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