Great Expectations is hailed as Charles Dickens' masterpiece. A gripping tale of love and loss, aspiration and moral redemption, the story follows the young orphan Xiaomao (Pip) from poverty to a life of unexpected opportunity and wealth.

In part one, Xiaomao (Pip) is raised by his short-tempered older sister and her husband who run a small repair shop in the outskirts of Shanghai. Xiaomao dreams of leaving his life of poverty behind after becoming playmates with the beautiful Bingbing (Estella), daughter of the eccentric Bai Xiaojie (Ms. Havisham). His prospects for the future are bleak, until one day a mysterious benefactor gives Xiaomao the opportunity of a lifetime.

Mandarin Companion is a series of easy-to-listen-to novels in Chinese that are fun to listen to and proven to accelerate language learning. Every book in the Mandarin Companion series is carefully written to use characters, words, and grammar that a learner is likely to know.

Level 2 is intended for Chinese learners at a low intermediate level, equivalent to roughly two to three years of formal study. Most learners who have been able to fluidly use Mandarin Companion Level 1 should be able to listen to this book. This series is designed to combine simplicity of characters with an easy-to-understand story line that helps learners grow their vocabulary and language comprehension abilities. The more they listen, the better they will become at understanding, reading, and grasping the Chinese language.

Visit www.MandarinCompanion.com for updates on the newest titles and learning resources.