Havisham: A Novel by Ronald Frame

Published by: Faber & Faber

Our source: ARC from the publisher

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Catherine Havisham was born into privilege. Handsome, imperious, she is the daughter of a wealthy brewer, and lives in luxury in Satis House. But she is never far from the smell of hops and the arresting letters on the brewhouse wall - HAVISHAM. A reminder of all she owes to the family name and the family business.


Sent by her father to stay with the Chadwycks, Catherine discovers literature, music and masquerades - elegant pastimes to remove the taint of new money. But for all her growing sophistication Catherine is anything but worldly, and when a charismatic stranger pays her attention, everything - her heart, her future, the very Havisham name - is vulnerable.


Our thoughts:

Let me start off by saying: I am a huge fan of Charles Dickens.  Through the years I have read Great Expectations at least a half a dozen times and really am fascinated by the character of Miss Havisham, still running around in her wedding dress. When I saw the book Havisham, I knew I would like it.

The story depicts the circumstances that led up to Catherine Havisham, Dickens’s character from Great Expectations, stopping in time.  While I enjoyed the tale and re-visiting with characters from Great Expectations, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. While Ronald Frame did a fine job of telling this tale his writing style just cannot be compared to Dickens.

We would recommend this to:

Fans of Great Expectations and historical fiction.