It’s never a good sign for a book when you start to get irritated with the narrator. For me, a sympathetic narrator is necessary for me to enjoy a book. Otherwise, I find I just don’t care about what happens to them or any of the other characters in the book.
I enjoyed Pip for the first hundred pages or so–until he let Estella make him feel ashamed of his “commonness”. After that, Pip find him self frequently embarassed by his family, his job as an apprentice blacksmith, and even the way he talks and dresses. Of course I’ve been embarassed by my family (who hasn’t), but I dislike people who are constantly embarassed by them. Eventually, I think, you need to stop thinking that other people’s behavior reflects on you. Granted, Pip’s family are no picnic, but I’ve seen worse in my own life.
Still, I have gone far enough into the book that I am still curious to see how it all turns out.