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merireadstuff's review against another edition
1.0
Non pensavo che un libro potesse fare così schifo incredibile
kinx128's review against another edition
4.0
Havisham is a very interesting story that is completely from the perspective of Great Expectations’ Miss Havisham. It is her journey from innocence to complete bitterness, vindictiveness, and insanity. I think after reading this you will feel some sympathy for Miss Havisham; if you don’t, you will have some understanding of her actions and choices.
It has been a very long time since I read Great Expectations; however, Havisham brought everything back to me. It is a complete story. We learn of Miss Havisham’s beginnings and how she was raised. We are, also, shown her rationalizations of forming Estella and Pip. Her bitterness controlled her every action where she couldn’t show any tenderness at all; even when she desperately wanted to. During her downward spiral she has very little comprehension of others. She doesn’t realize, until it is too late, that she is taking others down with her.
I found reading from Miss Havisham’s perspective very interesting. I enjoyed how her opinions and feelings for Estella and Pip evolved; however, she was still a very self-absorbed, embittered woman. Mr. Frame really did a great job in breaking down her character to give readers some answers. I felt I understood her more and why she acted the way she did. But, in the end, it is very hard to forgive her for the pain she caused in others.
Havisham is a very captivating prequel to Great Expectations that will leave you with a more thoughtful, and maybe, a more sympathetic opinion of Miss Havisham. You will see the why and how she became the bitter, nasty woman of Great Expectations.
It has been a very long time since I read Great Expectations; however, Havisham brought everything back to me. It is a complete story. We learn of Miss Havisham’s beginnings and how she was raised. We are, also, shown her rationalizations of forming Estella and Pip. Her bitterness controlled her every action where she couldn’t show any tenderness at all; even when she desperately wanted to. During her downward spiral she has very little comprehension of others. She doesn’t realize, until it is too late, that she is taking others down with her.
I found reading from Miss Havisham’s perspective very interesting. I enjoyed how her opinions and feelings for Estella and Pip evolved; however, she was still a very self-absorbed, embittered woman. Mr. Frame really did a great job in breaking down her character to give readers some answers. I felt I understood her more and why she acted the way she did. But, in the end, it is very hard to forgive her for the pain she caused in others.
Havisham is a very captivating prequel to Great Expectations that will leave you with a more thoughtful, and maybe, a more sympathetic opinion of Miss Havisham. You will see the why and how she became the bitter, nasty woman of Great Expectations.
lindseysparks's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting concept but it didn't really go anywhere or provide a satisfying backstory.
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
4.0
I felt I could hold on to more by staying here. If I’d gone off…I’m not sure I would have known who I was. I would have come apart perhaps.
Even if it doesn’t come to you right away, the name Havisham is likely to bring at least a flicker of recognition to a reading brain. It’s the surname of the epitome of love jilted at the altar, Catherine Havisham in Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens. In Havisham by Ronald Frame, Catherine is given her own voice and uses it to full effect. I found the book to be immensely enjoyable but if you are a Dickens scholar you may be too close to the original work to read this without drawing comparisons. For someone who read Great Expectations decades ago, I saw enough of Dickens in the characters of Havisham to recognize them but appreciated that what was secondary to Dickens is primary to Frame and wrought in its grand and flawed fullness.
The rest of this review can be read at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2013/11/havisham-novel/
Even if it doesn’t come to you right away, the name Havisham is likely to bring at least a flicker of recognition to a reading brain. It’s the surname of the epitome of love jilted at the altar, Catherine Havisham in Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens. In Havisham by Ronald Frame, Catherine is given her own voice and uses it to full effect. I found the book to be immensely enjoyable but if you are a Dickens scholar you may be too close to the original work to read this without drawing comparisons. For someone who read Great Expectations decades ago, I saw enough of Dickens in the characters of Havisham to recognize them but appreciated that what was secondary to Dickens is primary to Frame and wrought in its grand and flawed fullness.
The rest of this review can be read at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2013/11/havisham-novel/
txkikind's review against another edition
2.0
This book was very long and very slow. I didn't fully remember all of the details of Great Expectations, and I feel it would have been nice to remember the relationship between Pip, Havisham, and Estella before reading this book. The story leading up to Havisham's unfortunate circumstance was very interesting. I enjoyed the backstory. Once Estella was introduced, the story became very, very slow. And, I still don't understand the lesson Havisham was trying to teach Estella. I'm glad I finished it, but I'm not sure it was necessary that I finish it.
lizardgoats's review against another edition
3.0
To be perfectly honest, I did not especially enjoy this book, which is probably why it took me a year (more?) to read this ARC. I was so excited by the idea of Dickens' "Great Expectations" being told from Miss Havisham's perspective. To find out how her wedding went so wrong that it scarred her so badly.
