Imperfect, but became willing to BUY A STAMP

I'm halfway through Great Expectations, reading it for the first time (though I know the story--must have seen a film of it at some point).
I decided to try it after hearing that it's much better than David Copperfield (1850), GE written by a mature Dickens years later (1861)--it's his second to last book.

And it is, much better. I'd loved David Copperfield when I was young, but the last time I read it, a few years ago, I found David insufferable--an unbelievable and unlikable spotless, innocent victim, a judgmental prig, and a dupe.

The main character of Great Expectations, the narrator, Pip, is no hero. He is much more solid and relatable than drippy David, and more likable, being like us.
He fucks up--betrays his childhood protector out of social ambition, loves the wrong woman, knowing it will bring him misery.
Half the time he knows he's doing wrong even as he does it, and rues it, but does it anyway.
Other times, he deceives himself. "All other swindlers upon earth are nothing to the self-swindlers", he writes.

Other mistakes are not his fault, they are the work of social machinery that deforms the good. Got your sleeve snagged in the mangle? Your wedding dress, too near the fire?
Bad luck.

The object of Pip's desire, Estella, is also a real person, unlike most of Dickens's women. She is self-aware, knows she has been emotionally stunted (intentionally, by Miss Havisham), and warns Pip not to love her.

And the characters who act badly, like Miss Havisham, aren't puppet figures of evil, they are recognizably mentally ill humans.

The somewhat? happy ending feels tacked on. (I skipped ahead and read it). At the urging of a friend, before publication Dickens rewrote his more realistic unhappy ending--but the finale is ambiguous enough not to feel false. Most of the story is so realistically grim, I'm glad Dickens took his friend's advice and gave Pip and Estella some moment of happiness.

Will it last? Eh, probably not.
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I am cheered by Great Expectations. The title is ironic. Pip is flawed. Things don't go well, much of the time. Large social forces are at work, and not for the greater good.
It's like me and my life!

I was thinking about that yesterday, writing about having ended a friendship badly. I knew I should let my friend know why I was cutting her off, if not right away, then much, much sooner than I did. But I didn't . . . out of a kind of moral laziness.

"But, I didn't have a stamp!"
Uh-huh. You must buy a stamp. That's what grown-ups do.

I'd say that I grew up when I realized I was not the innocent victim of circumstances, but the responsible party (I mean, sometimes!)--who if she doesn’t (I don’t) act responsibly, at least knows and acknowledges that.

I don't think David Copperfield ever realizes that about himself, which makes him a bore.

Pip does, and I love him for it.
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Just as I was feeling my shortcomings yesterday, praise for my work came in, which was a nice counterbalance.

First, I stopped at the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater, a few blocks from the store. Twice a month they hold a Puppet Library, for anyone who wants to borrow puppets (limit of four), for free.
You can see how big some of them are compared to the person on the ladder, right.

I introduced myself, and that man said that he noticed when I started to do books the store, because I featured a certain sort of book, faced them outward, and so he started to go there more!
People often compliment BOOK's, but they aren't usually specific.

Mr Furniture had also praised me years ago for making books visible that the previous Book Lady didn't.
That is, I choose to face-forward books about race--and also, class, gender, books in Spanish, art books--and COOL OLD BOOKS (on display now).

Then, for a second Saturday, The Em volunteered to help me sort "fem-fem", as she calls it--boxes of ephemera (phem-pehm) I've stashed away. She's a huge help, and good company, and again made me feel great about the work I do---the previous Book Lady threw fragile papers out.

I took another Look-Alike photo--her idea, actually. I like that this has become a Thing We Do.
This is a vintage rubber bath toy--Em says she is doing a Power fist.

And one more look-alike, below:
Moby Dick, complete, and abridged (each page has one work, like "HARPOON").
Some customer had moved the board book, right, to the Children's Books section. People do this sometimes--move books to their "proper" places (though more frequently they move move them the hell out of place).
Yes, thank you: not a children's book, even though it's a children's book format. I moved it back.