240. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens adapted by Rick Geary
Classics Illustrated, #1
Rating: (4/5)
(US) - (Canada) - (UK)
1990, Papercutz, 56 pgs
Age: 8+
"The bittersweet tale of one boy’s adolescence and of the choices he makes to shape his destiny. Into an engrossing mystery, Dickens weaves a heartfelt inquiry into morals and virtues—as the orphan Pip, the convict Magwitch, the beautiful Estella, the bitter Miss Havisham, the goodhearted Biddy, the kind Joe and other memorable characters entwine in a battle of human nature. Rick Geary’s delightful illustrations capture the newfound awe and frustrations of young Pip as he comes of age and begins to understand the opportunities that life presents."
Borrowed a copy through Inter-Library Loan.
I'm working my way through Rick Geary's backlist and he wrote three books in this series. Great Expectations is one of, if not my most, favourite Dickens novel. First of all, every time I see Geary in full colour it is always a bit of a shock to the system as I just prefer him soooo much in b/w but just browsing through the book and you can recognize his signature style immediately. Adapting Dickens is no small feat and Geary pulls this off very well. He concentrates on Pip and his rise to gentleman status along with the events that directly effect that storyline. We have the convict, Miss Havisham, Joe, Herbert and Estella storylines played out while the other side stories have been omitted though many of the characters still make an appearance such as Biddy and Clara and her father. Geary has chosen to make the ending finite rather than leave us with the ambiguous original ending. This is the only part I wasn't pleased with and I'm inclined to believe it was an editorial decision because of the book's targeted young audience. Otherwise an enjoyable revisit with one of my favourite classics and I'm quite impressed with the quality of this book (presentation, paper, etc.) I may be inclined to read others in the series when I've finished the Geary ones; they have an interesting list.
I'm working my way through Rick Geary's backlist and he wrote three books in this series. Great Expectations is one of, if not my most, favourite Dickens novel. First of all, every time I see Geary in full colour it is always a bit of a shock to the system as I just prefer him soooo much in b/w but just browsing through the book and you can recognize his signature style immediately. Adapting Dickens is no small feat and Geary pulls this off very well. He concentrates on Pip and his rise to gentleman status along with the events that directly effect that storyline. We have the convict, Miss Havisham, Joe, Herbert and Estella storylines played out while the other side stories have been omitted though many of the characters still make an appearance such as Biddy and Clara and her father. Geary has chosen to make the ending finite rather than leave us with the ambiguous original ending. This is the only part I wasn't pleased with and I'm inclined to believe it was an editorial decision because of the book's targeted young audience. Otherwise an enjoyable revisit with one of my favourite classics and I'm quite impressed with the quality of this book (presentation, paper, etc.) I may be inclined to read others in the series when I've finished the Geary ones; they have an interesting list.
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