The novel started out okay, with Catherine Havisham, daughter of a prominent brewer, fighting for her place in the family business. But secrets abound and Catherine is constantly pushed aside. There is a lot of gender inequality in the story, Catherine discovers she has an illegitimate half-brother and this only feeds into the "angel in the home" stereotype being forced upon Catherine by the men in her life. She wants to understand the brewing business, everyone else wants her to marry and stay out of the way.
Granted, that is a very succinct summation of a very complicated Victorian more, but here it's used almost as a trope. There was something missing, some spark to Catherine that would feel less disingenuous. I cannot put my finger on it, but I have no doubt that, had it been present, I would never have put the book down.
And, of course, along comes Catherine's ill-fated love interest, Charles Compeyson. It seems his intent is to woo Catherine, steal her business from her (or at least the profit margins) and then run away with Catherine's friend. This scenario is never satisfactorily explained. Even after confronting her friend, there is no resolution. Which, perhaps, is true to life--when are answers to love revoked ever straightforward?
It is this event--being jilted on her wedding day--that eventually sends Catherine into the madness that turns her into Dickens' Miss Havisham. Though there is an interlude where Catherine buckles down and tries to save her father's business, it doesn't last. The foreman and other male influences in her life repeatedly try to force Catherine out of her position of power.
One long trope, which eventually is settled by Catherine shutting down the brewery, donning her wedding dress, and taking up her residence as Miss Havisham, in all her Dickensian glory. This is where "Great Expectations" comes into play. Pip and Estella join Catherine in her mansion, where she takes great delight in cultivating her adopted daughter into a haughty heartbreaker, taking extreme glee from Estella's stories of high society.
As I've already said, this whole novel feels too much like a singular trope--the madwoman in the attic. Miss Havisham and Bertha Mason may be the two most notable characters contributing to this trope, but it exists throughout Victorian Gothic literature and extends even to popular culture today.
However, I think it is a misuse of this trope that makes "Havisham" fall flat for me. Catherine appears to be this strong, inquisitive woman, but it is being jilted at the alter that (eventually) breaks her. In my opinion, it is an inconsistency in her characterization. It is as though Frame wants her both ways: strong and breakable.
In the end, it wasn't a thoroughly awful read. It adds to the complexity of an iconic literary character and really made me think about how I view Dickens' Miss Havisham. How I would characterize her spiral into madness, her treatment of Pip and Estella, and her eventual death.
For those interested in those questions, in the literary afterlife of Victorian novels, it is by no means a required reading, but one that can offer an interesting insight into how we perceive the Victorian Gothic novel in the twenty-first century.
The novel started out okay, with Catherine Havisham, daughter of a prominent brewer, fighting for her place in the family business. But secrets abound and Catherine is constantly pushed aside. There is a lot of gender inequality in the story, Catherine discovers she has an illegitimate half-brother and this only feeds into the "angel in the home" stereotype being forced upon Catherine by the men in her life. She wants to understand the brewing business, everyone else wants her to marry and stay out of the way.
Granted, that is a very succinct summation of a very complicated Victorian more, but here it's used almost as a trope. There was something missing, some spark to Catherine that would feel less disingenuous. I cannot put my finger on it, but I have no doubt that, had it been present, I would never have put the book down.
And, of course, along comes Catherine's ill-fated love interest, Charles Compeyson. It seems his intent is to woo Catherine, steal her business from her (or at least the profit margins) and then run away with Catherine's friend. This scenario is never satisfactorily explained. Even after confronting her friend, there is no resolution. Which, perhaps, is true to life--when are answers to love revoked ever straightforward?
It is this event--being jilted on her wedding day--that eventually sends Catherine into the madness that turns her into Dickens' Miss Havisham. Though there is an interlude where Catherine buckles down and tries to save her father's business, it doesn't last. The foreman and other male influences in her life repeatedly try to force Catherine out of her position of power.
