content: I had to read this for a high school summer reading list. It was the worst reading experience I ever had, and I love reading books. I cried several times trying to plug through the long-winded (obviously Dickens paid by the word) presentation. While some themes are mildly interesting, there were no scenes that captured my attention or held it for any period of time. This book might be great as an adult (which I'll gladly never know), but definitely not as a 16 year old. Sucks sucks sucks.Note to Teachers and Principals, please don't assign this to your high school students. There are so many better and more captivating books. This was the first book I ever read that truly took the joy out of reading for me.