Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

If you’re going to read any of Dickens’ works, make it Great Expectations, widely regarded as the great author’s magnum opus. It tells the story of Pip, an orphan who escapes his humble beginnings in order to win the love of an upper-class girl, Estella. Featuring some of the most memorable characters in the literary canon – from escaped convict Magwitch to jilted bride Miss Havisham – it endures as a cautionary tale about the personal cost of misguided social advancement.