Avon/Harper Collins (Paperback) ISBN 0-380-77855-6
When the young, unnamed narrator of Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca" holds a postcard of Manderley, little does she know what part the stunning Cornwall estate will play in her future.

The sudden death of her father forces our plain but respectable heroine to take on a demeaning position as a companion to the ailing, comically upper-crust Mrs. Van Hopper. This position brings the narrator to Monte Carlo, where she comes in close contact with a rich and attractive widower named Maxim De Winter.

An odd friendship strikes up between the heroine and the lonely Mr. De Winter. She fancies herself in love with him and he with her. When she receives a charge from Mrs. Van Hopper to pack for New York, she confides her dread of leaving to her new friend. He, in turn, suggests that they marry.

Any second wife must contend with a lot. But nothing could prepare the heroine, now the second Mrs. De Winter, for the shadows that still fall upon her husband as a result of the mysterious death of his first wife, Rebecca.

Feeling inferior and unsuited for her new role, Mrs. De Winter struggles to please her husband and to gain the affection of his family, friends and staff. However, reminders of Rebecca undermine her efforts at every turn and, strangely, continue to exert some sort of hold on Maxim. Manderley's housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, with her unfailing loyalty to Rebecca, proves to be our heroine's greatest foe. Lurking in every dark corner, Mrs. Danvers never ceases to remind the new Mrs. De Winter that she stepped into shoes she cannot fill.

With the appearance of a strange gentlemen caller at Manderley, Mrs. De Winter begins to sense a flaw in Rebecca's perfect reputation as a wife and society darling. The unraveling of this thread begins the unveiling of a truth that proves much more devastating that anything the narrator could foresee.

From the onset, Daphne Du Maurier immediately hooks us with the soft, ominous tone of one of the most famous opening lines in 20th century literature:

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me."

Du Maurier weaves tension throughout the story and maintains suspense to the very end. Even when the handsome widower whisks our sweet girl away on a whirlwind honeymoon, we know the dead Rebecca clouds the future of the pair. In her own extraordinary way, this talented writer provides an alarming, but believable obstruction to the newlyweds' happiness.

Setting and strong characterization adds weight to the impact of this haunting tale, particularly in Manderley, Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers. Our heroine, while for the most part shy and demure, resonates with the naivete in all of us.

Originally published in 1938 and made into a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock some years later, Rebecca stands the test of time. Even the second time around, Daphne Du Maurier's classic murder mystery Rebecca sent chills up my spine and filled my desire for an exciting mystery.

Lynne Remick

Lynne Marie Pisano is a freelance writer, poet, book reviewer, SCBWI Metro New York LI Critique Group Coordinator and Co-Chair of the Long Island Children's Writers and Illustrators. She lives in New York with her husband Michael, her son Kevin and a daughter named Kayla, and Dante, a Schipperke.

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