Ronald Frame (Get this book)Frame writes the story of Catherine Havisham, recluse of Satis House, in this prelude to Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Despite her mother's death in childbirth, the Great Expectations of Miss Havisham come naturally. Her father, owner of a prosperous brewery, spoils her beyond measure. Then, as Catherine matures, he dispatches her to Durley Chase, home of Lady Chadwyck and her children Isabella, William, Marianna and cousin Frederick. Young Catherine's character earns little empathy, and any sympathy for the recluse of Satis House certain that "true life is too awesome and terrifying to bear" can only be conjured up as her death looms. An intelligently imagined Dickens prequel.--Kirkus
