I love the way this story reads and the connection with Great Expectations and Mrs Havisham. The two storylines work well together and the story flows so well I never got lost and enjoyed every minute of it.

This is the story of a mother/daughter relationship, the drama, the mystery made me keep turning the pages until I finally finished it. I just couldn't put it down. This is a well written book with great and well developed characters, It is at times quirky, it is at times fun and it is always a great read, Entertaining, atmospheric, enjoyable and a page turner. What more could you want!

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ashamedly, I have to admit I haven’t read Great Expectations. But I know the story well and over the last few years have started a tradition of watching the old black and white movie on Christmas Eve. Dickens’ original plot is dark, and deals with themes of revenge and power. Havelocke captures this in her own novel, whilst adding some new original layers and ideas.

Havelocke takes a fascinating female protagonist and adds a new depth to her. Estella is a woman who is cold and cruel; but her traumatic childhood and upbringing has created this version. In Estella’s Revenge, we understand the conflict between her upbringing and human nature and how Estella learns more about herself in the process of becoming a woman. Through her relationships, she slowly becomes a familiar character, not necessarily likeable but understandable.

I enjoyed learning more about Estella and the Victorian world she lives in; from Paris to London.

Overall, this was a tasteful and intriguing book that builds on a strong character but gives her her own voice and story.

Estella's Revenge is an atmospheric Gothic homage featuring Miss Havisham's daughter Estella, re-imagined by Barbara Havelocke. Released 9th May 2024 by Canelo on their Hera imprint, it's 384 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

Dickens' Great Expectations is a timeless classic. The story has a wonderful narrative arc, but in Dickens' original, the secondary characters don't get the same resolution imagined here. This is told from Estella's PoV and it's very much a darker re-imagining.

The author has an impressive facility with characterization, but what really shines here is the overall prose. It's beautifully wrought and immersive, compelling and atmospheric.

A passing familiarity with the original book is a definite plus. It's taken for granted that most readers will have previously read Great Expectations, but if not, this entire book will be more understandable and accessible with at least a quick skim of the original source material.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 15 hours 46 minutes and is beautifully read by Rosie Akerman. She has a light, well modulated RP accent and classically trained voice and does a good job with the disparate accents of a range of ages and both sexes. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four stars. Brooding and dark.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you to Canelli and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Although I did not read Great Expectations, this was a wonderfully delightful story! The book was written with promise and delivered spectacularly. I was fully immersed in the plot and the atmosphere was great! I would highly recommend this one.

I never read "Great Expectations" even if I know who is Miss Havisham as she's often quoted in mystery.
This was a good mix of historical fiction and thriller and I enjoyed it and was on the edge till the end.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am aware of Miss Havisham, a character from one of Dicken's books - Great Expectations. She was jilted and lived while still wearing her wedding dress. She adopted a young girl called Estella. Barbara Havelocke has taken Estella and created a fabulous story of her life with Miss Haversham and imagines the things she will have experienced and created this wonderful historical fiction story.

The author states at the end of her book that she does not try to emulate Dickens in his writing and for me, this makes this book very accessible to anyone who likes to read historical fiction, fiction or family and lifestyle books. I adored this book from the outset and remained glued to it until the end. What a happy surprise to find that this is to be a series!

The author conveys a bleak life for Estella living in Satis House with her adopted mother. The rooms are dark, curtains remain drawn, and the place feels unloved and forlorn. It is in some ways a mirror of Miss Havisham herself, she lives with regret and this is passed on to Estella. Estella learns that men cannot be trusted, they should be crushed and love is something that is a whim and not felt.

The author takes the way society looks, treats and expects women to behave during the period this book is set. they are a possession, they do not need to worry about politics, money or opinions, that is the role of the men. Instead, they are to look good, speak when spoken to and do as they are told. I am so glad times have changed!

The author creates such a wonderful character in Estella, yes she is flawed but this is not her doing it is what she has learned from Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham has learnt this from how she was treated when she was jilted. Estella comes across in different ways and it is as I write this review now that I realise just how complex a character she actually is. She can be cruel, loyal, opinionated, rash, and headstrong but she is also so naive.

