Old Story, New Angle: Even More of the Best Spinoffs, Retellings, Sequels and Prequels
Blending historical details, creative additions and contemporary themes, these novels expand on the worlds of the originals in unexpected ways.
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Ever wondered what happens to the characters after a novel ends? Do Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy live happily ever after, or do cracks appear before the honeymoon is over? Does Pip in Great Expectations ever end up with Estella? And if his classic story were set in the modern day, how might Heathcliff handle social media?
If you’ve ever asked yourself these or similar questions, this list—itself a sequel to our roundup of the best retellings of the classics—is for you. Whether it’s taking a perennial character and thrusting them into the spotlight, examining a novel’s core themes under a modern lens, or telling the story of a forgotten character rather than rehashing the well-trodden arc of the lead, these spinoffs, sequels and retellings satisfy curious minds wondering, What happens next? or What if?
What was Mary Bennet really like? What happened to Robert March during the Civil War? Is it any wonder Estella hates men? What were the island in The Tempest and the world of Oz like before shipwrecks and tornadoes brought in new players? The new perspectives, settings, time periods and ideas in these novels cast fresh light on classics from Dickens and Shakespeare to the venerable Homer.
Observer's must-read spinoffs, retellings, sequels and prequels
- Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke
- The Hours by Michael Cunningham
- Wicked by Gregory Maguire
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- Sycorax by Nydia Hetherington
- March by Geraldine Brooks
- The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
- James by Percival Everett
Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke
Few can forget Dickens’ infamous jilted bride Miss Havisham and her adoptive daughter Estella, who treat Pip with cold disdain in Great Expectations. Havelocke’s novel flips the perspective, forcing us to see the world through Estella’s eyes. Growing up in the decaying gloom of Satis House with an adoptive parent consumed by madness and spite, is it any wonder she seems devoid of empathy? Encouraged by Miss Havisham’s bitterness and shaped by her own painful experiences, Estella’s hatred of men hardens. When she marries the abusive Drummle, she may finally reach her breaking point.
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
In The Hours, Michael Cunningham pays tribute to Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway and to Woolf herself, weaving together a day in the life of three characters in a stream-of-consciousness style. One is Virginia, both on the day she takes her life and decades earlier when she begins to write Mrs Dalloway. Another is housewife Laura Brown, coincidentally reading Mrs Dalloway, and the third is Clarissa Vaughn who—like Mrs Dalloway—is preparing to host a party. The novel brings to life the inner worlds of complex characters, each grappling with their own loves, hopes and moments of private despair.
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
The blockbuster film and stage show might make it seem contemporary, but Gregory Maguire’s prequel to L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz first appeared in 1995. It tells the story of Elphaba, a green-skinned girl born long before Dorothy and Toto blow in on the wind, and paints Oz as a troubled land where superstition runs deep and capital-A Animals face not only prejudice but the possibility of extinction. Determined to protect them, Elphaba must risk everything—even facing the infamous Wizard himself. Fair warning: the book goes places the stage musical and book can only dream of.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
We often picture William Shakespeare as the playwright or the actor, rarely as a father. Yet he had three children: two daughters and a son, Hamnet, who died at age 11 in 1596. Hamnet imagines life beginning in 1580, when Shakespeare (never directly named) meets his wife, Agnes. They marry, raise children and live under the shadow of the encroaching plague. Just as Shakespeare’s career ascends, Hamnet dies of a plague-like illness, plunging the family into grief. O’Farrell gives voice to Hamnet’s mother and explores how the loss shapes the family and Shakespeare’s creative work.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Mary Bennet, the stern and serious sister in Pride and Prejudice, is a footnote in Austen’s original—a foil to make Elizabeth and Jane shine brighter. In The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow gives Mary her due, revealing a more nuanced figure whose uncertainty and vulnerability make her far more sympathetic. As Mary seeks her true self, she must decide whether she, too, can find lasting love.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver draws inspiration from Dickens’ David Copperfield, shifting the story from Victorian England to contemporary Appalachia. Her protagonist, Demon Copperhead, is born to a single mother in a trailer and must navigate the modern perils of poverty. With good looks, quick wit and athletic talent, can he escape his circumstances—or will he remain invisible to those in a position to help?
Sycorax by Nydia Hetherington
Long before Prospero and Miranda wash ashore in The Tempest, the island belonged to Sycorax, a mysterious figure who dies before Shakespeare’s play begins, leaving her son Caliban behind. Hetherington’s novel gives Sycorax a history: an outcast with magical powers, mistrusted by townspeople. As a great storm approaches, she must decide whether her powers will be her salvation—or her undoing.
March by Geraldine Brooks
While the March sisters come of age in Little Women, their father, Robert March, is away serving as a Union chaplain in the Civil War. In March, Geraldine Brooks tells his story, from the brutal realities of combat to the testing of his abolitionist convictions. Beyond the war, the novel explores Robert’s love for Marmee, his daughters and the true meaning of courage.
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Pat Barker shifts the focus of Homer’s Iliad to the women left in its shadows. Narrated by Briseis, a Trojan queen turned captive, the novel reveals what life is like in a Greek army camp, from the concubines and nurses to those tending the dead. As battles rage, Briseis endures as a pawn in the hands of powerful men, offering an unflinching new perspective on an ancient epic.
James by Percival Everett
In James, Percival Everett retells The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of Jim, the enslaved man Huck befriends. Moving the timeline closer to the Civil War, Everett keeps the original’s key events but offers glimpses into Jim’s life beyond Huck’s company. The result is a familiar story told through a sharper, more revealing lens.
