Grave Expectations

by Sherri Browning Erwin, Charles Dickens

Heaven knows, we need never be ashamed of our wolfish cravings. . . . Bristly, sensitive, and meat-hungry Pip is a robust young whelp, an orphan born under a full moon. Between hunting escaped convicts alongside zombified soldiers, trying not to become one of the hunted himself, and hiding his hairy hands from the supernaturally beautiful and haughty Estella, whose devilish moods keep him chomping at the bit, Pip is sure he will die penniless or a convict like the rest of his commonly uncommon kind. But then a mysterious benefactor sends him to London for the finest werewolf education money can buy. In the company of other furry young gentlemen, Pip tempers his violent transformations and devours the secrets of his dark world. When he discovers that his beloved Estella is a slayer of supernatural creatures, trained by the corpse-like vampire Miss Havisham, Pip’s desire for her grows stronger than his midnight hunger for rare fresh beef. But can he risk his hide for a truth that will make Estella his forever—or will she drive one last silver stake through his heart?

Genres: Paranormal, Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Shapeshifters

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2011

About the author

Sherri Browning Erwin, best known for critically acclaimed classic mash-ups Jane Slayre and Grave Expectations, also writes paranormal romance and historical romance as Sherri Browning. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Sherri has lived in Massachusetts and Michigan, but is now settled with her family in Simsbury, Connecticut. Watch for her return to historical romance with the upcoming Thornbrook Park series. http://www.sherribrowningerwin.com

Reviews

[Jody Noelle D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was apprehensive about this book when I first bought it (on sale). I don't usually go for this kind of thing (I expected a rather large cheese factor, which I hate) but what a surprise it was to me. The writing is excellent. It dovetails absolutely perfectly with the original. The writing is consistent with Dickens' style and beautifully so. I enjoyed the take on including vampires and werewolves a hundred times more than I ever thought I would. It made the whole London scene even more atmospheric and interesting. I absolutely adore this book. Well done!

[Kyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it better than Dickens' Great Expectations. Honestly, I sometimes feel like I don't fully grasp some of the classics until I've read these weird versions. Still, there was way too much of Dickens' writing left in it, so that I felt I was wading through the story instead of enjoying it. What was easy to read in then isn't now.

[Misfit]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[WTF Are You Reading? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers the world over will thank authoress Sherri Browning Erwin for her lighthearted, furred, and fanged journey into the world of Dickens. This is not to say that her version is meant to eclipse the original; just to be a more palatable kin that the reader will invite to stay and to whom the three day guest rule will never apply. See the rest of my review at http://wtfareyoureading.blogspot.com

[Crystal Falconer · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.examiner.com/books-in-boul...

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Will this ridiculous trend ever end?!?

[Bettie]

Hopefully this fad will receive a stake through the heart AND silver bullet soon.

[WS_BOOKCLUB · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a supernatural parody of Great Expectations, written around the same time as Pride and Prejudice And Zombies. One clever thing about this book is that, while there are werewolves, zombies, and vampires aplenty, you can plainly see the spirit of Great Expectations underneath. Sherri Browning Erwin somehow managed a fun twist on a classic that keeps the story fresh and acts almost as a guide through some of the slower-moving parts of the original book.

I actually enjoyed this much more than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, possibly because I like Great Expectations, while not being a fan of Pride and Prejudice. I think that reading Great Expectations for the first time, followed by Grave Expectations would make for a cool compare and contrast. In fact, I might have my oldest- whom I homeschool- do that next year.

It's not the most amazing reworking of a classic that I've ever read, but it is a solid, fun book. It's also a quick read, one that's perfect when you only have time to read in bits and spurts.

Full review: http://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home...

[Doctor Doom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as "Jane Slayre" by a long-shot but better by far than "Great Expectations". This makes the latter more readable and more enjoyable but like "Pride, Prejudice and Zombies" it is difficult to overcome the source material. It my opinion, thus far, "Jane Slayre" is the best in this mixed genre of classics and horror.