The way the author has used Estella and the way she has been brought up to such good effect. It gives a platform for the author to have what feels like a free rein as such because you are not quite sure what to expect in the future for Estella. The route that is taken is dark, twisted and dangerous. It has the feel of something akin to a gothic mystery with so much intrigue.

There is so much I want to say about this book, but when I look at the synopsis there is very little given away. So I am not going to leave spoilers.

This is a fabulous book and one that I adored. It is a historical fiction using well-known literary characters, their story is fabulous, emotional and just wonderful. It is one I would definitely recommend.

I've seen many reviewers of Estella's Revenge say that they had never read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I have read it and I actually think that it was a benefit that I had, in order to better understand the characters mentioned.
I really enjoyed the parts of the book that expanded upon the characters from Great Expectations - Estella, Miss Havisham, Pip, Mr Jaggers and The Pockets. I enjoyed reading the narrative from Estella's point of view.
I less enjoyed the parts of the book that weren't centred around Satis House and Estella's relationship with Miss Havisham, her adopted Mother.
However, my real disappointment with the book came right at the very end with the very strange last chapter. Estella suddenly turned into a Marvel-type caricature, but instead of a cape, she was adorned with huge Mutton Chop sleeves, an over-large bonnet and a knitting bag.
It was a very odd and almost abrupt ending to the book - almost as if another book entirely had been started.
And then I read the Author's note at the back which promised more adventure from Estella in the future. So this bizarre ending WAS a prelude to more.
I won't be reading any further instalments.
I give this 3.5 stars but can't bring myself to round it up to 4 unfortunately.

Writing a sequel or a novel with a character’s alternative perception presents challenges to the author in that the reader needs to be at least familiar with the original work for it to make sense and also there is the question of the degree to which the style and voice matches the initial book or presents a new departure. Barbara Havelocke revisits Great Expectations from the perspective of Estella, adopted daughter of the reclusive Miss Havisham who narrates her story in the first person. Of course, Charles Dickens’ novel was not historical fiction while this is. Estella is considered by literary critics to be one of Dickens’ most intriguing and effectively portrayed female characters. Raised by the jilted and psychotically embittered Miss Havisham to despise and to avenge herself upon the male gender, Estella’s character is warped and perverted and the reader is shown another, firmly feminist, angle to her complicated life.
The need to keep to the overall parameters of the original book means that the focus on conventional historical fiction is occasionally disregarded, although the author admits that she has not kept slavishly to the plot and timelines of the original novel.. There are some verbal anachronisms and as the book progresses, the language seems to get more contemporary, suggesting the writer began to get a little cavalier as the narrative progresses towards the conclusion. There is a further sequel in the offing about the life of Estella.

I thought Estella's Revenge was going to somehow complement Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, but my hopes were never realized. But of course, who could compare to Dickens?
The characters in this book, with the exception of Pip and Jaggers, are each more hateful than the last. Estella is a poor bitter woman who married out of ambition. The Pockets are a family of envious people, who, driven by greed and bitterness, are capable of committing a crime to achieve their goals.
In short, the only worthwhile thing about this book is its beautiful cover.

The story was well written, yet it just didn’t hold my attention. I enjoyed reading great expectations as a younger person, and thought this would help to round out the story, but it didn’t gel as well with the original, so that it seemed more inspired of the original, rather than adding to the original. Miss Haversham was too different in this story, and Estella doesn’t get the same ending as she did in the version of Great expectations that I had read (there are different endings depending on which version you read). I’m sure some will like this book, but it’s just not for me

It is clear that the author has a great love for Great Expectations, such are her detailed descriptions of Satis House, Miss Havisham, Pip, and Estella. That said, you don't need to have read Dickens' novel to appreciate this book.

I'm a big fan of Victorian literature. Done well, I love a reworking or retelling of it. Barbara has done so brilliantly. Her fascination with Estella leaps off the pages as we watch her grow from a tortured protégé into a woman desperate to escape the confines of society and the law.

Estella is more than a haughty copy of her adoptive mother. Estella signifies growth in understanding more of herself while trying to hide her softer side. The author doesn't shy away from depicting Estella's occasional dark nature. It makes her more human.

