AustLit

'Who was the real 'Miss Haversham'?

'Everyone has heard of Charles Dickens' memorable novel Great Expectations. In it he created a character who became the well-known and enduring figure of English literature, Miss Haversham. But did you know that the woman who may have inspired Dickens' creation was a real person who lived in colonial Australia?

'Lost Expectations is a retelling, based on historical research, of the untold true story of Eliza Emily Donnithorne (1827-1886) of Newton in Sydney, the daughter of a wealthy and priveleged family, who was jilted by her groom on her wedding day and lived in self-imposed exile in a locked and shuttered mansion in colonial Sydney. She is buried at St Stephen's church in Newton.' (Publication summary)