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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
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