[John Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, vampyric and werewolfish take on the Dickens classic coming of age story in Victorian England. If you have read “Great Expectations” already, then read this and enjoy the result . While it doesn’t follow the original’s plot verbatim, it is close enough for horse shoes and werewolf howls. I had fun reading this.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy paranormal retailing of classic, so much fun. This one was decent, interesting enough

[Tamara Campo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the take on this ( Original great expectations)

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

reductive, After reading Dickens.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was like rereading the novel but with a twist. you have to like Dicken's novels to enjoy it.

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Grave Expectations isn't laugh-out-loud humorous like the first supernatural-classic mashups, the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies series, it is still an enjoyable take on Dickens' 1860 novel. (Based on my one brief encounter with Dickens' writing - David Copperfield - this version is much less tedious and confusing than the original, too.) While the werewolves, vampires, and zombies play clear roles in the story, Dickens' original purpose in writing the novel shines through should readers bother to think about it. This makes Grave Expectations both a nice alternative for reluctant readers struggling through Dickens' prose (though of course it cannot completely replace reading the actual Great Expectations) and a cool, creative companion piece to for anyone who actually made it through the 1860 novel. Though the middle part of the book did seem to lag in plot (I blame Dickens for that), the majority of the book was interesting, and it appeared that Erwin sticks to the original plot pretty well. In the world of classic/monster mashups, Grave Expectations falls in between completely fun (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and the rather boring, didn't-really-change-much novels (Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim). I often managed to forget that I was reading a parody of another novel, which is always a good sign for the viability of books based on other books.

Disclaimer: I received my copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pip Pirrip definitely didn't have an easy start in life.You see he is a werewolf whose mother and father are dead. So he was raised by his older sister Mrs. Joe Gargery who he calls Mrs. Joe. She is a harsh woman who rules with an iron fist, or should I say with a silver tipped cane she likes to call the Tickler. Pip hunts escaped convicts while also trying to hide his wolfish tendencies from the girl he has fallen in love with, but when he learns that his lady love is actually someone that slays supernatural creatures you can't help but wonder how things will work out for Pip! Will love prevail, or will Pip's lady love be the end of him?
Having never read Charles Dickens Great Expectations,I was anxious to read this supernatural spin on the classic, but overall for me it was just an okay read. I found myself rereading parts of it to grasp the language that was used.Once I got into the groove of the story, it moved along quite well, and I did enjoy the characters.I thought it was interesting that in this story vampires were considered civilized and welcome in society while werewolves weren't. While I would consider this book a middle of the road read for me, I think it will appeal to a wide audience, from anyone who enjoys their classic tales rewritten with a paranormal twist, to fans who enjoy werewolves,vampires and the conflict that goes along with slayers wanting to eradicate supernatural beings.

[Teril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grave Expectations is a new paranormal retelling of Great Expectations.
I love these recent adaptations of the classics. Sherri Browning Erwin takes the old characters Pip, now a were wolf, and Estelle turned slayer, Erwin turns our classics upside down.
I love the snark inherit in Erwin's book. Both Jane Slayer and now Grave Expectations had been fabulous reads for me. There is this great lot of dark description in the novel and it give the scenery of the book a whole new feel. One minute we are rooting for Pip, and another sympathizing with Estelle.
If you like your classics in a whole new light, then Grave Expectations will really surprise.
I enjoyed reading this one immensely and have fun comparing the passages between this adaptation and the original.

[William Bentrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grave Expectations by Sherri Browning Erwin

A supernormal depiction of Dicken’s Great Expectations.

Pip is a werewolf and Miss Haversham is a vampire. Magwitch the convict is a werewolf. That pretty much says it all. The characters from Dickens book were re-written to fit the appetite for supernormal created or at least propagated by the whole Twilight experience.

The book was well written with a reasonable facsimile to the Dickens style. It was most definitely not my cup of tea but I think it will find a reasonably large audience

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done for a monster classic. The monster theme seemed to work particularly well with Great Expectations, so that it meshed with the story instead of feeling tacked on, like some other monster classics I have read.

[Ellen]

I loved Pride and Predudice and Zombies, so I have "great expectations" from this novel!

[Addy Buffum · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved jayne slayer; this one not as much. however, i find that the more you know the originalw the more you love the parody. enjoyable read.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

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