Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. For the sheer fun of reading,great narrative, gripping story line, vivid characterization, enthralling twists in the plot and in the end the feeling of peace and tranquility that reigns in the heart about what life really is all about, about what riches and wealth cannot give, this novel has to be called one of the best written.
Adding to the above is the growing up or Bildungroman of Pip, the orphan, the strange twists of fortune which make him a ‘Gentleman,’ his belief about his benefactor being Lady Havisham, his romance of Estella, his growing conceit and vanity, the spurning of his relatives and the loss of fortune; this novel has everything.
Even the David Lean film version of this great novel is a treat to watch.