April 1951. It has been twenty years since the death of Rebecca, the hauntingly beautiful first wife of Maxim de Winter, and twenty years since Manderley, the de Winter family’s estate, was destroyed by fire. But Rebecca’s tale is just beginning. Colonel Julyan, an old family friend, receives an anonymous package concerning Rebecca. An inquisitive young scholar named Terence Gray appears and … appears and stirs up the quiet seaside hamlet with questions about the past and the close ties he soon forges with the Colonel and his eligible daughter, Ellie. Amid bitter gossip and murky intrigue, the trio begins a search for the real Rebecca and the truth behind her mysterious death.
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Although I read Rebecca 50 years ago when I was in high school, I never forgot it. It was great to get “The Rest of the Story” as Paul Harvey used to say. Even if you’ve never read Rebecca you would still enjoy this book. It’s a great story.
Continuing the story from Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca”, this takes place twenty years after the death of Rebecca. A young man comes to the village and searches for information about her life and origins, trying to find his own origins as an abandoned child left in an orphanage soon after birth. He knows there is a link, but he doesn’t know what it is. Much of the story is told by the old Colonel who presided over her inquest and his daughter, but we also hear from Rebecca herself by way of her journals that are sent anonymously to the Colonel, and from the young man on his searches. Good book.
Du Maurier’s familiar characters remain true to their original personalities while the new characters blend in seamlessly. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel explores the mysteries and complexities of Rebecca’s story.
It was an interesting book to read after reading the classic Rebecca.
I didn’t finish it……lost interest…..loved Rebecca and another novel Mrs. Dewinter.
This one just didn’t do it for me.
A very intriguing take on the original. I really enjoyed reading it.
I enjoyed it because I read Rebecca About 50 years ago 🙂
Intriguing mystery without the predictable happy ever after ending…a past time culture with more modern twists. Enjoyable read.
Sequels written by a different author are tricky. But, Sally nailed it.
It was not what I expected. The author gave the story an interesting twist but it was not what I would have imagined. The story was excessively long and very often lead nowhere. I would not recommend
I didn’t know this book and was curious to see just what this new author would do with the main character from the original story – as well as all of the others. Was not at all disappointed and totally engrossed until the last page!
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the book Rebecca and this story explored what could have happened after the end of the original. Easy to read, with good characters.
Imaginative recreation of the mysterious Rebecca at the heart of Daphne DuMaurier’s iconic novel. In that book Rebecca is already dead but thoroughly haunts the narrative. This story, set some 20 years after the end, looks into Rebecca’s mysterious past and who she was or seemed to be.
It’s a wonderful companion book to DuMarier’s Rebecca.
A very good follow-up to the original Rebecca which simply can’t be beat…but apparently can be continued very well. There was a previous sequel some time ago that was just depressing and not very well written. This one was exciting and true to duMaurier’s work. Highly recommended!
Hard to get into. Borng start. Unable to finish.
REBECCA by Daphne DuMaurier is one of my favorite books of all time. So I totally enjoyed becoming immersed in Manderley and The de Winters again after all these years. A very interesting approach to investigating the mystery of Rebecca.
Psychological study
It was different from what I expected. Did not really add anything to the original story. Was disappointed in the ending. I don’t recommend it. Stick to the original.
Most of it was just as I might have imagined it.
Loved revisiting one of my favorite books.