St Louis County Library

Richard Geary takes on Charles Dickens in his most recent graphic novel adaptation, "Great Expectations." Having never read the original, I felt at a disadvantage to evaluate the faithfulness of Geary's version.  That did allow me to judge the graphic novel on its own merits.

Unlike previous of Geary's works, "Great Expectations" uses colorful inks, which I do not prefer. Miss Havisham, for example, would be much creepier in gray scale. She is appropriately warped, however, to convey this one-of-a-kind, yet typically Dickensian character.

The story of Pip in graphic novel form has to be shortened, of course. Yet I found the story disjointed, especially in the quick transitions. Nowhere is that more evident than in the last few panels, wherein Pip happens upon his old flame, Estella. To say that the ending is anticlimactic is an understatement.

This graphic novel is worth reading for the quality of the art and for an overview of Dickens' great work, "Great Expectations."  I look forward to other illustrated classics.

--Julie C., Headquarters