Scan barcode
diannel_04's review against another edition
I got 157 pages in and still had read nothing new. All it is is a rehash of the old story about Rebecca's death told from different perspectives. There was nothing in it to that point to give you any insight into who Rebecca was or why her stiory had to end the way it did. I couldn't read anymore because I just didn't care. Which really sucks since Rebecca was one of my favourite books.
micki1961's review against another edition
3.0
pretty good story about the "Rebecca" of Daphne de Maurer's; takes place post WWII England (after her death) + the mystery of her death
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman is set 20 years after Rebecca's death and the burning of Manderley. It follows the search of Terence Gray for the real Rebecca and the answer to what really happened to her. There is also the small matter of packages with reminders of Rebecca which have been mailed to the family's friend Colonel Julyan and her cousin Jack Favell. Notebooks and mementos that stir up memories.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Standing on its own merits, it is a terrific investigation of truth and point of view. Beauman uses several points of view to tell her story--Colonel Julyan, Terence Gray, Rebecca herself (through the notebooks) and finally Ellie Julyan, the colonel's daughter. With every shift of narrator, she drives home the notion that Gray thinks about early in the book:
"I'm never likely to discover the truth about Rebecca--and what is the truth, anyway? Not a fixed thing, in my experience--never a fixed thing. The truth fluctuate, it shifts; look at it from this window and it takes one shape; look at it from another, and it's altered."
This is true as we follow the different narrators. Colonel Julyan gives us one version of his initial meetings with Terence Gray; Gray gives us a slightly different version. Not that either of the men is lying-- but each conceals certain facts or views them with their different prejudices and preconceived notions. Even when Gray begins interviewing those who still remain from the days when Rebecca lived and died at Manderley, we are shown different versions of the same story. What exactly is the truth? And even Jack Favell begins to doubt what he thought he knew about the past. He says:
"Strange, isn't it? You start talking about the past, and you think you've understood it, and then you suddenly see: Maybe it wasn't the way you thought at the time, maybe there's a different explanation."
I started reading this thinking that all would be explained. I found that wasn't true at all. The reader is still left with doubts. Whose voice should we trust? Can we even trust what Rebecca wrote in her notebooks? There is reason to think that we shouldn't. And, now, having finished the book, I think that this is as it should be. I would hate for all the loose ends that were left dangling in such a tantalizing manner in Rebecca would suddenly be cleared up.
That brings me to my misgivings about the book. As a sequel to Rebecca, I'm not at all sure that I'm satisfied (I rarely am with sequels by other authors or remakes). I don't buy Colonel Julyan for one thing...his characterization doesn't quite ring true with me. The only voice that does ring the least bit true is Rebecca's...and I don't quite trust that she's told the truth. Of course, given what we're told about her in du Maurier's story...that characterization is spot on. We're not supposed to trust Rebecca. And, of course, this book does not have the same gothic feel to it. I miss the shadow and eeriness of the du Maurier classic. Three stars out five...mostly for Beauman's skill with point of view and exploring how trustworthy that is.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Standing on its own merits, it is a terrific investigation of truth and point of view. Beauman uses several points of view to tell her story--Colonel Julyan, Terence Gray, Rebecca herself (through the notebooks) and finally Ellie Julyan, the colonel's daughter. With every shift of narrator, she drives home the notion that Gray thinks about early in the book:
"I'm never likely to discover the truth about Rebecca--and what is the truth, anyway? Not a fixed thing, in my experience--never a fixed thing. The truth fluctuate, it shifts; look at it from this window and it takes one shape; look at it from another, and it's altered."
This is true as we follow the different narrators. Colonel Julyan gives us one version of his initial meetings with Terence Gray; Gray gives us a slightly different version. Not that either of the men is lying-- but each conceals certain facts or views them with their different prejudices and preconceived notions. Even when Gray begins interviewing those who still remain from the days when Rebecca lived and died at Manderley, we are shown different versions of the same story. What exactly is the truth? And even Jack Favell begins to doubt what he thought he knew about the past. He says:
"Strange, isn't it? You start talking about the past, and you think you've understood it, and then you suddenly see: Maybe it wasn't the way you thought at the time, maybe there's a different explanation."