One long trope, which eventually is settled by Catherine shutting down the brewery, donning her wedding dress, and taking up her residence as Miss Havisham, in all her Dickensian glory. This is where "Great Expectations" comes into play. Pip and Estella join Catherine in her mansion, where she takes great delight in cultivating her adopted daughter into a haughty heartbreaker, taking extreme glee from Estella's stories of high society.
As I've already said, this whole novel feels too much like a singular trope--the madwoman in the attic. Miss Havisham and Bertha Mason may be the two most notable characters contributing to this trope, but it exists throughout Victorian Gothic literature and extends even to popular culture today.
However, I think it is a misuse of this trope that makes "Havisham" fall flat for me. Catherine appears to be this strong, inquisitive woman, but it is being jilted at the alter that (eventually) breaks her. In my opinion, it is an inconsistency in her characterization. It is as though Frame wants her both ways: strong and breakable.
In the end, it wasn't a thoroughly awful read. It adds to the complexity of an iconic literary character and really made me think about how I view Dickens' Miss Havisham. How I would characterize her spiral into madness, her treatment of Pip and Estella, and her eventual death.
For those interested in those questions, in the literary afterlife of Victorian novels, it is by no means a required reading, but one that can offer an interesting insight into how we perceive the Victorian Gothic novel in the twenty-first century.
kbratten's review against another edition
4.0
I almost gave up on this book a third of the way through. The premise is so compelling I had set certain expectations. Miss Havisham is a favorite mysterious character and filling in her story is a tall order. It was only once I let go of my expectations that I slowed down and began enjoying her story.
missinfermiera's review against another edition
3.0
When I heard that someone was finally telling Ms. Havisham's story, I was absolutely thrilled. I don't think many would disagree when I say that she is the most captivating and mysterious character in Great Expectations. I was very much hooked when I started the book, and I found the story Frame created to be very much believable. I enjoyed sympathizing with her and seeing her as a human being, not just a heartless man-hater.
However, my enjoyment waned when she declined into madness. It all seemed to happen way too fast. The story suddenly seemed rushed and forced. I don't know if I expected too much because of my love for Great Expectations, but I looked forward to the portion of the story that I already knew (but had not seen her side of). I especially found the ending to be strange and ill-fitting with the rest of the novel.
However, my enjoyment waned when she declined into madness. It all seemed to happen way too fast. The story suddenly seemed rushed and forced. I don't know if I expected too much because of my love for Great Expectations, but I looked forward to the portion of the story that I already knew (but had not seen her side of). I especially found the ending to be strange and ill-fitting with the rest of the novel.
lola425's review against another edition
3.0
As a prequel it is interesting enough, but the story wasn't as engaging as I thought it would be. I think the short chapters made everything too choppy. It made me curious enough to go back and re-read Great Expectations. Perhaps my opinion will change.
pph_library_bookclub's review against another edition
1.0
Only half the book group finished this book. This was mostly because people just didn't enjoy it at all and they didn't want to keep reading. Most said during the book group meeting that they had no want to carry on and finish the book.
We had a bit of a discussion about why people write these kind of books. In some cases it can add something to the story, but we felt that wasn't true in this case. We didn't feel that the story rang true as something written for this particular time period. We also felt that it didn't really stand on its own, you had to have a lot of knowledge of the book it's related to in order to get the most out of this book. It didn't really go anywhere new or introduce anything we felt added to the original story. Ultimately we were disappointed in this book, although the end 1/3 was probably better than the start of the book.
With regards the main protagonist we felt that she was a confusing and ultimately sad character. She seemed to be so very shrewd when it came to business but when it was matters of the heart she was completely naïve and useless. We weren't sure about her periods of madness, were they something she affected rather than an actual mental illness as they seemed to come and go so easily.
Overall we gave this book 2 out of 10.
We had a bit of a discussion about why people write these kind of books. In some cases it can add something to the story, but we felt that wasn't true in this case. We didn't feel that the story rang true as something written for this particular time period. We also felt that it didn't really stand on its own, you had to have a lot of knowledge of the book it's related to in order to get the most out of this book. It didn't really go anywhere new or introduce anything we felt added to the original story. Ultimately we were disappointed in this book, although the end 1/3 was probably better than the start of the book.
With regards the main protagonist we felt that she was a confusing and ultimately sad character. She seemed to be so very shrewd when it came to business but when it was matters of the heart she was completely naïve and useless. We weren't sure about her periods of madness, were they something she affected rather than an actual mental illness as they seemed to come and go so easily.
Overall we gave this book 2 out of 10.