prisoner from the prison ship and he is chasing another escaped prisoner Compeyson. When the criminals are eventually recaptured the mysterious man, Pip helped doesn’t turn him in, but Pip still feels incredibly guilty about the stealing from the only person that has ever been kind to him.
We then jump forward a year, when Pip learns he is going to be taken to Miss Havishham’s house by his uncle the following day. As we approach the ¼ mark in the story, Pip meets the strange Miss Havishham and the beautiful Estella, during this meeting Pip realizes how much lower in class he is than them and is determined to become better and smarter but attended the evening school with his friend Biddy. After spending many years in Miss Havishham’s service she calls Pip to talk and he thinks that she will offer him the chance to be with her foster daughter; Estella but instead she dismisses him when he becomes Joe’s blacksmith apprentice, but Pip is beginning to feel that this life is miles beneath what he wants out of life, but stranger things are happening all around him. One night he finds Joe in the pub talking to a man who had the file Pip gave to the escaped prisoner although with a shilling a two-pound notes, it almost felt that a thank you. Soon after an argument in the smith’s yard Joe heads off to find Pip only for them to return home and finds his sister has been attacked.
Four years into his apprentice with Joe a lawyer by the name of Jaggers come to take Pip to London and turn him into the gentlemen he has always wanted to be as per the instructions of his benefactor. Soon Pip is leaving his old life behind a starting a new one, while he believes that Miss Havishham is his benefactor I believe it may be someone else altogether. As we approach the halfway point in the story, Pip arrives in London and is sent to live with the Pocket family where he meets Herbert who he met once before at Miss Havishham’s house and he learns more about the mysterious woman’s past which is quite tragic. However, he and Herbert become fast friends as Pip is studying under Herbert’s father. After a while Joe visits with a message that Estella has returns from Europe and is eager to see him, so he leaves at once for Kent. However, when he arrives he finds himself and everything around him much changed. As Pip grows into a man he is falling madly in love with Estella and seeks to better himself so that he can be seen as a potential match for her. However, when she passes through London on her own journey she gives Pip many hints that he cannot understand but it almost seems like Miss Havishham is playing with his heart, dangling Estella the one person he truly wants but never letting him get close to her.
As we cross into the second half of the story, Pip witnesses a strange scene between Miss Havishham and Estella where it was clear to me that Estella is saying how can she fall in love when Miss Havishham has taught her that love is evil and corrupt, but Pip still doesn’t get the message and 2 years later he still dreams of one day marrying Estella, when a mysterious man appears at his door. The man turns out to be his benefactor and the convict he helped all those years ago; Abel Magwitch. He stays with Pip and when Herbert returns he tells them the story of his life. We learn that Abel used to work for Compeyson and he worked with a man called Arthur who are the men who conspired to take Miss Havishham’s money and Compeyson is the man who left her at the altar. He and Herbert together agree before Pip can break ties with this man he must get him out of the country. However, Pip needs to see Miss Havishham before he can move on with his life, and she tells him that it was a plot to make him love Estella and never let him marry her and Estella herself tells Pip that she doesn’t love him and is to marry another man destroying all the hope Pip had.
As we cross into the final section of the novel Pip has decided what he wants to do with his life and the kind of person he wants to be. However, before he and Herbert can go through with their plan of smuggling Magwitch out of the country Miss Havishham requests he visits one final time. It is here she confesses why she asked for a daughter and treated Estella the way she did but now there is no way the damage she inflicted can be reversed. Pip also makes another discovery through Jaggers that Estella is Magwitch’s daughter, but Pip can never reveal this information to anyone especially Estella as it would ruin her life. Upon his return Pip is greeted with a strange letter about Magwitch meaning someone else beside those he trusted knows about his benefactor and he must find out who. When Pip goes to the set location his is attacked by none other than Orlick someone he had grown up with whose own benefactor is suspected to be Compeyson and just when all seems lost Herbert comes to his rescue. They all know that because someone else knows about Magwitch they must get him out of the country as soon as possible.
Despite Pip’s optimism Orlick betrays their plans to Compeyson who tells the police, on their way to get Magwitch out of the country they are stopped, and a fight ensues, killed Compeyson and severely injuring Magwitch who died the day before his execution after hearing his long-lost daughter is alive and well. However, with Magwitch dead Pip’s debts soon caught up with him and soon takes a toll on his health but Joe nurses him back to health. But Joe soon leaves, and Pip feels that he hasn’t been forgiven for his earlier treatment of his family but when he returns home he finds Joe and Biddy are getting married. In the end Pip returns to his roots and goes to work for Herbert in his company in Cairo and many years later has the funds to return to England where he meets Estella once more much changed from the last time they met and while they never enter a relationship they will always be friends.
Overall, I really liked great expectations, but I was hoping for a romance somewhere in the story but even the relationships that are present aren’t really looked into, but it doesn’t take anything away from the story. Also, I must commend the artwork once again as it is superb. Highly recommended!

Was this review helpful?

A nice classic retelling!

Was this review helpful?

What a great read! I've read the original book a long time ago back in high school so I don't remember every single detail of the story, but I know the main points of it and I gotta say this is pretty darn good! I myself am not the biggest fan of reading classical literature, as I find them to be intimidating and kind of boring, but this made it enjoyable and made me appreciate it more. Also the art is amazing!

Was this review helpful?

