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Quick answer: If you loved Great Expectations, read Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Tale of Two Cities, then Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, then Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, and George Eliot's Middlemarch and Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South and Wives and Daughters. All are classic British novels of ambition and love.
Charles Dickens's 1861 novel follows Pip, a poor boy with great expectations. It is a story of class, guilt and love. These picks offer the same Victorian drama.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Twist | Charles Dickens | Adult | poverty and crime |
| David Copperfield | Charles Dickens | Adult | coming of age |
| A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Dickens | Adult | French Revolution |
| Nicholas Nickleby | Charles Dickens | Adult | cruel schools |
| A Christmas Carol | Charles Dickens | 9-14 | readers who want a classic |
| Jane Eyre | Charlotte Brontë | Adult | readers who want a classic romance |
| Wuthering Heights | Emily Brontë | Adult | readers who like tragic love |
| Middlemarch | George Eliot | Adult | epic of provincial life |
| North and South | Elizabeth Gaskell | Adult | class and romance |
| Wives and Daughters | Elizabeth Gaskell | Adult | gentle Victorian |
| The Woman in White | Wilkie Collins | Adult | readers who like Victorian mysteries |
| Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Thomas Hardy | Adult | fate and love |
| Vanity Fair | William Makepeace Thackeray | Adult | satire of society |
| Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | Adult | readers who love romance |
| Madame Bovary | Gustave Flaubert | Adult | romantic disillusion |
1. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
An orphan falls among thieves in London. A classic of social reform.
Best for: poverty and crime.
2. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
David grows up from a miserable childhood to become a writer. Warm and funny.
Best for: coming of age.
3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Two men are bound together by love and sacrifice in Paris and London. Classic.
Best for: French Revolution.
4. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
A young man fights the cruelty of a boarding school and his uncle. Lively and long.
Best for: cruel schools.
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Scrooge is visited by three ghosts. A short classic of redemption.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Jane, a governess, falls for Mr. Rochester at Thornfield Hall. A classic with a strong narrator.
Best for: readers who want a classic romance.
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Heathcliff and Catherine's destructive love on the Yorkshire moors. Wild and stormy.
Best for: readers who like tragic love.
8. Middlemarch by George Eliot
Dorothea Brooke and her neighbours seek meaning and love. Long, wise and rewarding.
Best for: epic of provincial life.
9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
A southern woman moves to an industrial northern town and meets a mill owner. Romantic and sharp.
Best for: class and romance.
10. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
A girl adjusts to a new stepmother and stepsister in a country town. Warm and observant.
Best for: gentle Victorian.
11. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A drawing master meets a mysterious woman in white and is drawn into a conspiracy. An early mystery with twists.
Best for: readers who like Victorian mysteries.
12. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
A young woman's life is shaped by cruelty and fate. A heartbreaking Victorian tragedy.
Best for: fate and love.
13. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Becky Sharp schemes her way up in Napoleonic-era England. Witty and sharp.
Best for: satire of society.
14. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elizabeth Bennet meets the proud Mr. Darcy in Austen's wittiest romance. A perfect pairing for Anne fans.
Best for: readers who love romance.
15. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
A doctor's wife seeks romance and falls into debt. Precise and unforgiving.
Best for: romantic disillusion.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Great Expectations: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Great Expectations. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For more Dickens, read David Copperfield or Oliver Twist. For classic romance, try Jane Eyre or Middlemarch. For social drama, pick North and South.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Great Expectations?
Charles Dickens.
When was it published?
1860–1861.
What is it about?
A boy who rises in society thanks to a mysterious benefactor.
Which book here is best for romantic disillusion?
Try Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, which suits readers looking for romantic disillusion.
Which book here is best for readers who love romance?
Try Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which suits readers looking for readers who love romance.
Which book here is best for satire of society?
Try Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, which suits readers looking for satire of society.
Which book here is best for fate and love?
Try Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, which suits readers looking for fate and love.
Which book here is best for readers who like Victorian mysteries?
Try The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, which suits readers looking for readers who like Victorian mysteries.