Reading lists

Books about wronged characters and wicked revenge

These 10 stories explore revenge and its often calamitous consequences.

By Penguin Team

In the 1946 adaptation of Great Expectations, bitter Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) manipulates young Estella (Jean Simmons) and Pip (Tony Wager).

AtonementIan McEwan

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Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)

It's all in the title, isn't it? McEwan's magnificent novel – adapted for the silver screen by director Joe Wright in 2007 – explores the devastating consequences of acting out of jealousy, and what one must do to atone for it. We begin in 1935 on the Tallis country estate, where imaginative 13-year-old Briony runs wild and writes stories. Robbie, the son of the family's housekeeper, is secretly in love with Briony's older sister Cecilia. When Briony, who has a crush on Robbie herself, happens upon the two young lovers in the library, she accuses Robbie of a crime he did not commit, bearing as a false witness. This lie alters the courses of all three lives forever, as Briony strives to earn forgiveness for her mistake.

Books about wronged characters and wicked revenge

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