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens has long been a favorite of mine so when I noticed a Manga edition available on Netgalley, I had to pick it up and check it out. This edition, written and illustrated by Stacy King, Crystal S. Chan and Nokman Poon, as well as Charles Dickens himself of course, is a lovely introduction to classic literature for the uninitiated. The illustrations have a simplicity to them which lends an authenticity to the subject matter and the monochrome colour scheme is reminiscent of publications of the era.

Great Expectations is a rag-to-riches story following the life of an orphan named Pip who comes into money from a mysterious benefactor. I won’t go into great detail about the actual storyline here as I encourage everyone to go and read it for themselves! Many people can feel daunted about reading classics however so this edition offers a easier approach. By necessity, it only offers the bare bones of the story but it’s enough to get a taste for Dickens’ writing.

I rated this book 4/5 as while I believe it is very good, I did miss the nuance and the detail which comes from reading the original. In saying that, I’d happily recommend this book to anyone.

I should also mention that as this in a Manga edition it is read from back to front and right to left. This was my first time reading in this format but it was easy to get the hang of and didn’t detract from the experience at all.

Was this review helpful?

Ah so what I liked about this was the artwork, however plotwise it had some gaps for me. I know there's so much you can do and portray with a graphic novel, but knowing the story beforehand it just lost some substance to it. There's so much more you can describe and build up to with a novel, and that's why I think that doing this story as a graphic novel makes it lack a bit. For example, Pip is so over-dramatic here and he falls for Estella super quickly. It's a bit shallow really, it's mainly due to her looks.

But at least it was a quick read and the artwork I found was the best thing about it.

Was this review helpful?

Personally, I don't like Dicken's writing very much, or at least not the things I tried to read by him so this was a great alternative for me and didn't nearly take as long as the original

Was this review helpful?

I enjoy Manga Classics because they make older stories easily accessible cutting to the main story in an effort to help reader truly understand it. Charles Dickens isn't really that hard to understand but even in a beautiful picturesque setting, I still have very little interest in the story.
The manga does something very interesting: it leaves the ending open. This is on purpose. Great Expectations has two endings. The first is the original one intended by Dickens. He then rewrote the ending when people were unhappy with it. In an effort not to play favorite (as explained in the epilogue of the manga), the adapter decides to leave it opened ended.
The manga isn't bad, I just don't care for the story.

Was this review helpful?

I'm loving reading these manga classics! This one, like the others I've read are true to their novel counterpart. Enjoyable!

Was this review helpful?

So lovely and dark and moving. I loved more the adaptation of "Jane Eyre", just to make an example, but objectively, this one, based on Dickens's "Great Expectation", probably is technically superior.

Recommended, just as I recommend all the other adaptations UDON Entertainment has published so far.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of Manga Classics: Great Expectations from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love the concept of Manga Classics; I just can’t say that enough. Not only is the artwork beautiful, but it makes classics such as Great Expectations more approachable for so many readers. I’m steadily working my way through all the Manga Classics I can get my hands on; regardless of whether or not I’ve read the original versions. I sincerely hope Udon Entertainment continues to publish these works, as they’re just absolutely beautiful and brilliant.
I remember laboring my way through this beast of a book back in middle school. And I was one of the only kids in my class to actually finish the book (as opposed to pretending they did and hoping for the best). I can’t imagine how much something like Manga Classics would have helped back then. While there have always been ways to sneak around actually reading a classic, most of those methods will only give you facts, not an idea for the feel of the book or the manner of its characters. Manga Classics bridges that gap, allowing for a shorter (and sometimes more pleasant read) while keeping true to the story, characters, and intents the author has established.
Great Expectations is one of those stories that’s basically been begging for an adaptation like this, I just never realized it until I read the manga version. Suddenly I found myself reading the core of the plot, getting right to the vital points of the story. A lot of the verbal descriptions were cut from the book (to make it fit of course) but the artwork more than makes up for that. Most of the images contain the intended details anyway, so there’s no real loss when one looks at it like that.
I greatly enjoyed reading through Great Expectations for the second time, and found myself finishing it in only a couple of sittings. This is the perfect adaptation for anybody that’s either wanted to read the original but hasn’t, or has wanted to reread it again but can’t see to find the time.

Was this review helpful?

This is a fantastic rendition of Charles Dickens story Great Expectations. The artist did a beautiful job capturing every character's emotions as well as beautiful scenery.

The story is about a young boy named Pip who is being raised by his sister and her husband Joe, a blacksmith. Pup is never happy with what he has and only seeks to better his education so he can be a gentleman one day. He falls into many misfortunes and favors.

I really enjoyed how the author reworded this story and was pleasantly happy with the ending.

Copy given by NetGalley & publisher for a fair & honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Manga is such a fun way to revisit these classic stories. Also the graphics are gorgeous!

Was this review helpful?

I couldn't clearly wrap my head around why the title is the title. I blame it on my lack of comprehension. Classic works just have too deep a meaning most of the time.

I would've ranted with the way the story ended if I hadn't done further research. Turns out the end is just as vague and letting the readers come up with their own conclusion. It broke my heart when Biggy married Joe but they both deserve to be happy. I was also happy when Estella finally became a human person with feelings and no longer a cold, heartless living robot.

Gave it four stars because I wasn't really all over it. Maybe I'm an Austen fan rather than a Charles since I'm a die hard romance fan.

Once again these Manga Classic adaptations are truly helpful.

Was this review helpful?