A fascinating exploration of violence, mind control, limitations and freedom.

An exceptionally well realised reinterpretation of a Charles Dickens classic. “Great Expectations” stands out as one of the greatest works of literature ever published and Barbara Havelocke beautifully delves into that world; Estella, the one-note object of affection in the classic tale is expertly reimagined and expanded upon. A compelling and thoughtful novel.

This book definitely lived up to the title’s promise. It has a darkness to it that can only be pulled off in such a historic setting.

The characters were exactly as made out by Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. And it was great to read things from Estella’s point of view rather than Pip’s.

You get to hear how life at Satis House shaped Estella, who, it is revealed, does have a heart when she’s inclined to use it.

The characters leapt off the page and I easily became invested in their stories. There’s more than one character arc, and they are both expertly woven and believable. Helped along with quite the scandal or two.

It was a much longer book than the ones I normally read, but I felt every scene was worth reading, because they each made the whole.

It ended the only way it could, with Estella’s heart as black as Satis House.

Please read the trigger warnings before reading, because there is some violence in it.

I was asked to review this book by NetGalley and was super excited to do so, I have loved Charles Dickens Great Expectation in print and on screen and always was fascinated by the sad jilted Miss Haversham, and this is about her daughter Estella - obviously not written by Charles Dickens but well researched by this author. This author revisit many of the characters we know from Great Expectations.
I love Gothic since working in a school as cover and love faciliating Gothic english in school.
Both Estella and Miss Haversham are complex in their characters ( who would not be bitter and twisted if jilted at the alter especially in those days) Estella is brought up to hate men due to her mothers tragedy - and today would be viewed as depression and berevement. I have always felt for Miss Haversham and in this novel the reader will feel for both women.

What of Pip well readers you will need to read this novel to find out.

Recommended read.

"I support women's rights, but I also support women's wrongs"

This is what was running through my head throughout this book.
this book was dark, richly atmospheric and just hopeful enough to keep me going.

You might guess, and you’d be right, that Barbara Havelocke’s novel Estella’s Revenge is centred on the character from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. If your first thought is that Dickens has a reputation for being long-winded and dull, don’t worry: that’s not this book! Estella’s Revenge is not written in imitation of Dickens’ style. Instead it is an engaging and original account that develops the story of Great Expectations and tells it from Estella’s perspective, also examining her complex character. She is a lively, confident and strong young woman – but she knows her own flaws.

From childhood, Estella learns to break men’s hearts, instructed by her adoptive mother, Miss Havisham, who was jilted by her fiancé. Estella is aware that it’s not the right thing to do and that the people she is cruel to don’t deserve it. On the other hand, she must please Miss Havisham, because her very existence depends on it. So from a very young age she begins by practising on her young playmate, Pip. Estella must also outwit her scheming relations, the Pocketts, who see her as an obstacle to inheriting Miss Havisham’s wealth and will stop at nothing to remove her.

Virginia Woolf said, “A feminist is any woman who tells the truth about her life.” By that token, this is a feminist book, because Estella recounts with brutal honesty the cruelty that she inflicts on men.. At times she seems more of an activist heroine and at others a tormented soul who painfully acknowledges the weaknesses in her character. She knows that these result from her upbringing and her circumstances. Her version of feminism results from her confident outlook, believing that she can get by in the world without needing men. Until she meets her match.

Estella describes her dilemma: “I often felt pulled in all directions by what I wanted. My desire for love and my by-then automatic rejection of it. A longing for freedom, against a genuine desire to please Mother, which meant following her plan. Growing up, stacked against desperation to remain stuck in time. Spying on Pip while feeling ashamed of my weakness.”

Barbara Havelocke is an accomplished author of psychological thrillers, and this is evident here. There is action and suspense, beautifully balanced with Estella’s introspection. Estella’s Revenge doesn’t have the same multitude of characters as Great Expectations, which is a good thing. Nevertheless, it’s delightful to recognise some of Dickens’ well-known characters and famous phrases. Lovers of his work will very likely enjoy it for this reason. It isn’t necessary to have read Great Expectations, or to remember much of it, if you have. This book stands on its own merits.

