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crothe77's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke is a Gothic retelling of Great Expectations from Estella’s point of view. We have two timelines, one is happening after Estella marries Bentley Drummle and the ramifications of that choice and the other details her childhood being raised by Miss Havisham in a house that refuses to recognize the passage of time.
It’s been awhile since I read Great Expectations, but I think someone who has not read the original could reasonably keep up with the story in Estella’s Revenge. The novel discusses several social issues of the day, mostly the sexism that was common in the early 1800s and poverty, while keeping inline with Estella’s colder nature and frustration with her place in society as a puppet or object of desire.
What I really liked was the prose conveying a Gothic, creepy atmosphere and the attention to detail regarding the Santis House, the home of the Havisham family. The rotten feast, the insects moving around as a result of the lack of care, the wedding dress Miss Havisham wears, all feel like characters on their own.
Content warning for depictions of abuse, still birth, and sexual assault.
I would recommend this to fans of Estella from Great Expectations, readers of Gothic historical novels, and lovers of retellings of classic literature from different view points.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
cballar5's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I received this ARC through netgalley in return for an honest review.
What a roller coaster! I was unprepared for this to say the least. I have never read Great Expectations, but this book almost makes me want to (I just don’t love Dickens). The plot is split; we have a past Estella who her mother is honing to be a weapon of revenge against all men, and current Estella, who realizes she has to form her own life. The plot is interesting, but not overly so. More intriguing than anything, I wanted to know more about why her mother was the way she was. Definitely a character driven book, but the plot wasn’t bad.
The characters… the only truly lovable character is Pip. By the end, I liked Estrella and her mother, and maybe even Yvette, but that’s truthfully the only characters I enjoyed and connected with. This is intentional, though, as this book has LOTS of villains (even Estrella is a villain for a bit). They have dimension and are well thought out, even if some of the characters are a bit… stuck in their ways.
The writing was surprisingly easy to read. When I went into this, I did not realize it was written in formal English. That being said, it isn’t overly superfluous or difficult to read. I was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly I could absorb the authors words and meanings considering most of what I read nowadays is pretty modern fiction.
All in all, I enjoyed this. There’s even a bit of LGBT+ representation, which is nice for a book set in this time period. I won’t say it’s my favorite book ever, but it has a nice redemption arc. I wonder what happens to her after the conclusion of the book, but I appreciate how the author ended it. 3.75⭐️
What a roller coaster! I was unprepared for this to say the least. I have never read Great Expectations, but this book almost makes me want to (I just don’t love Dickens). The plot is split; we have a past Estella who her mother is honing to be a weapon of revenge against all men, and current Estella, who realizes she has to form her own life. The plot is interesting, but not overly so. More intriguing than anything, I wanted to know more about why her mother was the way she was. Definitely a character driven book, but the plot wasn’t bad.
The characters… the only truly lovable character is Pip. By the end, I liked Estrella and her mother, and maybe even Yvette, but that’s truthfully the only characters I enjoyed and connected with. This is intentional, though, as this book has LOTS of villains (even Estrella is a villain for a bit). They have dimension and are well thought out, even if some of the characters are a bit… stuck in their ways.
The writing was surprisingly easy to read. When I went into this, I did not realize it was written in formal English. That being said, it isn’t overly superfluous or difficult to read. I was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly I could absorb the authors words and meanings considering most of what I read nowadays is pretty modern fiction.
All in all, I enjoyed this. There’s even a bit of LGBT+ representation, which is nice for a book set in this time period. I won’t say it’s my favorite book ever, but it has a nice redemption arc. I wonder what happens to her after the conclusion of the book, but I appreciate how the author ended it. 3.75⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
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