Dickens originally intended Great Expectations to be twice as long, but constraints imposed by the management of All the Year Round limited the novel's length. The novel is collected and dense, with a conciseness unusual for Dickens. According to G.K. Chesterton, Dickens penned Great Expectations in 'the afternoon of [his] life and fame.' It was the penultimate novel Dickens completed, preceding Our Mutual Friend.