I started reading this thinking that all would be explained. I found that wasn't true at all. The reader is still left with doubts. Whose voice should we trust? Can we even trust what Rebecca wrote in her notebooks? There is reason to think that we shouldn't. And, now, having finished the book, I think that this is as it should be. I would hate for all the loose ends that were left dangling in such a tantalizing manner in Rebecca would suddenly be cleared up.
That brings me to my misgivings about the book. As a sequel to Rebecca, I'm not at all sure that I'm satisfied (I rarely am with sequels by other authors or remakes). I don't buy Colonel Julyan for one thing...his characterization doesn't quite ring true with me. The only voice that does ring the least bit true is Rebecca's...and I don't quite trust that she's told the truth. Of course, given what we're told about her in du Maurier's story...that characterization is spot on. We're not supposed to trust Rebecca. And, of course, this book does not have the same gothic feel to it. I miss the shadow and eeriness of the du Maurier classic. Three stars out five...mostly for Beauman's skill with point of view and exploring how trustworthy that is.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.
pepper1133's review against another edition
4.0
This was a guilty pleasure read for me. I'm going through a Rebecca kick and am enjoying different iterations of the story. I know the reviews of this are very mixed amongst the Rebecca-devoted, but personally, I enjoyed it, and read it very quickly. It speaks to the fact that any person's actions can be read in just as many ways as there are people who try to interpret it. Personally, I see Rebecca as halfway between evil temptress and innocent angel. But then, aren't we all? ;)
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, I was severely disappointed. Rebecca is a book that keeps you on edge and biting your nails, but I didn't feel any excitement reading this story. Colonel Julyan's section was especially disappointing, and it didn't add anything to the story for me. It felt a bit like his part was just meant to recap the original book. I liked Tom and Ellie, but even their parts lost excitement pretty quickly. I didn't understand her attitude/love of Rebecca after reading her diary. I was pretty much just confused and not sure what I wanted to read next, which is why I finished it.
monsterenergies's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
inkdrinkerjfr's review against another edition
3.0
This book was not written by the same author as the original Rebecca and so is just a guess as to Daphne Du Maurier's characterization of Rebecca but it's still an interesting take. I think it goes a little far in portraying Rebecca as a jaded and bitter woman but maybe that extreme is meant to get you really thinking about your own personal interpretation of the personalities in the first book.
sarahbellar's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness- this book was fantastic. I don't know why people have been rating it down. I could not put it down- I cooked reading it, I literally walked everywhere around the house reading it today. I refused to stop until I had finished it. It was fantastic. I loved each characters determination and each of their individual personalities. I even fell in love with one of the characters (only to have my heart broken in the last 10 pages) but alas it was worth it for the 12+ hours that I took in reading this. I highly recommend this book.
gillyanne's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
deannareads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is not a sequel but more of a modern companion to Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel. I enjoyed du Maurier’s Rebecca so much I was curious and excited to read this book and have the mystery of Rebecca continue. Unfortunately, I’ve been disappointed.
The book starts out strong. The author does a great job creating the dark, mysterious atmosphere in Rebecca. The book is written in four parts from four separate character’s perspectives. Two men, two women. Colonel Julyan is in the final years of his life and knew Rebecca and the de Winter family for years as an employee of the estate. Terence Gray is an investigative reporter that has a personal interest in Rebecca’s story. Ellie is Colonel Julyan’s daughter with secrets of her own and finally, Rebecca, tells her story firsthand.
Colonel Julyan and Mr. Gray’s parts were the most interesting. They focused on the family’s history and explored Rebecca’s background answering a lot of questions I had when I finished du Maurier’s novel.
When I got to Rebecca’s part, part three in the book, everything went downhill. This author went a completely different direction with Rebecca’s character than the original and painted her as an enraged victim of men. Here, Rebecca is a modern feminist heroine fueled by psychotic anger and hatred for all the men in her life who have done her wrong. This approach makes her seem weak and vengeful rather than intelligent and strong. Even though Rebecca was manipulative and potentially crazy in the original novel, I still felt the strengths of her character and intelligence through du Maurier’s writing. In this book, all that is lost and Rebecca is reduced to a pitiful, whiny wreck and I disliked her very much.
I’ll be honest, after reading part three and being completely disappointed, I didn’t even bother with Ellie in part four and skipped the last 100 pages of this 440 page book.
2/5 ⭐️ - it was okay in some parts but overall I didn’t enjoy it.