Great Expectations, Dickens s funny, frightening and tender portrayal of the orphan Pip s journey of self-discovery, is one of his best-loved works. Showing how a young man s life is transformed by a mysterious series of events - an encounter with an escaped prisoner; a visit to a black-hearted old woman and a beautiful girl; a fortune from a secret donor - Dickens s late novel is a masterpiece of psychological and moral truth, and Pip among his greatest creations.