Great Expectations

Carnegie Medal-winning author Tanya Landman returns with a brilliantly realised and truly accessible retelling of the book described as Dickens’ “most perfect” novel.

My story is a long one with many strange events and dark turns. But time is short. I will be brief. In this slim volume I concentrate on five people. A dangerous criminal. An honest blacksmith. An abandoned bride. A girl who glittered like a distant star. And myself. Philip Pirrip, known as Pip, whose life was twisted and bent out of shape by all of them.

Orphaned as baby, Pip is raised by his sister to live the simple life of a blacksmith’s boy. But a chance encounter in a graveyard and a visit to a ruined mansion set him on a different path. When a secret benefactor pays for him to become a gentleman, Pip’s life takes a greatly unexpected turn …

Particularly suitable for readers aged 13+ with a reading age of 9.

Reviews

"Wonderfully accessible and brilliantly realised … Landman’s retelling captures all the spirit and atmosphere of the original in a way that is easy to read for youngsters." – Lancashire Evening Post

"This retelling of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations not only makes this classic story accessible and understandable to young readers, but it also makes for an exciting read full of cliffhangers and danger … Fast-paced and exciting." — The School Librarian

"[Tanya Landman] takes the core thread of the original story and gives us a bite-size taste of Pip’s world … Landman’s version of Great Expectations is a triumph for a younger audience." — Just Imagine

"Barrington Stoke makes classics so much more accessible. Great Expectations, retold by the fantastic Tanya Landman, captures all the great characters of this essential Dickens." – Scope for Imagination, blog

"The author really captures the important aspects of this much-loved and well-known classic with perfect settings and characterisation … The short snappy chapters are brilliant and this re-writing is just wonderful." – Little Posts of Library Treasures, blog

"In this engaging retelling, Landman breathes new life into Pip’s journey, encapsulating the essence of Dickens’ original work while making it accessible to a modern audience … Landman’s prose is clear and engaging, making it easy for readers to connect with Pip’s struggles and triumphs … an excellent choice for those looking to explore classic literature in a format that is engaging and comprehensible." — Wordy Witterings, blog

"This strange story of bitterness, revenge, snobbery and control, played out with moments of huge drama and a cast of deliciously, mostly awful, characters, is cleverly streamlined by Tanya Landman. We gallop enjoyably through the action, forever led-on by promises and fears and hope." — An Awfully Big Blog Adventure, blog

About the author

Tanya Landman is renowned for her thought-provoking, prize-winning novels including the beautifully “deft and dark”, Carnegie Medal-winning Buffalo Soldier. In 2019 she won the Scottish Teenage Book Prize for her critically acclaimed novella One Shot. Tanya says that she loves how writing allows her to daydream – something she was always in trouble for at school! She lives in Devon with her sons, a Siamese cat and two Labradors.