Each of the settings in Estella’s Revenge is described with perfect attention to detail, from the vast, dangerous Kent marshes to the elegant London balls where appearances and etiquette were so important. Themes of darkness and light are explored, both literally – for example, in the darkened rooms of Satis House – and metaphorically, in the souls of the characters. I highly recommend that you read it to find out whether Estella learns to forgive herself – and others – for the way she is and finds happiness. Also to discover the secrets that Satis House hides. And as for Pip; Reader, does she marry him?

I will be reading this book very soon but unfortunately ill health got in the way. The book has been archived so will update my review once read

I have just finished this outstanding book and I am not quite sure my little review will do it justice, but here goes:

"You know Miss Havisham. The world's most famous jilted bride. This is her daughter's story."

From the very first page, I knew I was going to love this book, I knew it was going to be one of those books I could spend a long time with, and I knew it was going to be one of those books I could read again and again.

Estella's Revenge is not a retelling of Great Expectations. This book is all through Estella's eyes. It is told over two timelines and is beautifully written. It has gothic, mysterious, and atmospheric vibes and everything was so easy to picture. Ms Havelocke is a very talented author indeed. Every time I opened the book I was completely immersed in Estella's story.

This book was such a pleasure to read and I didn't want it to end. I had pre-ordered the ebook but I just had to get a NetGalley copy as I was so eager to read this. When the hardback is released I will treat myself to a copy, and that copy of Estella's Revenge will become a book I will read yearly, I loved it that much!

My favourite book so far this year 💜

AND! I was so pleased (and surprised) to read that Estella's story carries on! I'm very excited to read the next installment!

Thank you NetGalley, Canelo and Hera for an eArc of Estella's Revenge. Expected publication date is 9/5/24.

Estella's Revenge is an absolute masterpiece that seamlessly builds upon the rich tapestry of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, one of my all-time favourite books. I was delighted by how the author skilfully expanded upon the beloved characters and themes, adding new layers of depth and complexity to the narrative. One of the most impressive aspects of Estella's Revenge is the way it delves deep into the psychology of its characters, particularly Estella and Miss Havisham. It's a compelling exploration of identity, trauma, and the human psyche that had me gripped from start to finish.
I was delighted by how the novel provides a more well-rounded portrayal of Miss Havisham, a character shrouded in mystery and tragedy in Great Expectations. It offers readers a deeper understanding of her motivations, struggles, and vulnerabilities, making her a more nuanced and relatable character. The author's ability to breathe new life into these familiar characters while staying true to Dickens' original vision is truly commendable.
I thoroughly enjoyed the dual timeline structure of the book, which adds another layer of intrigue. This narrative device not only keeps the story engaging and fast-paced but also provides valuable insights into Estella's journey and the impact of her upbringing on her choices and actions.
Overall, I would thoroughly recommend Estella's Revenge, which is now way up there on my favourites list–right alongside Great Expectations. I really hope I get to see this one brought to life on the screen some day!

Set in London in 1835 I was so looking forward to reading this and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve only read a few Dickens novels but the one I always loved best was Great Expectations and the scene that always resonated with me was when young Pip was brought to play with Estella. Estella is the adopted daughter of wealthy Miss Haversham who was jilted at the altar and has since remained in her wedding dress with the wedding feast decaying on the table. A sad and bitter woman Miss Haversham has brought Estelle up to despise men and to trust no one - this is Estella’s story, told from her perspective and in two timelines.

Briefly, having little contact with the world outside of Satis House Estella really doesn’t understand people and although aware of Pips feelings for her she chooses the rather odious Bentley Drummle to be her husband. She doesn’t love him and she is aware he is not a good or kind man, but he is her choice.

I loved how this was written, it was of the era and it flowed beautifully, and remained true to the original novel. I found myself coming to like Estella despite her unfortunate lack of compassion and her unkind treatment of Pip who alongside Yvette was the only person she could be herself with. Dark with gothic vibes this was a very atmospheric read highlighting the treatment of women in Dickensian England and the vapidity of the upper classes. A very enjoyable read.