Havisham – Elle Machray

Published By: HarperNorth
Pages: 336
Released On: 07/05/2026

Jilted bride. Mad witch. Tragic villainess. This time, she will have her revenge.

Charlotte Havisham has a secret.

She’s been underestimated for too long: by her former fiancé, Compeyson; by her family; and by society.

But now her true heart’s desire is within reach for the first time. And she will stop at nothing to get it.

This is the story of Miss Havisham as you’ve never heard it before.

And she will exceed all expectations.

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperNorth for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

This was a pre-order I unfortunately had to cancel due to money issues and so I was delighted when HarperNorth send me an early e-copy.

I haven’t read Great Expectations since my childhood, and yet this is the third book based on it I’ve read in two years, courtesy of Barbara Havelocke’s Estella series. And what they have managed to do is make me desperate to re-read it. So once I can dedicate some time to it, I’ll definitely go back to it.

I don’t generally compare books but given the almost identical topics, I felt it was appropriate. I preferred Barbara’s Estella books more (although I do know they were more about Estella and not Miss Havisham but they do exist in the same world) because they let the reader in more. Having said that, this is fabulous, absorbing, funny at times, sad, frustrating, and a joyous…I was going to say ‘retelling’ but I don’t see it as that, it’s more an addition.

Elle’s novel Remember, Remember was such an epically wonderful book that I’ve been looking forward to their next book ever since. And they’ve joined the world of Dickens, and as a Dickens collector, this promised a lot.

I won’t compare it to Remember, Remember because that was based on a true story whereas this is based on fiction. But there are definitely similarities in their writing. She creates such vivid, instantly likeable (even if they’re not meant to be) characters.

The world building in this is wonderful. Yes, Dickens has laid a lot of the ground work, but they’ve managed to honour that but create something of her own.

On the whole, I’m not usually a fan of when authors take a much-loved story and flips it for a more feminist voice. Let me explain. I don’t dislike them when they’re needed. But I do find at times that people do that just to tick a box and it’s not really necessary and it doesn’t really work. But let me say now, this is not like that. This is it’s own beautiful story that definitely has its place among the Dickens adaptations. It also gives us a chance to hear the untold story of someone who, quite frankly, had quite a large role in the original but it was more of a silent role, and I found that interesting.

It is slow in places, yes, bits with maybe too much description instead of character or plot. But it didn’t impact my enjoyment of it. Some bits are slower, yes, but some bits faster and overall I think she’s got the balance just about right. I never felt bored and nor did I feel rushed.

I find in Machray’s Miss Havisham, she has found her inner power, and they’ve written it in a way to speak to their readers. I can only speak as a female reader, but it’s like they’re handing that power over to us, reminding us of our power. And I got that feeling within the first couple of chapters which was impressive.