I’m delighted today to share my review of Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke, published today (9th May) by Canelo Hera Books, and now available as an ebook on all major platforms and in hardcover. A little longer to wait for the paperback – that’ll be out on 17th October – but I suspect that you (as I have…) might like to splash out a little to have that glorious cover on your bookshelves. My thanks to Keshini Naidoo at Hera for my advance reading e-copy.
A new name, and a real departure for an author whose compelling thrillers – written as Barbara Copperthwaite – I’ve always found totally irresistible. I won’t do my usual summary of her entire back catalogue – pop her name into my search bar and you’ll find all my reviews – because it’s only fair to focus on this one, the book I know Barbara always wanted to write. Her publishers are calling it this year’s must read – a captivating, dark retelling of Great Expectations – and the reviews and endorsements I’ve already seen only made me want to read it even more. So, let’s take a closer look…
‘Loved it from the very first page – Estella is a superbly well-drawn character and absolutely unforgettable.’ Frances Quinn
You know Miss Havisham.
The world’s most famous jilted bride.
This is her daughter’s story.
Raised in the darkness of Satis House where the clocks never tick, the beautiful Estella is bred to hate men and to keep her heart cold as the grave.
She knows she doesn’t feel things quite like other people do but is this just the result of her strange upbringing?
As she watches the brutal treatment of women around her, hatred hardens into a core of vengeance and when she finds herself married to the abusive Drummle, she is forced to make a deadly choice:
Should she embrace the darkness within her and exact her revenge?
A stunningly original, gripping Gothic read, perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Madeline Miller and Jessie Burton.
I’ll admit that I was a little concerned by my lack of familiarity with the story of Great Expectations – it might be half a century since I last read it, although the cobwebbed image of Miss Havisham, the spinster in her wedding dress, sitting in the darkness of Satis House alongside her rotting wedding feast is one that does tend to persist in the memory. And you might remember that the book was very much orphan Pip’s story, told in the first person – with Estella, Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter, a key figure in his story but not drawn in any real detail.
This book tells Estella’s story, in two timelines – her unusual childhood, brought up in a house frozen in time, where greedy relatives resent her presence and her mother teaches her that men are not to be trusted, and her later life after her ill-conceived marriage to the brutish Bentley Drummle when she finds the strength to take charge of her own destiny.
The writing is exceptional – a stunning recreation of Dickens’ style and era, rich in detail but far more than a pastiche, with a strong female character at its core who fascinates at every turn. It’s immensely readable, taut and compelling, immersive and atmospheric – and it’s not only Estella herself who’s wonderfully drawn, but every single character who plays their part in her life, all familiar but seen from a different perspective. There’s a distinctly feminist slant that reframes the story, given by the contemporary injustices that Dickens would never have tackled – and the character who he was content to leave in the shadows moves firmly to centre stage and drives her own story.
The gothic elements are wonderfully drawn – with Satis House itself almost a character in its own right, as the young Estella scurries around its hidden passageways, making her own discoveries about the plots against her, later returning to what might be her place of safety but equally might be the same prison it always was. There’s real evil between the pages, and at times it made my skin crawl, but there’s unexpected kindness at times too – and the emotional content is managed quite perfectly, with a real focus on the impact of nature versus nurture, and the enduring impact of the strangeness of Estella’s upbringing.
As a companion piece to Dickens’ work, this is a book that certainly won’t disappoint – but an absence of familiarity with the original story wouldn’t be a barrier to anyone’s enjoyment. It’s a book to linger over, to enjoy the quality of the writing, the clever way the author entwines the storylines – it took me considerably longer to read than my usual fare, but the time spent was immensely rewarding. And would I recommend it to others – perhaps even those who might be put off by the very mention of Dickens? Yes, without question – this really was an exceptional piece of writing, and a book I’d defy anyone not to enjoy as much as I did.
About the author
Estella’s Revenge is Barbara Havelocke’s debut historical thriller.
Barbara says: “Imagine being raised in darkness and brainwashed against men. What psychological impact would this have on a child? What chance of living a normal life as an emotionally-scarred adult? These were the questions haunting me when reading Great Expectations.
“As a journalist on national magazines, I interviewed victims and perpetrators of crime; ran an award-winning campaign about domestic abuse, and got involved with my local women’s refuge. Over the past decade I’ve written six psychological thrillers under my real name, Barbara Copperthwaite. I’ve been a No 1 bestseller on Amazon and Kobo, and appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Through it all, I’ve thought of Estella, a child told daily to never love, never trust. This is why I had to tell her story.”
When not writing at her home in Birmingham, UK, Barbara loves walking her dogs, Scamp and Buddy, taking wildlife photographs, and drawing.
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Reading this just now and confirm that not having read Great Expectations is making no difference to my enjoyment of the book!