Format: Hardback
Published by: Hera Books
Published: 09.05.24
Synopsis:
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
Should she embrace the darkness within her and exact her revenge?
My Thoughts:
Rating *****
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a proof copy, I have to admit this is not my usual read but the premise certainly intrigued me. As a read the book delighted me and had me enraptured, storytelling of the highest quality
I think it is worth pointing out that you do not have to have read Great Expectations to understand or thoroughly enjoy this book, this is a read which for me stands on its own merits, there is a freshness and originality to the story which made for a compelling read
It is a wonderfully evocative slice of historical fiction with a dark undertone of the gothic.
You have an arranged marriage which from the outset you form the opinion that this is not going to be a happy occasion, this sets up perfectly what follows. The book is told from two differing times the past with Miss Havisham and the present, I found it interesting how the past played a vital role in the book in shaping the way that Estelle behaves you form an understanding as to the course she has chosen to take and the person she becomes
I was taken straight to the heart of the characters, vividly drawn out, you can form a mental picture of each, there are certainly some unsavoury types, I loved the way That Estelle dealt with The Pocketts
Running throughout the book there is an air of tension and mystery, the book has a real depth to the story, it is also a read with many surprises and unexpected moments
The writing gives a strong sense of place and time, it shouts gothic London and shows the city and period of the time
As you read the book you can see the love the author has for Dickens and Great Expectations and whilst I got a real feel for the period and found the writing of the time, the author has taken the story and characters and made them her own in this wonderfully imagantive story
A delightful page turner, which will delight all those who read it, a more than welcome addition to my reading
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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