How did I manage to get this far in life--especially as an English major--without reading Great Expectations?

Well, last night I filled in and tamped down this literary hole by finishing the book. It took a while to work through it, and I had to mix in a little book-on-tape to get through it, given my day-to-day limitations. Sometimes I can find time to sit and read, but most days I need to do something else requiring a different kind of concentration--such as folding laundry, or driving (don't let that scare you)--during which I can be listening to something else. Through this combination of reading and listening, I completed the book.

I approached the book as an ordinary reader rather than a former English major, and thus let each character, plot twist and chapter ending capture my attention and intrigue me. I didn't read ahead, I didn't over-analyze and categorize, I didn't speed read, and I didn't peek at Cliff Notes. I just read.

I have to say I was unsatisfied by the endings. My copy included both endings to consider. I can't say that I felt either one really fit with the rest of the story. Once I finished the book, I did eventually poke around online to see what others say. One source said that critics offer convincing arguments for each of the endings, however they suggested a third option of simply ending the story earlier. I haven't looked at that how that option would work, but I wonder if it might not be the best option?

On the other hand, Dickens was quoted as preferring the "happy"--or at least pleasantly ambiguous--ending over the shorter one. Part of me feels that we ought to lean on the ending that most satisfied the author himself.

Now that I've finished Great Expectations, I have a huge dilemma:

What next?